Results of surgical and nonsurgical treatment for small-sized hepatocellular carcinomas: a retrospective and nationwide survey in Japan. The Liver Cancer Study Group of Japan

Cost-effectiveness analysis of liver resection versus transplantation for early hepatocellular carcinoma within the Milan criteria

Both liver resection (LR) and cadaveric liver transplantation (CLT) are potentially curative treatments for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) within the Milan criteria and with adequate liver function. Adopting either as a first-line therapy carries major cost and resource implications. The objective of this study was to estimate the relative cost-effectiveness of LR against CLT for patients with HCC within the Milan criteria using a decision analytic model. A Markov cohort model was developed to simulate a cohort of patients aged 55 years with HCC within the Milan criteria and Child-Pugh A/B cirrhosis, undergoing LR or CLT, and followed up over their remaining life expectancy. Analysis was performed in different geographical cost settings: the USA, Switzerland and Singapore. Transition probabilities were obtained from systematic literature reviews, supplemented by databases from Singapore and the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (USA). Utility and cost data were obtained from open sources. LR produced 3.9 quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) while CLT had an additional 1.4 QALYs. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) of CLT versus LR ranged from $111,821/QALY in Singapore to $156,300/QALY in Switzerland, and was above thresholds for cost-effectiveness in all three countries. Sensitivity analysis revealed that CLT-related 5-year cumulative survival, one-time cost of CLT, and post-LR 5-year cumulative recurrence rates were the most sensitive parameters in all cost scenarios. ICERs were reduced below threshold when CLT-related 5-year cumulative survival exceeded 84.9% and 87.6% in Singapore and the USA, respectively. For Switzerland, the ICER remained above the cost-effectiveness threshold regardless of the variations.

CONCLUSION

In patients with HCC within the Milan criteria and Child-Pugh A/B cirrhosis, LR is more cost-effective than CLT across three different costing scenarios: the USA, Switzerland, Singapore.

Incomplete radiofrequency ablation enhances invasiveness and metastasis of residual cancer of hepatocellular carcinoma cell HCCLM3 via activating β-catenin signaling

BACKGROUND

Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) is one of the curative therapies for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), however, accelerated progression of residual HCC after incomplete RFA has been reported more frequently. The underlying molecular mechanism of this phenomenon remains to be elucidated. In this study, we used an incomplete RFA orthotopic HCC nude mouse model to study the invasive and metastatic potential of residual cancer as well as the correlated mechanism.

METHODS

The incomplete RFA orthotopic nude mouse models were established using high metastatic potential HCC cell line HCCLM3 and low metastatic potential HCC cell line HepG2, respectively. The changes in cellular morphology, motility, metastasis and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), and HCC cell molecular markers after in vitro and in vivo incomplete RFA intervention were observed.

RESULTS

Pulmonary and intraperitoneal metastasis were observed in an in vivo study. The underlying pro-invasive mechanism of incomplete RFA appeared to be associated with promoting EMT, including down-regulation of E-cadherin and up-regulation of N-cadherin and vimentin. These results were in accordance with the in vitro response of HCC cells to heat intervention. Further studies demonstrated that β-catenin was a pivotal factor during this course and blocking β-catenin reduced metastasis and EMT phenotype changes in heat-treated HCCLM3 cells in vitro.

CONCLUSION

Incomplete RFA enhanced the invasive and metastatic potential of residual cancer, accompanying with EMT-like phenotype changes by activating β-catenin signaling in HCCLM3 cells.

Artificial neural networking model for the prediction of post-hepatectomy survival of patients with early hepatocellular carcinoma

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

This study aimed to establish a prognostic artificial neural network model (ANN) for early hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) following partial hepatectomy.

METHODS

Consecutive patients who were operated between February 2005 and March 2012 were prospectively studied. Seventy-five and 25% of these patients were randomly selected as a training cohort and an internal validation cohort. Similar patients from another hospital formed an external validation cohort. The predictive accuracy of the ANN for postoperative survival was measured by the area under the curve (AUC) on receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. The results were compared with those obtained using the conventional Cox proportional hazard model, and the Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Association (IHPBA), TNM 6th, and Barcelona-Clinic-Liver-Cancer (BCLC) staging systems.

RESULTS

The number of patients in the training, internal validation and external validation cohorts were 543, 182, and 104, respectively. On linear regression analysis, tumor size, number, alpha¬fetoprotein, microvascular invasion, and tumor capsule were independent factors affecting survival (P < 0.05). The ANN model was established based on these factors. In the training cohort, the AUC of the ANN was larger than that of the Cox model (0.855 vs 0.826, P = 0.0115), and the staging systems (0.784 vs TNM 6th: 0.639, BCLC: 0.612, IHPBA: 0.711, P < 0.0001 for all). These findings were confirmed with the internal and external validation cohorts.

CONCLUSION

The ANN was significantly better than the other commonly used model and systems in predicting survival of patients with early HCC who underwent partial hepatectomy.

Complications following hepatectomy

As the number of liver resections in the United States has increased, operations are more commonly performed on older patients with multiple comorbidities. The advent of effective chemotherapy and techniques such as portal vein embolization, have compounded the number of increasingly complex resections taking up to 75% of healthy livers. Four potentially devastating complications of liver resection include postoperative hemorrhage, venous thromboembolism, bile leak, and post-hepatectomy liver failure. The risk factors and management of these complications are herein explored, stressing the importance of identifying preoperative factors that can decrease the risk for these potentially fatal complications.

Ablative technologies for hepatocellular, cholangiocarcinoma, and metastatic colorectal cancer of the liver

A wide array of ablation technologies, in addition to the progressive sophistication of imaging technologies and percutaneous, laparoscopic, and open surgical techniques, have allowed us to expand treatment options for patients with liver tumors. In this article, technical considerations of chemical and thermal ablations and their application in hepatic oncology are reviewed.

Clinicopathological factors and long-term outcome comparing between lung and peritoneal metastasectomy after hepatectomy for hepatocellular carcinoma in a tertiary institution

BACKGROUND

Recurrence after liver resection for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is common. Resection of extrahepatic recurrences such as lung metastasectomy (LM) has been well documented. Conversely, reports on the long-term outcomes of peritoneal metastasectomy (PM) are lacking. In this study, we compared the outcome of lung and peritoneal metastasectomy after hepatectomies for HCC in a tertiary institution.

METHODS

We reviewed retrospectively the data of 1,222 patients who underwent hepatectomies for HCC in Samsung Medical Center in Korea from January 2006 to August 2010. We studied the clinicopathologic factors between resected lung metastasis (LM) and peritoneal metastases (PM) and the long-term outcome of patient survival. Kaplan-Meier analysis was used to study the survival outcome.

RESULTS

The recurrence rate of resected HCC in this cohort was 41.6% (n = 508). Thirty-two patients with lung metastasis (23% of all lung metastasis) underwent LM whereas 13 patients (36% of all peritoneal metastasis) with peritoneal metastasis underwent PM. Two patients underwent PM and LM sequentially. Demographic and clinical data between the LM and PM groups were comparable. The mean prehepatectomy PIVKA-II level was greater in the LM group compared with the PM group (P = .029). On univariate analysis of pathologic factors, the median tumor size (P = .005), proportion of patients with tumor >75 mm (P = .005) and rate of microvascular invasion (P = .047) were greater in the LM group. The median time-to-recurrence in the LM group was 12 (4-45) months compared with 18 (1-102) months in the PM group (P = .896). The 1-year, 3-year, and 5-year overall survival of patients in the LM group was 92%, 55%, 55% (4-year) whereas that in the PM group was 90%, 75%, and 75%, respectively. The mean overall survival in the LM was comparable with that in the PM group (P = .578).

CONCLUSION

Twenty-three percent of patients with lung metastasis and 36.1% of patients with peritoneal metastasis could be considered for metastasectomy. The long-term survival of patients with PM and LM was comparable in this study. Although resection of LM improves survival in patients with resected HCC, we demonstrated favorable outcomes for PM as well, which in the past would have been considered palliative.

