Prognostic Analysis of Treatment Modalities in HCC with Portal Vein Tumor Thrombus

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common malignancies worldwide, especially in Asian countries. HCC has a propensity for invading the portal venous system, with an incidence of portal venous tumor thrombi (PVTT) in 62% of autopsies and 14% of surgically treated patients PVTT indicates an advanced stage of the disease and is associated with risk of esophageal variceal bleeding and liver failure. PVTT is the key factor in intrahepatic invasion and prognostic. L lovet reported a median survival time of 2.7 months for HCC patients with PVTT. Hepatic resection, liver transplantation and transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) are the common treatment in clinical practice. Some study reported that the postoperative survival rate became increased year by year for the patients who undergo hepatic resection or TACE or liver transplantation, respectively. But the most effective treatment strategy for HCC with PVTT remains to be established. The aim of the present retrospective study was to investigate postoperative prognostic factor and to propose a surgical treatment strategy for the HCC patients with PVTT.