Predictors of extrahepatic recurrence after curative hepatectomy for hepatocellular carcinoma

The aim of this study was to elucidate the predictors of extrahepatic hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) recurrence after hepatectomy.

A cohort of 252 patients with HCC who underwent hepatectomy following a recurrence were reviewed. The patients were categorized into 2 groups according to the pattern of their initial recurrence. Clinicopathological and survival data were compared between the groups.

Of the 252 patients, 218 had intrahepatic recurrence (IHR) (86.5%) and 34 had extrahepatic recurrence (EHR) (13.5%) as their initial recurrence. The mean duration of time until the initial recurrence after hepatectomy of the EHR and IHR groups was 1.8 and 2.2 years, respectively. The rate of recurrence within 6 months after hepatectomy of EHR and IHR groups was 35.3 and 14.2%, respectively (P = .002). The 3-, 5-, and 10-year cumulative survival rates of EHR group were 60.3, 24.0, and 6.0%, respectively, which were significantly lower than that of IHR group (74.5, 57.7, and 23.1%, P = .004). A multivariate analysis showed that blood loss during surgery and microscopic hepatic vein invasion remained as independent risk factors for increased EHR after hepatectomy for HCC. Furthermore, the combination of these 2 independent factors showed a significant association with the EHR.

EHR of HCC was associated with early recurrence and a poor survival after a hepatectomy. The combination of 2 independent factors for EHR, the presence of microscopic hepatic vein invasion and the blood loss during surgery, may be useful for predicting the risk for occurrence of EHR during the follow-up period.