Transcatheter arterial chemoembolization for hepatocellular carcinoma: Comparison of the therapeutic efficacies between miriplatin and epirubicin

AIM

The therapeutic efficacy of transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) using miriplatin was evaluated in comparison with that using epirubicin in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

METHODS

Two hundred and eight-nine HCC patients receiving TACE were retrospectively enrolled; none of the patients gave a previous TACE history. The short-term therapeutic efficacy was evaluated by computed tomography (CT) performed 1 month later. In patients showing TE-4, CT and/or magnetic resonance imaging examinations were performed repeatedly and the long-term therapeutic efficacy was assessed based on local tumor recurrence.

RESULTS

After exclusion of 68 patients (CT not performed at 1 month), 97 patients treated with epirubicin and 124 treated with miriplatin were analyzed. The percentage of patients showing TE-4 was 46.8% in the miriplatin-TACE group, being significantly higher than that in the epirubicin-TACE group (33.0%). The cumulative local recurrence rates at 18 months were 71.2% in the miriplatin-TACE group and 43.1% in the epirubicin-TACE group; multivariate analysis revealed higher local tumor recurrence rates in the miriplatin-TACE group than in the epirubicin-TACE group.

CONCLUSION

For HCC patients, although miriplatin-TACE was superior to epirubicin-TACE in the short term, it proved inferior to the latter in the long term. The merits of TACE using miriplatin should be further investigated, because adverse effects appear to be minimal after miriplatin administration.

Adjuvant chemotherapy for patients with primary hepatocellular carcinoma: a meta-analysis

Numerous studies have investigated the effects of adjuvant chemotherapy for primary hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients. We conducted this analysis to evaluate the efficacy of adjuvant chemotherapy in HCC patients after hepatectomy. PubMed/MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane, and other databases were searched for eligible studies. The major endpoints were overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS). The pooled odds ratio (OR) was calculated using a random-effects model to summarize the results. In the meta-analysis of 13 randomized control trials (RCTs) and 35 observational studies with 4747 patients, hepatectomy plus adjuvant chemotherapy showed superiority over hepatectomy alone in 1-year DFS (OR = 1.86, 1.38-2.51, p < 0.001), 3-year DFS (OR = 2.37, 1.73-3.24, p < 0.001) and 5-year DFS (OR = 1.99, 1.55-2.55, p < 0.001), as well as 1-year OS (OR = 2.16, 95% confidence interval 1.75-2.68, p < 0.001), 3-year OS (OR = 1.77, 1.48-2.13, p < 0.001) and 5-year OS (OR = 1.92, 1.44-2.56, p < 0.001). Subgroup and sensitivity analysis revealed that only adjuvant TACE had significant survival benefits. The meta-analysis of studies involving patients with portal vein tumor thrombus (PVTT), but not other factors related to recurrence risk, revealed favorable outcomes of the Treatment arm over the Control arm. The present study shows that adjuvant chemotherapy can improve outcomes for HCC patients. The benefits of adjuvant TACE have been confirmed whereas the effects of other adjuvant chemotherapy modalities remain uncertain. Adjuvant chemotherapy is likely to be more applicable to certain patient populations for instance those with PVTT, but further research in identifying these patient factors is of importance for tailoring adjuvant therapies to individual patients in the future.

A prognostic scoring system for patients with multiple hepatocellular carcinomas treated by hepatectomy

BACKGROUND

The selection criteria of hepatectomy for patients with multiple hepatocellular carcinomas (HCCs) remain controversial.

METHODS

A scoring system based on preoperative data and independent predictors of overall survival (OS) was developed in a primary cohort of 510 patients who underwent hepatectomy for multiple HCCs from 1998 to 2006, and validated in 177 patients who were operated from 2006 to 2009 at the Eastern Hepatobiliary Surgery Hospital.

RESULTS

In the NDR scoring system, tumor number (N) > 3, total tumor diameter (D) > 8 cm, and a ratio of largest/smallest diameter (R) > 6 were independent predictors of OS. Its predictive accuracy as determined by the area under the curve (AUC, 0.718) was larger than the four conventional staging systems (0.524-0.662). It stratified postoperative OS into five levels (0-4 score). The 5-year OS rate of patients with a NDR score 0-2 was 46.5% versus 13.9% in those > 2 (P < 0.001). Patients with a score 0-2 therefore were recommended for hepatectomy. The feasibility of this NDR score 0-2 was compared with the previously reported criteria. If the two more stringent inclusion criteria were adopted, 45.5-75.7% of patients with a NDR score 0-2 would be excluded, but their 5-year OS rates were comparable to those within the criteria (44.7% vs. 52.1%, P = 0.083; 46.6% vs. 46.3%, P = 0.674). If the less stringent criteria were used, an additional 25.9% of patients received hepatectomy, but their 5-year OS rate was 13.9%.

CONCLUSIONS

The NDR scoring system was more accurate in selecting patients with multiple HCCs for hepatectomy.

Actual 10-year survival following hepatectomy for hepatocellular carcinoma

OBJECTIVES

This study was conducted to compare 10-year survivors with patients who survived <10 years in a large Western series of patients submitted to hepatectomy for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

METHODS

A retrospective review of a series of hepatic resections conducted in a referral centre for HCC between January 1987 and October 2002 was conducted.

RESULTS

A total of 176 patients were analysed. Twenty-eight patients survived ≥ 10 years (Group A) and were compared with the 148 patients who did not (Group B). Group A had smaller tumours (5.7 cm versus 8.2 cm; P = 0.001) and a lower incidence of microvascular invasion (18.5% versus 37.1%; P = 0.004). Recurrence did not differ significantly (Group A 18/28, 64.3% versus Group B 94/148, 63.5%). Median time to recurrence was longer in Group A (70 months versus 15 months; P < 0.0001), and more patients in Group A were able to undergo curative treatment for recurrence (88.8% versus 40.4%; P < 0.0001). Multivariate analysis showed that lack of vascular invasion (P = 0.020), absence of perioperative transfusion (P = 0.014), and recurrence at >2 years after primary resection (P = 0.045) were significantly associated with 10-year survival.

CONCLUSIONS

Ten-year survival after liver resection for HCC can be expected in approximately 15% of patients. Recurrence does not preclude longterm survival. Recurrence at >2 years after resection, absence of vascular invasion, and absence of perioperative transfusion are independently associated with 10-year survival.

Triple positive tumor markers predict recurrence and survival in early stage hepatocellular carcinoma

AIM

Hepatectomy is feasible for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with good hepatic function who meet the Milan criteria. Several studies have indicated that tumor markers of HCC, α-fetoprotein (AFP), Lens culinaris agglutinin-reactive fraction of AFP percentage and protein induced by vitamin K absence/antagonist-II were good predictors of malignant potential. It is important to identify highly malignant cases of HCC, and the aim of this study was to clarify the impact of triple positive tumor markers as the prognostic factors for early stage HCC within the Milan criteria.

METHODS

This study investigated 199 patients who underwent hepatectomy for HCC within the Milan criteria between January 2001 and May 2009. Cumulative recurrence-free survival (RFS), overall survival (OS) and clinicopathological parameters were analyzed according to the number of positive tumor markers.

RESULTS

In patients with triple positive tumor markers, 5-year RFS and OS was poor (17.1 and 61.4%, respectively). Multivariate analyses revealed independent risk factors for recurrence to be hepatitis C virus antibody positivity, non-initial treatment for HCC and triple positive tumor markers, and the independent risk factors for OS were high indocyanine green retention rate at 15 min value, maximum tumor size and triple positive tumor markers. Pathologically invasive growth, microvascular invasion and moderate to poor differentiation were significantly related to the number of the three tumor markers.

CONCLUSION

Triple positive tumor markers for early stage HCC within the Milan criteria showed poor prognosis and malignant characteristics. These markers could be a useful predictor for the degree of malignant potential in early stage HCC.

