[Surgical management of multinodular hepatocellular carcinoma: controversies,opportunities,and challenges]

Multinodular hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) poses substantial clinical challenges due to its high tumor burden,pronounced heterogeneity,and poor prognosis. This review summarizes current definitions and staging systems for multinodular HCC and examines the evidence and controversies surrounding surgical management. Particular attention is given to the efficacy and safety of hepatic resection across varying tumor burdens and biological behaviors. The heterogeneity between intrahepatic metastasis and multicentric occurrence subtypes is explored in the context of treatment decision-making. Liver transplantation,while potentially curative and offering notable survival benefits-especially for patients meeting the Milan criteria or within expanded selection frameworks-is limited by donor scarcity and the risk of post-transplant recurrence. Salvage transplantation remains a debated strategy for patients who experience recurrence after resection. In the era of targeted and immune therapies,combining locoregional approaches with systemic treatment has broadened the therapeutic landscape for unresectable multinodular HCC,creating new opportunities for conversion and downstaging. This review also highlights recent advances and persistent challenges in the clinical integration of these strategies. Moving forward,the management of multinodular HCC should prioritize precision medicine,multidisciplinary collaboration,and individualized treatment planning,supported by high-quality clinical research and technological innovation,with the ultimate goal of improving both survival and quality of life for patients.