Predictors of Survival for Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Abstract

Results: Overall patient survival rate at 1, 3 and 5 years was 83, 61 and 49% respectively. Recurrence-free survival (RFS) was 76, 53 and 41% at 1, 3, and 5 years respectively. The overall survival rate of patients inside the MC after 1, 3 and 5 years was 83, 64 and 48% compared to 80, 45 and 36% (0,478) in patients outside the MC. In patients with incidental tumors, the 1, 3 and 5-year-survival was 92, 92 and 79%. Recurrence-free survival (RFS) inside the MC after 1, 3 and 5 years was 83, 55 and 44% compared to 68, 35 and 20% (p=0,157) outside the MC. The preoperative staging differed from the pathologic examination concerning the MC in 37 out of 76 patients. Nodule size seemed more important than nodule number. Information about vascular invasion was often missing, but was an important predictive factor. After 3.5 years there was no RFS in patients with vascular invasion on pathology. Our results suggest that MC is a predictive factor for survival, although in this study the difference was not signifi cant. The results questions if staging or biology differ from other reports. MC is one supporting factor for selecting transplantation candidates but cannot in our experience be used as the sole determinating factor.