Open AccessManagement of “very early” hepatocellular carcinoma on cirrhotic patients
Author(s) -
Gonzalo Sapisochín,
Elena Fernández de Sevilla,
Juan Echeverri,
Ramón Charco
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
world journal of hepatology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.913
H-Index - 55
ISSN - 1948-5182
DOI - 10.4254/wjh.v6.i11.766
Subject(s) - medicine , hepatocellular carcinoma , liver transplantation , milan criteria , population , gastroenterology , cirrhosis , disease , transplantation , intensive care medicine , environmental health
Due to the advances in screening of cirrhotic patients, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is being diagnosed in earlier stages. For this reason the number of patients diagnosed of very early HCC (single tumors ≤ 2 cm) is continuously increasing. Once a patient has been diagnosed with this condition, treatment strategies include liver resection, local therapies or liver transplantation. The decision on which therapy should the patient undergo depends on the general patients performance status and liver disease. Anyway, even in patients with similar conditions, the best treatment offer is debatable. In this review we analyze the state of the art on the management of very early HCC on cirrhotic patients to address the best treatment strategy for this patient population.