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Repeat hepatectomy is the most useful treatment for recurrent hepatocellular carcinoma
Author(s) -
Sugimachi Keizo,
Maehara Shinichiro,
Tanaka Shinji,
Shimada Mitsuo,
Sugimachi Keishi
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
journal of hepato‐biliary‐pancreatic surgery
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.63
H-Index - 60
eISSN - 1868-6982
pISSN - 0944-1166
DOI - 10.1007/s005340100002
Subject(s) - hepatectomy , medicine , hepatocellular carcinoma , curative treatment , gastroenterology , incidence (geometry) , liver function , resection , surgery , disease , physics , optics
Hepatic resection has been regarded as a curative treatment for primary hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), but a high incidence of postoperative recurrence is general. Thus it is important to predict the patterns of recurrence and select the appropriate treatment for recurrence for a better long‐term prognosis of patients with HCC. Clinicopathological studies on 80 patients with intrahepatic recurrence after curative hepatectomy suggested that nodular‐type recurrence with up to three nodules is mainly due to metachronous multicentric hepatocarcinogenesis rather than intrahepatic metastases. We reviewed 300 patients with recurrent HCC, and repeat hepatectomy was done in 78 cases (26.0%). The 3‐ and 5‐year survival rates after repeat hepatectomy were 82.8% and 47.5%, respectively, showing better prognosis than those for other treatments. Repeat hepatectomy is the preferred treatment offering a hope of long‐term survival for patients with recurrent HCC as long as liver function is sufficient; thus early detection of recurrence should be ensured.