Surveillance for hepatocellular carcinoma

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a dreaded complication of cirrhosis as it is the commonest cause of mortality in these patients. The last few years have seen a dramatic improvement in the management of this tumor as nearly 50-70% of selected patients with early HCC survive for a median period of up to 5 years after liver transplantation, resection or local ablation. Surveillance has been found to be an effective tool to detect early tumors and expand the applicability of these curative treatment options. Semiannual ultrasonogram is recommended for surveillance by the American, European and Asia Pacific liver societies and is the standard of care in many countries. There is increasing evidence that this practice improves survival too. Since the only way to improve the outlook of HCC is its diagnosis prior to commencement of symptoms, providing surveillance becomes a major responsibility of physicians caring for patients with chronic liver disease. This review attempts to discuss the population at risk of HCC, modalities and frequency of surveillance tests, cost effectiveness and also the logistics of its delivery in the Indian context.

How grim is hepatocellular carcinoma?

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a complex disease and a major cause of death in high endemic areas of hepatitis B virus (HBV) or hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. HCC has gone from being a universal death sentence to a cancer that can be prevented, detected at an early stage and effectively treated. Liver resection or tumour ablation techniques may be effective bridge to liver transplantation if they fulfill the Milan criteria. The areas of progress in HCC are in the control of HBV or HCV and the development of adjuvant or neoadjuvant therapies.

Long-term pathological and immunohistochemical features in the liver after intraoperative whole-liver irradiation in rats

Radiation therapy (RT) has become particularly important recently for treatment of liver tumors, but there are few experimental investigations pertaining to radiation-induced liver injuries over long-term follow-up periods. Thus, the present study examined pathological liver features over a 10-month period using an intraoperative whole-liver irradiation model. Liver function tests were performed in blood samples, whereas cell death, cell proliferation, and fibrotic changes were evaluated pathologically in liver tissues, which were collected from irradiated rats 24 h, 1, 2, 4 and 40 weeks following administration of single irradiation doses of 0 (control), 15 or 30 Gy. The impaired liver function, increased hepatocyte number, and decreased apoptotic cell proportion observed in the 15 Gy group, but not the 30 Gy group, returned to control group levels after 40 weeks; however, the Ki-67 indexes in the 15 Gy group were still higher than those in the control group after 40 weeks. Azan staining showed a fibrotic pattern in the irradiated liver in the 30 Gy group only, but the expression levels of alpha smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) and transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGF-β1) in both the 15 and 30 Gy groups were significantly higher than those in the control group (P < 0.05). There were differences in the pathological features of the irradiated livers between the 15 Gy and 30 Gy groups, but TGF-β1 and α-SMA expression patterns supported the gradual progression of radiation-induced liver fibrosis in both groups. These findings will be useful in the future development of protective drugs for radiation-induced liver injury.

Brain metastasis from gastrointestinal cancers: a systematic review

BACKGROUND

Brain metastases (BM) from the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) cancers are relatively rare. Despite those advances in diagnostic and treatment options, life expectancy and quality of life in these patients are still poor. In this review, we present an overview of the studies which have been previously performed as well as a comprehensive strategy for the assessment and treatment of BM from the GIT cancers.

METHOD

To obtain information on brain metastases from GIT, we performed a systematic review of Medline, EMBASE and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL). The collected data included patient characteristics, primary tumor data and brain metastases data.

RESULT

In our search of the literature, we found 74 studies between 1980 and 2011, which included 2538 patients with brain metastases originated from gastrointestinal cancer. Analysis of available data showed that among 2538 patients who had brain metastases from GIT, a total of 116 patients (4.57%) had esophageal cancer, 148 patients (5.83%) had gastric cancer, 233 patients (9.18%) had liver cancer, 13 patients had pancreas cancer (0.52%) and 2028 patients (79.90%) had colorectal cancer. The total median age of the patients was 58.9 years.

CONCLUSION

Brain metastases have been considered the most common structural neurological complication of systemic cancer. Due to poor prognosis they influence the survival rate as well as the quality of life of the patients. The treatment of cerebral metastasis depends on the patients' situation and the decisions of the treating physicians. The early awareness of a probable metastasis from GI to the brain will have a great influence on treatment outcomes as well as the survival rate and the quality-of-life of the patients.

Transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) plus sorafenib versus TACE for intermediate or advanced stage hepatocellular carcinoma: a meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Sorafenib is used in patients with intermediate or advanced stage hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) before or after of transarterial chemoembolization (TACE). However, the survival outcomes of TACE combined with sorafenib versus TACE alone remain controversial. Thus, we conducted a meta-analysis to evaluate the efficacy and safety of the combination therapy of TACE plus sorafenib in patients with intermediate or advanced stage of HCC.

METHODS

Pubmed and Embase databases were systematically reviewed for studies published up to November 2013, that compared TACE alone or in combination with sorafenib. Pooled hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (95%CIs) were calculated for overall survival (OS), time to progression (TTP), objective response rate (ORR), and progression free survival (PFS) using random-effects or fixed-effects model, depending on the heterogeneity between the included studies.

RESULTS

Six studies published from 2011 to 2013, with a total of 1254 patients, were included in this meta-analysis. The pooled results showed that TACE combined with sorafenib significantly improved OS (HR = 0.65; 95% CI: 0.47-0.89, P = 0.007), TTP (HR = 0.68; 95% CI: 0.52-0.87, P = 0.003), ORR (HR = 1.06; 95% CI: 1.01-1.12, P = 0.021), but did not affect PFS (HR = 0.84; 95% CI: 0.62-1.14, P = 0.267). The incidence of grade III/IV adverse reaction was higher in the TACE plus sorafenib group than in the TACE group.

CONCLUSIONS

The meta-analysis confirmed that the combination therapy of TACE plus sorafenib in patients with intermediate or advanced stage of HCC, can improve the OS, TTP, and ORR. This combination therapy was also associated with a significantly increased risk of adverse reactions.

Multimodal treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) represents the most common liver cancer with an increasing incidence and it accounts for the third most common cause of cancer-related death worldwide. Even though the clinical diagnosis and management of HCC improved significantly in the last decades, this malignant disease is still associated with a poor prognosis. It has to be distinguished between patients with HCCs, which developed from liver cirrhosis, and patients without underlying liver cirrhosis as classification systems, prognosis estimation and therapy recommendations differ in-between. In case of HCC in patients with liver cirrhosis in Europe, treatment allocation and prognosis estimation are mainly based on the Barcelona-Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) staging system. Based on this staging system different surgical, interventional radiological/sonographical and non-interventional procedures have been established for the multimodal treatment of HCC. The BCLC classification system represents a decision guidance; however because of its limitations in selected patients treatment allocation should be determined on an individualized rather than a guideline-based medicine by a multidisciplinary board in order to offer the best treatment option for each patient. This review summarizes the current management of HCC and illustrates controversial areas of therapeutic strategies.

Prediction of aggressiveness in early-stage hepatocellular carcinoma for selection of surgical resection

BACKGROUND & AIMS

In early-stage hepatocellular carcinoma (eHCC), radiofrequency ablation (RFA) has comparable outcomes to surgical resection (SR); however, micrometastases may be present, resulting in tumor recurrence after local ablation. Therefore, we investigated predictors of aggressiveness in eHCC to select patients at high risk of recurrence after RFA who would benefit from SR.

METHODS

First, we analyzed 128 patients with newly diagnosed eHCC (single tumor with a diameter <3 cm) who underwent SR between January 2006 and December 2011. Risk factors for micrometastasis (representative of tumor aggressiveness) such as microvascular invasion or poor histologic grade were investigated. We then analyzed 201 eHCC patients who underwent RFA between July 2007 and December 2011. Identified risk factors were validated to determine their influence on tumor recurrence.

RESULTS

The only significant risk factor for tumor aggressiveness in the SR group was the product of serum levels of α-fetoprotein (AFP) and prothrombin induced by vitamin K absence-II (PIVKA-II) (A∗P ≥1600; hazard ratio [HR] 4.764; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.867-12.161; p=0.001). This product also showed statistical significance for predicting recurrence in the RFA group (HR 2.296; 95% CI, 1.237-4.262; p=0.008). Patients with RFA and A∗P ≥1600 had significant early tumor recurrence (p=0.008) and poor late survival outcomes (p=0.001) compared with other patients.

CONCLUSIONS

The product of AFP and PIVKA-II levels is a useful predictor of aggressiveness in eHCC, which predicts tumor recurrence after RFA. Therefore, it should be considered when selecting SR as first-line treatment.

