Indications for open hepatectomy in the era of laparoscopic liver resection: a high volume single institutional study

Efficacy and Safety of Surgical Resection in Elderly Patients with Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background/Aims

: With increased life expectancy, the management of elderly hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients became a crucial issue, yet it is still challenging due to comorbidities and high surgical risks. While surgical resection is considered as primary treatment for eligible HCC patients, systematic evidence on its outcomes in elderly patients remains scarce. In this review, we aimed to analyze the efficacy and safety outcomes of surgical resection in elderly HCC patients.

Methods

: The studies included in this meta-analysis were selected from Ovid-MEDLINE, Ovid-Embase, CENTRAL, KoreaMed, KMbase, and KISS databases following a predefined protocol. Efficacy outcomes included overall survival and disease-free survival, while the safety outcomes included postoperative mortality and complications.

Results

: Patients in the elderly group (≥65 years) who underwent surgery exhibited non-inferior overall survival (hazard ratio [HR], 1.26; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.92 to 1.74) and disease-free survival (HR, 1.03; 95% CI, 0.99 to 1.08) compared to the non-elderly group. Overall postoperative mortality exhibited no statistical difference (odds ratio [OR], 1.07; 95% CI, 0.87 to 1.31), but 30-day, 90-day, and in-hospital mortality were higher in the elderly group. The incidence of overall complications was higher in the elderly group (OR, 1.44; 95% CI, 1.22 to 1.69). Sensitivity analysis for the super elderly group (≥80 years) showed significantly higher in-hospital mortality compared to the non-super elderly group (OR, 2.51; 95% CI, 1.16 to 5.45).

Conclusions

: The efficacy outcome of surgical resection in the elderly HCC patients was not worse than that in the non-elderly HCC patients, while in-hospital mortality and complications rates were higher. Therefore, surgical resection should be purposefully considered in the elderly population, with careful candidate selection.

Comparing laparoscopic and open resection in elderly hepatocellular carcinoma: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background

Laparoscopic liver resection (LLR) has been accepted as a safe and effective treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, its impact on elderly patients remains uncertain. This study aimed to compare the efficacy and safety of LLR with open liver resection (OLR) in elderly HCC patients.

Methods

We conducted a search across the Ovid-Medline, Ovid-EMBASE, and Cochrane Library to identify comparative studies involving primary HCC in elderly patients (≥65 years). Efficacy-related outcomes encompassed overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS), while safety-related outcomes included post-operative mortality, complications, and length of stay (LOS).

Results

We identified nine eligible cohort studies comprising 1,599 patients. LLR demonstrated comparable 3- and 5-year DFS [hazard ratio (HR) =1.00, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.98-1.02; HR =1.02, 95% CI: 0.99-1.05] and 3- and 5-year OS (HR =1.01, 95% CI: 0.99-1.02; HR =1.02, 95% CI: 0.99-1.06, respectively) compared to OLR. In terms of safety, there was no significant difference between LLR and OLR in in-hospital mortality [odds ratio (OR) =0.19; 95% CI: 0.02-1.69], 30-day mortality (OR =0.33; 95% CI: 0.03-3.20), and 90-day mortality (OR =0.70; 95% CI: 0.32-1.53). Additionally, LLR presented fewer overall complications (OR =0.53; 95% CI: 0.41-0.67), a lower rate of major complications (OR =0.51; 95% CI: 0.35-0.74), a reduced incidence of liver failure (OR =0.56; 95% CI: 0.33-0.94), and a shorter LOS compared to OLR (mean difference: -14.47 days).

Conclusions

LLR exhibited comparable clinical efficacy and superior safety and fewer complications when compared to OLR in elderly patients with HCC requiring surgery.

Radiofrequency Ablation versus Surgical Resection in Elderly Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Although the disease burden of elderly cancer patients is rapidly increasing, reliable scientific information, value and preference information of domestic patients, and standardized guidelines for determining the treatment of elderly cancer patients are lacking. The aim of this study is to compare the therapeutic effects of radiofrequency ablation (RFA) and surgery in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients aged 65 years or older. For the meta-analysis, the databases including PubMed (MEDLINE), EMBASE, OVID Medline, and the Cochrane Library were systematically searched. After the abstract-based review by two investigators, selected manuscripts were read in detail. The surgery group showed higher overall survival (OS) (HR 1.44, 95% CI 1.22-1.70) and disease-free survival (DFS) (HR 1.40, 95% CI 1.00-1.97) than the RFA group. This was also shown in small HCC of less than 3 cm (OS, HR 1.42, 95% CI 1.00-2.03; DFS, HR 1.32, 95% CI 0.91-1.91). This might be related to the high local recurrence in the RFA group (OR 4.90, 95% 2.16-11.08). On the other hand, adverse events were significantly lower in the RFA group (OR 0.22, 95% CI 0.14-0.36), which led to a decrease in the duration of hospital stay (mean difference -14.88 days, 95% CI -22.44--7.32). In elderly HCC patients, survival in the surgery group was significantly higher than in the RFA group, but various complications tended to increase; so, appropriate patient selection is required.