Is It Time to Reconsider the Milan Criteria for Selecting Patients With Hepatocellular Carcinoma for Deceased-Donor Liver Transplantation?

Liver transplantation (LT) is considered the optimal treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) because it removes tumor as well as the underlying cirrhotic liver. Because of a global organ shortage, LT for patients with HCC is limited to patients with expected survival comparable to that of nonmalignant indications. Therefore, identifying patients with lower rates of HCC recurrence and higher rates of survival is critical. International guidelines have considered the Milan Criteria (MC) the standard for selecting patients with HCC for deceased-donor LT (DDLT). However, several alternative criteria have been reported in the Western world. Interestingly, the two most recent models combining alpha-fetoprotein level, number of nodules, and size of the largest nodule have been shown to outperform MC in identifying patients with low risk of HCC recurrence or those who will survive for 5 years after liver transplantation. In addition, new models overcome limitations of MC in improving classification of high- versus low-risk patients with HCC for DDLT. These recent scoring systems also provide clinicians with user-friendly tools to better identify patients at lower risk of recurrence. Conclusion: Although most Western countries still select patients based on MC, there is a mounting change in recent practice patterns regarding the selection of patients with HCC for DDLT. Herein, we describe how alternative criteria should lead to reconsideration of MC as it applies to selecting patients with HCC for DDLT in international guidelines.