Immunotherapy of hepatocellular carcinoma with small double-stranded RNA

Background

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common malignancies worldwide with limited therapeutic options. Since HCC has been shown to be immunogenic, immunotherapy is considered a promising therapeutic approach. Small interfering RNAs (siRNAs), depending on their structure and sequence, can trigger the innate immune system, which can potentially enhance the adaptive anticancer immune response in the tumor-bearing subjects. Immunostimulatory properties of nucleic acids can be applied to develop adjuvants for HCC treatment.

Methods

The transplantable HCC G-29 tumor in male CBA/LacSto (CBA) mice was used to study the effects of immunostimulatory RNA on tumor growth. Tumor size, metastases area in different organs of mice and mouse survival rate were analyzed. Furthermore the mouse serum IFN-α levels were measured using ELISA.

Results

In the present study, we found that a 19-bp RNA duplex (ImmunoStimulattory RNA or isRNA) with 3-nt overhangs at the 3′-ends of specific sequence displays immunostimulatory, antitumor, and antimetastatic activities in mice bearing HCC G-29. Our results demonstrate that isRNA strongly increases the level of interferon-α (IFN-α) by up to 25-fold relative to the level in mice injected with Lipofectamine alone (Mock), and to a lesser extent increases the level of proinflammatory cytokine interleukin-6 (IL-6) (by up to 5.5-fold relative to the Mock level), in mice blood serum. We showed that isRNA reliably (P < 0.05) inhibits primary tumor growth in mice compared to the mock group. Furthermore, injections of isRNA significantly enhanced necrotic processes in the center of the primary tumor, and decreased by twofold the width of the undifferentiated peripheral zone and the number of mitotic cells in this zone. The results showed that isRNA efficiently reduces the area of metastases in the liver, kidneys, and heart of CBA/LacSto mice with HCC.

Conclusions

The obtained results clearly demonstrate immunostimulatory and antimetastatic properties of the isRNAs in mice with HCC. Consequently, this short double-stranded RNA can be considered as a potential adjuvant for the therapy of HCC.

Latin American Association for the Study of the Liver (LAASL) clinical practice guidelines: management of hepatocellular carcinoma

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the fifth most common cancer in the world and the third most common cause of cancer death, and accounts for 5.6% of all cancers. Nearly 82% of the approximately 550,000 liver cancer deaths each year occur in Asia. In some regions, cancer-related death from HCC is second only to lung cancer. The incidence and mortality of HCC are increasing in America countries as a result of an ageing cohort infected with chronic hepatitis C, and are expected to continue to rise as a consequence of the obesity epidemic. Clinical care and survival for patients with HCC has advanced considerably during the last two decades, thanks to improvements in patient stratification, an enhanced understanding of the pathophysiology of the disease, and because of developments in diagnostic procedures and the introduction of novel therapies and strategies in prevention. Nevertheless, HCC remains the third most common cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. These LAASL recommendations on treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma are intended to assist physicians and other healthcare providers, as well as patients and other interested individuals, in the clinical decision-making process by describing the optimal management of patients with liver cancer.

Transarterial chemoembolization versus surgery/radiofrequency ablation for recurrent hepatocellular carcinoma with or without microvascular invasion

BACKGROUND/AIMS

Microvascular invasion (MVI) is a well-known prognostic factor of postoperative recurrence and of overall survival (OS) in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We compared the treatment outcomes of transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) and surgery/radiofrequency ablation (RFA) according to the presence of MVI in patients with early or late recurrent HCC that presented as Barcelona Clinical Liver Cancer (BCLC) stage 0 or A after curative resection for HCC.

METHODS

A consecutive 68 patients with recurrent HCC of BCLC stage 0 or A at our institution between 1998 and 2012 were retrospectively enrolled. We compared the outcomes of patients treated by TACE or surgery/RFA. Tumor recurrence after curative resection was classified as early (≤ 12 months) or late (> 12 months) recurrence.

RESULTS

Median tumor size was 1.5 cm (range, 1-10 cm), and 67 (98.5%) had HCCs within the Milan criteria. Median post-retreatment follow-up duration was 27 months (range, 1-109 months). Of the 68 patients, 19 (27.9%) underwent surgery/RFA, 47 (69.1%) TACE, and 2 (2.9%) were lost to follow-up. After retreatment, TACE showed significantly higher OS and recurrence-free survival rates than surgery/RFA in MVI-positive patients (P = 0.03 and P = 0.05, respectively), but not in MVI-negative patients (P = 0.95 and P = 0.98, respectively). In particular, in early recurred MVI-positive patients, TACE had a significantly higher OS rate than surgery/RFA (P = 0.01).

CONCLUSIONS

TACE may be the more effective treatment option for recurrent HCC of BCLC stage 0 or A than surgery/RFA in MVI-positive patients, especially in those that recur early after curative resection.

Single hepatocellular carcinoma ≤ 3 cm in left lateral segment: Liver resection or radiofrequency ablation?

AIM: To evaluate the long-term results of radiofrequency ablation (RFA) compared to left lateral sectionectomy (LLS) in patients with Child-Pugh class A disease for the treatment of single and small hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in the left lateral segments.

METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the data of 133 patients with single HCC (≤ 3 cm) in their left lateral segments who underwent curative LLS (n = 66) or RFA (n = 67) between 2006 and 2010.

RESULTS: The median follow-up period was 33.5 mo in the LLS group and 29 mo in the RFA group (P = 0.060). Most patients had hepatitis B virus-related HCC. The hospital stay was longer in the LLS group than in the RFA group (8 d vs 2 d, P < 0.001). The 1-, 2-, and 3-year disease-free survival and overall survival rates were 80.0%, 68.2%, and 60.0%, and 95.4%, 92.3%, and 92.3%, respectively, for the LLS group; and 80.8%, 59.9%, and 39.6%, and 98.2%, 92.0%, and 74.4%, respectively, for the RFA group. The disease-free survival curve and overall survival curve were higher in the LLS group than in the RFA group (P = 0.012 and P = 0.013, respectively). Increased PIVKA-II levels and small tumor size were associated with HCC recurrence in multivariate analysis.

CONCLUSION: Liver resection is suitable for single HCC ≤ 3 cm in the left lateral segments.

Ethanol injection therapy for small hepatocellular carcinomas located beneath a large vessel using a curved percutaneous ethanol injection therapy needle

Percutaneous ethanol injection therapy (PEIT) has been administered as a safe therapeutic modality for patients with small hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Due to the nature of the straight approaching line of a PEIT or radiofrequency ablation needle, penetrating the vessels that are interposed between the dermal insertion point and the nodule is unavoidable. A device with an overcoat needle and coaxial curved PEIT needle was created that facilitated a detour around interposing large vessels in order to avoid unnecessary harmful effects that result from the PEIT procedure. Two cases of HCC located adjacent to a neighboring large vessel were treated with a curved PEIT needle. The curved PEIT needle, which is connected to an outer needle, enabled deviation around the interposing vessels and successful connection with the HCC. Careful use of the curved line of the PEIT needle enabled the safe and successful performance of the PEIT without any requirement for specific training. This hand-assisted technique may be an applicable treatment for small HCC located beneath large vessels as a direct therapeutic method using ultrasound guidance.

Living donor liver transplantation or resection for Child-Pugh A hepatocellular carcinoma patients with multiple nodules meeting the Milan criteria

The optimum primary treatment strategy for early hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients with multiple nodules remains unclear. We aimed to compare the outcomes of living donor liver transplantation (LDLT) with that of liver resection (LR) for early Child-Pugh A HCC patients with multiple nodules meeting the Milan criteria. From January 2007 to July 2012, 67 of 375 patients with early HCC in our centre fulfilled the inclusion criteria (group LDLT, n = 34 versus group LR, n = 33). Patient and tumour characteristics, operative data, postoperative course and outcomes were analysed retrospectively. The postoperative mortality and rate of major complications were similar in both groups. The 5-year overall survival (OS; 76.5% vs. 51.2%, P = 0.046) and recurrence-free survival (RFS; 72.0% vs. 19.8%, P = 0.000) were better in group LDLT than that in group LR. The 5-year OS and RFS were similar between patients with tumours located in the same lobe (TSL) and those in the different lobes (TDL) after LDLT, whereas the 5-year RFS was better in patients with tumours in TSL (30.6% vs. 0%, P = 0.012) after LR. In conclusion, primary LDLT might be the optimum treatment for early HCC patients with multiple nodules meeting the Milan criteria.

