Influence of blood transfusion on postoperative long-term liver function in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma

To research for possible adverse effects of blood transfusion on liver function at a relatively long term after hepatic resection, liver function tests at one and two years after the surgery were studied in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.

Seventy-one patients with no evidence of cancer recurrence during two years after the surgery were selected for this retrospective analysis. Patients were divided into two groups depending on perioperative blood transfusion: those who received blood transfusion (BT(+), n = 38), and those without blood transfusion (BT(-), n = 33).

There were no statistical difference in the preoperative clinical features including liver function tests except decreased prothrombin time index (P < 0.01) and larger amount of intraoperative blood loss (P < 0.01) in BT(+) group. Platelet counts at 2 year after the surgery were significantly higher in the BT(-) group (P < 0.05). Two-way ANOVA showed no significant difference in liver function tests between the two groups. In multiple regression analysis, blood transfusion significantly correlated with serum total bilirubin at 1 year, but did not at 2 years after the surgery.

The influence of blood transfusion in the patients with hepatocellular carcinoma was considered to be minimum within 2 years after hepatectomy.