Liver transplantation for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.

BACKGROUND Liver transplantation (LT) has been advocated as a salvage treatment for unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Selection criteria still need to be developed in Taiwan. OBJECTIVES The purpose of our study was to assess the clinical findings and outcome of cirrhotic patients with HCC undergoing liver transplantation. METHODS Our study consisted of 13 HCC patients who underwent liver transplantation during October 1996 to March 2003. The medical records and pathologic reports were analyzed retrospectively. RESULTS Overall survival rates at 1 and 3 years were 86% and 61%, respectively. HCC recurrences occurred in three patients, one of whom is still alive with HCC recurrence 2 years after LT. The other two patients died of HCC recurrence 1 and 2 years after LT, respectively. Pretransplant alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) levels of >200 ng/mL were noted in all three patients with HCC recurrence. In contrast, only one of the ten patients without HCC recurrence had pretransplant AFP >200 ng/mL (P = .003). Four patients did not meet Milan criteria, two of whom had HCC recurrence. However, the other two patients with microscopic vascular invasion survived and were free of HCC. The only one patient, who had histologic grade 4 HCC, died of recurrence, although his tumor was AJCC stage 1. CONCLUSIONS High AFP level is a risk factor for HCC recurrence after LT. In addition to Milan criteria, histologic tumor grading should be considered in patient selection. Microscopic vascular invasion may not affect the outcome of the patients with early HCC.