Staging of biliary tract and primary liver tumors

For patients with hepatobiliary malignancies, various therapeutic options are currently available. To optimize the selection of these treatment options, adequate stratification of patients according to their prognosis is practically important. Various staging systems have been introduced and used for hepatobiliary malignancies. However, current staging systems have strengths and limitations, and none have addressed both patient prognosis and the best treatment strategy for individual patients. Hepatic function is also a potent prognostic factor for patients with hepatobiliary malignancies. Therefore, interpretation of tumor staging and selection of treatment should be done with care, understanding individual characteristics of each staging system.

Current role of transarterial chemoembolization and radioembolization in the treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer

In this article, we review two liver-directed therapies that are currently used for the palliative treatment of primary and secondary hepatic malignancies, transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE), including a new type of TACE with drug-eluting beads, and radioembolization. Important developments and administration techniques for all therapies are discussed, as well as their integration into the current routine clinical care for management of metastatic colorectal cancer. According to published data from clinical trials, as presented in this review, both radioembolization and TACE/TACE with drug-eluting beads have been proven to be safe and effective in selected patients with chemorefractory liver metastases from colorectal cancer. For patients with unresectable liver-only or liver-dominant disease who have failed standard chemotherapy options or for whom chemotherapy is contraindicated, new modalities, such as those discussed, are particularly valid and promising if clinical guidelines for patient selection and treatment administration are followed.

Liquiritigenin induces tumor cell death through mitogen-activated protein kinase- (MPAKs-) mediated pathway in hepatocellular carcinoma cells

Liquiritigenin (LQ), separated from Glycyrrhiza radix, possesses anti-inflammatory, antihyperlipidemic, and antiallergic effects. Our present study aims to investigate the antihepatocellular carcinoma effects of LQ both in cell and animal models. LQ strikingly reduced cell viability, enhanced apoptotic rate, induced lactate dehydrogenase over-release, and increased intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) level and caspase 3 activity in both PLC/PRL/5 and HepG2 cells. The expression of cleaved PARP, the hall-marker of apoptosis, was enhanced by LQ. LQ treatment resulted in a reduction of the expressions of B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2) and B-cell lymphoma-extra large (Bcl-xL), and an increase of the phosphorylation of c-Jun N-terminal kinases (JNK) and P38. LQ-mediated cell viability reduction, mitochondrial dysfunction, apoptosis related protein abnormal expressions, and JNK and P38 activation were partially abolished by N-Acetyl-L-cysteine (a ROS inhibitor) pretreatment. Moreover, LQ suppressed the activation of extracellular signaling-regulated kinase (ERKs) and reduced the translocation of phosphor-ERKs from cytoplasm to nucleus. This antitumor activity was further confirmed in PLC/PRL/5-xenografted mice model. All these data indicate that the antihepatocellular carcinoma effects of LQ are related to its modulation of the activations of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPKs). The study provides experimental evidence supporting LQ as a potential therapeutic agent for hepatocellular carcinoma treatment.

Mitochondrial metabolism in the noncancerous liver determine the occurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma: a prospective study

BACKGROUND

Recurrence determines the postoperative prognosis with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). It is unknown how the liver dysfunction involving organic anion transporter failure causes the occurrence of HCCs. This study was designed to elucidate the link between liver dysfunction and multicentric occurrence (MO) after radical hepatectomy.

METHODS

Forty-nine samples of noncancerous liver tissue from HCC patients within the Milan criteria who were treated at our institution between January 2004 and August 2008 were examined as a training set by using genome-wide gene expression analysis. Using the independent 2-institutional cohort of 134 patients between September 2008 and December 2009, we performed a validation study using tissue microarray analysis. Cox proportional hazard regression analyses for MFS were performed to estimate the risk factors.

RESULTS

In the Gene Ontology database (GO:0015711), SLC22A7 expression was the best predictor of MO-free survival [MFS] (Fold, 0.726; P = 0.001). High SLC22A7 gene expression prevented the occurrence of HCC after hepatectomy (odds ratio [OR], 0.2; P = 0.004). Multivariate analyses identified SLC22A7 expression as an independent risk factor (OR, 0.3; P = 0.043). In the validation study, multivariate analyses of MFS identified SLC22A7 expression as an independent risk factor (OR, 0.5; P = 0.012). As judged by gene set enrichment analysis, SLC22A7 down regulation was associated with mitochondrion (P = 0.008) and oxidoreductase activity (P = 0.006). Sirtuin 3 as a regulator of mitochondrial metabolism also determined MFS (P = 0.018).

CONCLUSIONS

The mitochondrial pathways may affect SLC 22A7 function to promote the occurrence of HCC. (Word count: 246).

Surgery versus transarterial chemoembolization for solitary large hepatocellular carcinoma of BCLC stage A

BACKGROUND/AIMS

The aim of this study was to compare the outcomes of surgery and transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) for a solitary huge hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) of Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) stage A.

METHODS

One hundred twenty-three consecutive patients with a solitary large (>5 cm) HCC classified at the BCLC stage A were analyzed. The posttreatment survival outcomes of patients that underwent surgery or TACE were compared.

RESULTS

The median age was 58 years (range, 29-90 years). The most common cause of HCC is hepatitis B virus infection (61.8%). Median tumor size was 8.0 cm (range, 5.1-25 cm), and 97 patients (78.9%) were of Child-Turcotte-Pugh class A. Median posttreatment follow-up duration was 18 months (range, 0.1-136 months). Of the 123 patients, 62 (50.4%) underwent surgery and 61 (49.6%) underwent TACE. Cumulative overall survival rates in the surgical group at 1, 3, and 5 years were significantly higher than those in the TACE group (83.2, 75.7, and 65.0% vs 68.5, 45.0, and 17.5%, respectively, P < 0.01). In subgroup analysis, the cumulative overall survival in both surgical groups was significantly greater than in corresponding TACE subgroups (P = 0.04 for ≥ 8-cm subgroup and P < 0.01 for 5- to 8-cm-sized subgroups). Multivariate analysis showed that a larger tumor size (≥ 8 cm) (hazard ratio [HR] 2.14, P = 0.02) was significantly associated with posttreatment mortality, whereas surgery (HR 0.37, P < 0.01) compared with TACE was inversely associated with posttreatment mortality.

CONCLUSIONS

Surgery may be the more effective treatment modality than TACE for a solitary large HCC of the BCLC stage A, regardless of tumor size.

Comparison of the therapeutic outcomes between surgical resection and percutaneous ablation for small hepatocellular carcinoma

There seems to be a consensus in regard to the initial treatment of small hepatocellular carcinomas (HCCs): either percutaneous ablation or liver resection should be selected. Liver resection provides for excellent local control, which is one of the most important factors to be considered in the treatment of HCC. However, percutaneous ablation has the advantage of less invasiveness, which allows for repeated sessions of ablation. However, there has been a longstanding debate on which of the two therapeutic modalities might be superior in individual cases with various tumor-related and liver function factors. Although it is practically difficult to conduct randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to compare these two therapeutic modalities, there have been four RCTs published in English, which we focus on in this review article. We discuss the aforementioned unsolved problem according to the results of these RCTs, in addition to the results of a large-scale cohort study and the recommendations of clinical practice guidelines.

