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Updated: Jul 7, 2026
The Influence of Liver Resection on Intrahepatic Tumor Growth
Published on: April 9, 2016
Intrahepatic distant recurrence after radiofrequency ablation for a single small hepatocellular carcinoma: risk
Yusuke Okuwaki1, Takahide Nakazawa, Akitaka Shibuya
1Department of Gastroenterology, Kitasato University East Hospital, 2-1-1 Asamizodai, Sagamihara, 228-8520, Japan.
Background:
The pathogenesis of frequent intrahepatic recurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) after surgical resection or local ablation therapy remains uncertain. Risks and patterns of intrahepatic distant recurrence (IDR) of a single, primary HCC lesion after radiofrequency (RF) ablation were examined.
Methods:
Ninety patients with a single primary HCC lesion of less than 3 cm who had complete RF ablation were enrolled in the study. Risk factors for IDR and the patterns of IDR after RF ablation were analyzed.
Results:
The median follow-up was 37.4 months. IDR was observed in 44 (48.9%) patients. The cumulative rate of IDR was 10.4%, 52.5%, and 77.0% at 1, 3, and 5 years, respectively. Univariate analysis revealed that a pretreatment serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) level of > or =50 ng/ml (P = 0.0324), a des-gamma-carboxy prothrombin (DCP) level of > or =40 mAu/ml (P = 0.006), an ablative margin of <5 mm of the ablation zone (P = 0.0306), and a prothrombin time of <70% (P = 0.0188) were related to IDR. A multivariate stepwise Cox proportional hazards regression model revealed that pretreatment serum AFP and DCP level and the ablative margin were independent risk factors for IDR pretreatment. Serum DCP level > or = 40 mAu/ml (P = 0.025), local tumor progression (P = 0.011), and ablative margin < 5 mm (P = 0.024) were related to multiple IDR.
Conclusions:
HCC patients with high serum AFP or DCP before RF ablation should be carefully followed up to monitor any IDR. A sufficient ablative margin in RF ablation for HCC is required to prevent IDR.
