[Surgical margin status in hepatectomy for liver tumors]

It is admitted that only complete tumor clearance with negative surgical margins provides benefit for patients undergoing surgery for hepatobiliary malignancies. For hepatocellular carcinoma, since micrometastases disseminate via portal venous branches, anatomic resection is preferred over non-anatomic resection in liver resection carried out with curative intent. Thus, an anatomic liver resection with a wider resection margin theoretically gives a higher potential for cure. However, preserving non-tumorous liver parenchyma is an important consideration, especially in cirrhotic liver resection to decrease the incidence of postoperative liver failure. The optimal liver resection margin is still controversial. It seems that a resection margin of 2 cm is associated with a decreased postoperative recurrence rate and improved survival outcomes especially for hepatocellular carcinoma