Hepatic resection for huge (> 15 cm) multinodular HCC with macrovascular invasion

Background: Surgical resection has routinely not been recommended for patients with huge (>15 cm) multinodular lesions and macrovascular invasion (advanced-stage hepatocellular carcinoma [HCC] patients) because of high operative mortality, recurrence rate, and lack of survival benefit. Methods: A retrospective study of 1425 patients was carried out, of which 1245 patients met EASL/AASLD criteria for hepatic resection (HR-EA group), 116 were surgically treated advanced-stage HCC patients (HR-AS group), and 64 were advanced-stage HCC patients receiving nonsurgical treatments (N-AS group). Conclusion: HR may still be suitable for the HCC patients with huge (>15 cm) multinodular lesions and macrovascular invasion in selected cases. Advanced-stage HCC patients without liver cirrhosis and with a tumor-free resection margin could enjoy longer survival and lower recurrence. Preoperative and/or postoperative TACE provides no survival benefits for advanced-stage HCC patients. (C) 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.