The inflammation-based scores to predict prognosis of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma after hepatectomy

The aims of this study were to compare the prognostic ability of inflammation-based prognostic scores including the Glasgow Prognostic Score (GPS), the modified Glasgow Prognostic Score (mGPS), neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio, prognostic index, and prognostic nutritional index (PNI) for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) undergoing hepatectomy, and to propose the combination of staging systems and inflammation scores to improve the prognostic power. Data for 349 patients who underwent hepatectomy as initial treatment for HCC between 2008 and 2009 were retrieved from a prospective database. The association of inflammation scores with clinicopathological variables and overall survival (OS) was analyzed, and the concordance index (C-index) was calculated to compare the predictive ability of each inflammation scores and staging systems including Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) and Cancer of the Liver Italian Program (CLIP) scores. The median follow-up period was 39 months, the 1, 2, and 3 year OS was 75.4, 67.0, and 59.0 %, respectively, and the median OS was 39 months. All inflammation scores, except PNI, were associated with tumor size, major/microvascular invasion and clinical stages, and the GPS and mGPS had a higher C-index (0.608). Multivariate analysis showed that the GPS, BCLC, and CLIP were independently associated with OS. The combined GPS and CLIP (C-index = 0.705) were superior to CLIP alone (C-index = 0.686) or the GPS alone in prognostic ability. The prognostic ability of the GPS is superior to other inflammation scores for patients undergoing hepatectomy as initial treatment for HCC. Combining GPS and CLIP improved the prognostic power.

Transarterial chemoembolization in Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer Stage 0/A hepatocellular carcinoma

AIM

To evaluate the clinical characteristics of patients with Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) stage 0 and A hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) after transarterial chemoembolization (TACE).

METHODS

Between January 2001 and September 2011, 129 patients with BCLC stage 0 and stage A HCC who underwent TACE were retrospectively enrolled. Patient characteristics, routine computed tomography and TACE findings, survival time and 1-, 5-, and 10-year survival rates, risk factors for mortality, and survival rates according to the number of risk factors were assessed.

RESULTS

The mean size of HCC tumors was 2.4 ± 1.1 cm, and the mean number of TACE procedures performed was 2.5 ± 2.1. The mean overall survival time and 1-, 5-, and 10-year survival rates were 80.6 ± 4.9 mo and 91%, 63% and 49%, respectively. In the Cox regression analysis, a Child-Pugh score > 5 (P = 0.005, OR = 3.86), presence of arterio-venous shunt (P = 0.032, OR = 4.41), amount of lipiodol used (> 7 mL; P = 0.013, OR = 3.51), and female gender (P = 0.008, OR = 3.47) were risk factors for mortality. The 1-, 5-, and 10-year survival rates according to the number of risk factors present were 96%, 87% and 87% (no risk factors), 89%, 65%, and 35% (1 risk factor), 96%, 48% and unavailable (2 risk factors), and 63%, 17%, and 0% (3 risk factors), respectively (P < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

TACE may be used as curative-intent therapy in patients with BCLC stage 0 and stage A HCC. The Child-Pugh score, arterio-venous shunt, amount of lipiodol used, and gender were related to mortality after TACE.

Multidisciplinary treatment of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma

Hepatocellular carcinoma is one of the most common malignancies in the world. When it is diagnosed, patients can choose from among several potentially curative treatments, such as surgical resection, transplantation, ablation therapy and transcatheter arterial chemoembolization. This review will give an overview of the present management of hepatocellular carcinoma. Liver transplantation is considered the best curative option, achieving a high rate of complete response, especially in patients with small hepatocellular carcinoma and good residual liver function. However, a shortage of donor livers restricts the availability of transplantation. In addition, only a minority of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma can be treated surgically, owing to impaired hepatic reserve, multiple intrahepatic lesions, extrahepatic lesions and the inability to obtain an optimal tumor-free margin. Therefore, for most patients, other types of interventions (transcatheter arterial chemoembolization, percutaneous ethanol injection and radiofrequency ablation) have been developed. Among them, two local ablative modalities, percutaneous ethanol injection and percutaneous radiofrequency ablation, have been accepted as the only potentially curative nonsurgical treatments for hepatocellular carcinoma. Radiofrequency ablation may become a standard nonsurgical treatment option for patients with early hepatocellular carcinoma.

Comparison of long-term effectiveness and complications of radiofrequency ablation with hepatectomy for small hepatocellular carcinoma

BACKGROUND AND AIM

To determine and compare the adverse events and long-term effectiveness for patients with small hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) (≤ 3 cm) treated by percutaneous radiofrequency ablation (RFA) or hepatectomy.

METHODS

Small HCC from 120 patients were randomized into either percutaneous RFA therapy or hepatectomy group, and the effectiveness and complications of two treatment modalities were analyzed. The complications of post-RFA or hepatectomy, the complete treatment rate, treatment-related mortality, and disease-free and overall survival rate were followed up and conducted.

RESULTS

In patients with small HCC, complete remission rates were achieved in 95% and 96.7% in the percutaneus RFA and hepatectomy groups, respectively (P > 0.05). Hepatic function at day-7 status post-treatment, including albumin and bilirubin levels, were significantly worse in the hepatectomy group (P < 0.01). Compared with the RFA group, the incidence of postoperative complications (27.5% vs 5.0%) and hospital stay (11.8 ± 3.1 vs 4.3 ± 1.5) were significantly higher in the hepatectomy group (P < 0.01). After a mean follow-up of 40 months, 22 patients (36.6%) in the RFA group and 21 patients (35.0%) in the hepatectomy group developed a recurrence (P > 0.05). There was no significant difference of the disease-free and overall survival rates at 1, 2, and 3 years between the RFA group and the surgical hepatectomy group (P = 0.443 and P = 0.207, respectively).

CONCLUSIONS

In patients with small HCC, percutaneous RFA showed similar local control and long-term survival compared with hepatectomy. Importantly, percutaneous RFA are accompanied with a lower complication rate and shorter hospital stay day.

BCRP/ABCG2 inhibition sensitizes hepatocellular carcinoma cells to sorafenib

The multikinase inhibitor, sorafenib (Nexavar®, BAY43-9006), which inhibits both the Raf/MEK/ERK pathway and several receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs), has shown significantly therapeutic benefits in advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, not all HCC patients respond to sorafenib well and new therapeutic strategies to optimize the efficacy of sorafenib are urgently required. Overexpression of breast cancer resistance protein (BCRP/ABCG2) mediates the drug-efflux of several tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) to attenuate their efficacy. This study aimed to investigate the role of BCRP/ABCG2 in the sensitivity of HCC to sorafenib. Our data showed that BCRP/ABCG2 mediated the efflux of sorafenib. Co-treatment with a BCRP/ABCG2 inhibitor greatly augmented the cytotoxicity of sorafenib in HCC cells. Similar results were also achieved by the competitive inhibitor of BCRP/ABCG2, gefitinib, in combination with sorafenib. These results suggest not only that BCRP/ABCG2 is a potential predictor for the sorafenib sensitivity in HCC, but also that blockage of BCRP/ABCG2 may be a potential strategy to increase the response of HCC cells to sorafenib.

Local recurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma in the tumor blood drainage area following radiofrequency ablation

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common malignant tumors worldwide. HCC is generally considered to spread via the bloodstream and local recurrence often occurs in the blood drainage area determined by computed tomography during hepatic arteriography (CTHA), despite complete ablation of the primary nodule. This study was conducted in order to prospectively assess the rate of local recurrence in the blood drainage area depicted by delayed-phase CTHA. The participants comprised 364 consecutive patients (260 men and 104 women; mean age, 67.4±8.6 years), enrolled between April, 2002 and December, 2011. The participants were divided into two groups, according to whether the ablation area covered the entire blood drainage area as defined by delayed-phase CTHA (group A) or not (group B). Local tumor progression was compared between the two groups. The median time to recurrence was significantly shorter for group B (434 days) compared to that for group A (1,474 days; P=0.0037). The cumulative local recurrence rates for group A were 0, 0 and 1.5% at 1, 3 and 5 years postoperatively, respectively, whereas the recurrence rates for group B were 3.8, 17.0 and 22.8% at 1, 3 and 5 years, respectively (P<0.0001). In conclusion, the safety margin for radiofrequency ablation should be defined as the blood drainage area and ablation should aim at acquiring adequate safety margins.

Radiofrequency (thermal) ablation versus no intervention or other interventions for hepatocellular carcinoma

BACKGROUND

Hepatocellular carcinoma is the fifth most common cancer worldwide. Percutaneous interventional therapies, such as radiofrequency (thermal) ablation (RFA), have been developed for early hepatocellular carcinoma. RFA competes with other interventional techniques such as percutaneous ethanol injection, surgical resection, and liver transplantation. The potential benefits and harms of RFA compared with placebo, no intervention, chemotherapy, hepatic resection, liver transplantation, or other interventions are unclear.

OBJECTIVES

To assess the beneficial and harmful effects of RFA versus placebo, no intervention, or any other therapeutic approach in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.

SEARCH METHODS

We searched the Cochrane Hepato-Biliary Group Controlled Trials Register, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), MEDLINE, EMBASE, and ISI Web of Science to September 2012. We handsearched meeting abstracts from ASCO, ESMO, AASLD, EASL, APASL, and references of articles. We also contacted researchers in the field (last search September 2012).

SELECTION CRITERIA

We considered for inclusion randomised clinical trials investigating the effects of RFA versus placebo, no intervention, or any other therapeutic approach on hepatocellular carcinoma patients regardless of blinding, language, and publication status.

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS

Two review authors independently performed the selection of trials, assessment of risk of bias, and data extraction. We contacted principal investigators for missing information. We analysed hazard ratios (HR) as relevant effect measures for overall survival, two-year survival, event-free survival, and local recurrences with 95% confidence intervals (CI). In addition, we analysed dichotomous survival outcomes using risk ratios (RR). We used trial sequential analysis to control the risk of random errors ('play of chance').

MAIN RESULTS

We identified no trials comparing RFA versus placebo, no intervention, or liver transplantation. We identified and included 11 randomised clinical trials with 1819 participants that included four comparisons: RFA versus hepatic resection (three trials, 578 participants); RFA versus percutaneous ethanol injection (six trials, 1088 participants) including one three-armed trial that also investigated RFA versus acetic acid injection; RFA versus microwave ablation (one trial, 72 participants); and RFA versus laser ablation (one trial, 81 participants). Ten of the eleven included trials reported on the primary outcome of this review, overall survival. Rates of major complications or procedure-related deaths were reported in 10 trials. The overall risk of bias was considered low in five trials and high in six trials. For a subgroup analysis, we included only low risk of bias trials. Regarding the comparison RFA versus hepatic resection, there was moderate-quality evidence from two low risk of bias trials that hepatic resection seems more effective than RFA regarding overall survival (HR 0.56; 95% CI 0.40 to 0.78) and two-year survival (HR 0.38; 95% CI 0.17 to 0.84). However, if we included a third trial with high risk of bias, the difference became insignificant (overall survival: HR 0.71; 95% CI 0.44 to 1.15). With regards to the outcomes event-free survival and local progression, hepatic resection also yielded better results than RFA. However, the number of complications was higher in surgically treated participants (odds ratio (OR) 8.24; 95% CI 2.12 to 31.95). RFA seemed superior to percutaneous ethanol or acetic acid injection regarding overall survival (HR 1.64; 95% CI 1.31 to 2.07). The RR for mortality was also in favour of RFA, but did not reach statistical significance (150/490 (30.6%) people in the percutaneous ethanol or acetic acid group versus 119/496 (24.0%) people in the RFA group; RR 1.76; 95% CI 0.97 to 3.22). The proportion of adverse events did not differ significantly between RFA and percutaneous ethanol or acetic acid injection (HR 0.70; 95% CI 0.33 to 1.48). Trial sequential analyses revealed that the number of participants in the included trials was insufficient and that more trials are needed to assess the effects of RFA versus other interventions.

AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS

The effects of RFA versus no intervention, chemotherapeutic treatment, or liver transplantation are unknown. We found moderate-quality evidence that hepatic resection is superior to RFA regarding survival. However, RFA might be associated with fewer complications and a shorter hospital stay than hepatic resection. We found moderate-quality evidence showing that RFA seems superior to percutaneous ethanol injection regarding survival. There were too sparse data to recommend or refute ablation achieved by techniques other than RFA. More randomised clinical trials with low risk of bias and low risks of random errors assessing the effect of RFA are needed.

A randomized phase II study of autologous cytokine-induced killer cells in treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma

PURPOSE

This prospective study aims to explore the benefit of cytokine-induced killer cell (CIK) treatment in hepatocellular carcinoma patients, which has not yet been thoroughly studied before.

METHODS

From January 2004 to May 2009, 132 patients who were initially diagnosed with hepatocellular carcinoma of Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) stage A, B or C, Child-Pugh scores of A or B and without prior treatment were enrolled in the study. Patients were randomly assigned to either arm 1 (n = 66) to receive CIK treatment plus standard treatment, or arm 2 (n = 66) to receive standard treatment only. The primary end point was overall survival (OS) and the secondary endpoint was progression-free survival as evaluated by Kaplan-Meier analyses and treatment hazard ratios with the Cox proportional hazards model.

RESULTS

The 1-year (OS: 74.2% vs. 50.0%, 95% CI: 63.6-84.8% vs. 37.8-62.2, p = 0.002), 2-year (OS: 53.0% vs. 30.3%, 95% CI: 40.8-65.2% vs. 19.1-41.5%, p = 0.002), 3-year (OS: 42.4% vs. 24.2%, 95% CI: 30.4-54.4% vs. 13.8-34.6%, p = 0.005) and median overall and progression-free survivals of arm 1 patients were significantly higher than those of arm 2. Therefore, in patients who are not suitable for surgery, significant benefit is obtained from CIK treatment. The main adverse effects of CIK included fever, allergy and headache pain.

CONCLUSIONS

Hepatocellular carcinoma patients who were not suitable for surgery demonstrate prolonged overall and progression-free survival from CIK treatment.

Rebleeding prophylaxis improves outcomes in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma. A multicenter case-control study

Outcome of variceal bleeding (VB) in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is unknown. We compared outcomes after VB in patients with and without HCC. All patients with HCC and esophageal VB admitted between 2007 and 2010 were included. Follow-up was prolonged until death, transplantation, or June 2011. For each patient with HCC, a patient without HCC matched by age and Child-Pugh class was selected. A total of 292 patients were included, 146 with HCC (Barcelona Classification of Liver Cancer class 0-3 patients, A [in 25], B [in 29], C [in 45], and D [in 41]) and 146 without HCC. No differences were observed regarding previous use of prophylaxis, clinical presentation, endoscopic findings, and initial endoscopic treatment. Five-day failure was similar (25% in HCC versus 18% in non-HCC; P = 0.257). HCC patients had greater 6-week rebleeding rate (16 versus 7%, respectively; P = 0.025) and 6-week mortality (30% versus 15%; P = 0.003). Fewer patients with HCC received secondary prophylaxis after bleeding (77% versus 89%; P = 0.009), and standard combination therapy was used less frequently (58% versus 70%; P = 0.079). Secondary prophylaxis failure was more frequent (50% versus 31%; P = 0.001) and survival significantly shorter in patients with HCC (median survival: 5 months versus greater than 38 months in patients without HCC; P < 0.001). Lack of prophylaxis increased rebleeding and mortality. On multivariate analysis Child-Pugh score, presence of HCC, portal vein thrombosis, and lack of secondary prophylaxis were predictors of death.

CONCLUSIONS

Patients with HCC and VB have worse prognosis than patients with VB without HCC. Secondary prophylaxis offers survival benefit in HCC patients.

Treatment Options of Metastatic Brain Tumors from Hepatocellular Carcinoma: Surgical Resection vs. Gamma Knife Radiosurgery vs. Whole Brain Radiation Therapy

Objective

Although metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma to the brain is uncommon, it is associated with a very high mortality rate and most patients usually expire within 1 year after brain metastasis. The aim of this study is to identify the effectiveness of the active interventions such as gamma knife radiosurgery or surgical intervention for these patients.

Methods

We retrospectively reviewed the medical records and imaging data of 59 patients with metastatic brain tumors from hepatocellular carcinoma from May 2004 to September 2012. The study included patients with available clinical and radiological data who had been diagnosed with metastatic hepatocellular carcinoma of the brain, confirmed by magnetic resonance imaging. The overall survival time was analyzed and compared according to each risk factor.

Results

The mean age at diagnosis of metastatic brain tumor was 52.2 years (14-77). The mean follow-up duration was 13.3 weeks (0.1-117.6). Overall median survival was 4.3 weeks (95% confidence interval, 2.2-6.4). The results from an analysis of clinical factors related to survival revealed that treatment modalities were significantly related to the patient's survival (log rank, p=0.006). Twenty patients (32.8%) experienced tumor bleeding, and the survival time of the patients with tumor bleeding tended to be shorter, although the result was not statistically significant (log rank, p=0.058). Hepatic reserve, by Child-Pugh classification, was grade A in 38 patients (64.4%), grade B in 16 patients (27.1%), and grade C in 5 patients (8.5%), and was significantly related to the patient's survival (log rank, p=0.000).

Conclusion

Although patients with metastatic brain tumors from hepatocellular carcinoma showed poor survival, active intervention including surgical resection or gamma knife radiosurgery may result in better survival, especially if patients have preserved liver function.

High-dose stereotactic body radiotherapy correlates increased local control and overall survival in patients with inoperable hepatocellular carcinoma

BACKGROUND

Recent studies using stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) have reported high tumor response and local control. However, the optimal SBRT dose remains unknown, and it is still not clear whether a dose response relationship for local control (LC) and overall survival (OS) exist or not. We performed this study to determine whether a dose response relationship for LC and OS is observed in SBRT for inoperable HCC.

METHODS

Between 2003 and 2011, 108 patients with HCC were treated with SBRT. All patients were unsuitable for surgery or local ablation and had incomplete response to transarterial chemoembolization. Eighty-two patients with a longest tumor diameter (LD) less than or equal to 7.0 cm who were treated with 3-fraction SBRT and were analyzed. This cohort comprised 74 Child-Turcotte-Pugh (CTP) class A patients and 8 CTP class B7 patients. The median LD was 3.0 cm (range, 1.0-7.0 cm), and the median dose was 51 Gy (range, 33-60 Gy).

RESULTS

LC and OS rates at 2 years after SBRT were 87% and 63%, respectively, with a median follow-up duration of 30 months for all patients. The 2-year LC/OS rates for patients treated with doses of > 54, 45-54, and < 45 Gy were 100/71, 78/64, and 64%/30%, respectively (p = .009/p < .001). Multivariate analysis revealed that the SBRT dose (p = .005) and Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer stage (p = .015) were significant prognostic factors for OS. Correlation analysis revealed a positive linear relationship between the SBRT dose and LC (p = .006, R = .899)/OS (p = .002, R = .940) at 2 years. Based on the tumor-control probability model, a dose of 54.8 Gy provides 2-year LC with a 90% probability. Five patients experienced grade 3 or higher gastrointestinal toxicity, and 6 had deteriorating of CTP score by greater than or equal to 2 within 3 months of SBRT.

CONCLUSIONS

This study demonstrated a dose response relationship for LC and OS with SBRT for HCC. Higher LC rates resulting from an increased dose may translate into survival benefits for patients with HCC.

A modified TNM-7 staging system to better predict the survival in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma after hepatectomy

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the accuracy of the 7th edition of the American Joint Committee on Cancer staging system (TNM-7) for patients undergoing hepatectomy for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and to propose a modified TNM system for better prediction of survival.

METHODS

Clinico-pathological data for 1,313 patients who underwent hepatectomy as initial treatment for HCC between 2000 and 2008 were retrieved from a prospective database. Overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) were analyzed to evaluate the predictive value.

RESULTS

The 1-, 3-, 5-year OS and DFS of 1,313 patients were 79.2, 55.4, 45.5 %, and 52.6, 36.1, 31.8 %, respectively. Multivariate analysis revealed that major vascular invasion was the most important prognostic factor for both OS and DFS, along with tumour number and size. Patients with pT1 and pT2 disease had significantly better OS and DFS than those with pT3 disease (P < 0.001). There was no significant difference between pT3a and pT4 (P = 0.552) but patients with pT3b disease had a worse OS and DFS than those with pT4 disease (P = 0.006 and P < 0.001, respectively). A modified TNM system within the existing framework was proposed to combine the current pT3a and pT4 together as the new pT3 and to change pT3b to the new pT4. Analysis showed that this modified system had a better prognostic power than either TNM-6 or TNM-7.

CONCLUSION

TNM-7 would seem to be inaccurate for staging advanced HCC. The modified system can improve both the prognostic accuracy and the hazard discrimination of disease to be consistent among subgroups of HCC.

Modified cisplatin/interferon α-2b/doxorubicin/5-fluorouracil (PIAF) chemotherapy in patients with no hepatitis or cirrhosis is associated with improved response rate, resectability, and survival of initially unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma

BACKGROUND

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the factors associated with response rate, resectability, and survival after cisplatin/interferon α-2b/doxorubicin/5-fluorouracil (PIAF) combination therapy in patients with initially unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma.

METHODS

The study included 2 groups of patients treated with conventional high-dose PIAF (n = 84) between 1994 and 2003 and those without hepatitis or cirrhosis treated with modified PIAF (n = 33) between 2003 and 2012. Tolerance of chemotherapy, best radiographic response, rate of conversion to curative surgery, and overall survival were analyzed and compared between the 2 groups, and multivariate and logistic regression analyses were applied to identify predictors of response and survival.

RESULTS

The modified PIAF group had a higher median number of PIAF cycles (4 versus 2, P = .049), higher objective response rate (36% versus 15%, P = .013), higher rate of conversion to curative surgery (33% versus 10%, P = .004), and longer median overall survival (21.3 versus 10.6 months, P = .002). Multivariate analyses confirmed that positive hepatitis B serology (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.68; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.08-2.59) and Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status ≥ 2 (HR = 1.75; 95% CI = 1.04-2.93) were associated with worse survival whereas curative surgical resection after PIAF treatment (HR = 0.15; 95% CI = 0.07-0.35) was associated with improved survival.

CONCLUSIONS

In patients with initially unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma, the modified PIAF regimen in patients with no hepatitis or cirrhosis is associated with improved response, resectability, and survival.

Small hepatocellular carcinoma: current and future approaches

Over 3 decades have passed since the first report of small hepatocellular carcinoma (SHCC), which has been confirmed as one of the most significant prognostic factors. Obviously, it is indeed very important to know when an early SHCC will become more aggressive and lead to worse clinical outcome once it grows beyond a critical size. However, so far, no consensus has been achieved on the size criterion for SHCC among different authors or different clinical practice guidelines that have been used worldwide, although there are currently numerous cutoff values for tumor size used to define SHCC, including 5, 3 and 2 cm in diameter, etc. Herein, based on our current understanding concerning the pathobiological features of SHCC, we briefly review the history of SHCC study, analyze the advantages and limitations of the above criteria for SHCC, and discuss the pathobiological characteristics as well as the clinical significance of SHCC.

Importance of screening for synchronous malignant neoplasms in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma: impact of FDG PET/CT

BACKGROUND & AIM

Synchronous neoplasms (SNs) are occasionally found in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We examined such cases and the efficacy of 18-fluoro-2-deoxyglucose positron-emission tomography computed tomography (PET/CT), retrospectively.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We investigated 687 naïve HCC, who were admitted to our hospitals, encountered from October 2006 to December 2010 and evaluated the clinical backgrounds. All study protocols, was approved by our Institutional Ethics Committee. The usefulness of detecting SNs by PET/CT was evaluated in 234 patients who underwent PET/CT (PET group) and in 453 (non-PET group) examined in the same period. We noted the presence of SNs, defined as primary extrahepatic malignant neoplasms within 1 year of diagnosis of HCC.

RESULTS

SNs were observed in 48 of 687 patients (54 tumours, 7.0%). SNs were detected by PET/CT in 18, which was 7.7% of PET group. The detection rate for SNs, were increased to 11.1% (26/234) in PET group by using together with upper gastrointestinal endoscopy and routine enhanced CT for HCC, which was greater than that of non-PET group (22/453, 4.9%) (P < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

SNs were pointed out more frequently in PET group than non-PET group (11.1% vs. 4.9%). FDG PET/CT can enhance the detection ability for SNs in naïve HCC.