Author(s): Teressa Mae D. Bacaro, MD; Dante G. Ang, MD, FPCS and Apolinario Ericson B. Berberabe, MD, FPCS

Abstract:
Rationale/Objective:
Hepatic Resection (HR) has emerged as a potentially curative treatment for HCC, particularly in Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer – B (BCLC-B) patients, even though Transarterial Chemoembolization (TACE) is the standard of care according to the BCLC staging system. This study aimed to investigate the characteristics, survival rates and outcomes of patients who underwent HR for HCC BCLC-B at a single center over a 10-year period.

Methods:
Patients who were diagnosed HCC BCLC-B and had undergone HR from January 2011 to December 2021 were analyzed. