Liver resection and transplantation offer similar 5-year survival for Child-Pugh-Turcotte A HCC-patients with a single nodule up to 5 cm: A multicenter, exploratory analysis

Background and aim: The current guideline of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases recommends liver resection for Child-Pugh-Turcotte A patients with a single hepatocellular carcinoma, total serum bilirubin <= 1 mg/dL and absence of significant portal hypertension. This subset of patients would have a long-term survival comparable to transplantation. The main aim of this study is to evaluate the survival rates in patients with a single nodule <= 5 cm following resection. Methods: Medical records of 105 Child-Pugh-Turcotte A patients who underwent liver resection between 1997 and 2009 were analyzed in 3 countries. Results: One, 3-, and 5-year survival rate was 97%, 83%, and 66%, respectively, and no variable that can be assessed prior to liver resection predicted survival probabilities. Conclusions: Liver resection offers 5-year survival similar to transplantation for Child-Pugh-Turcotte A patients with hepatocellular carcinoma and a single nodule up to 5 cm, independently of any patient baseline characteristics. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.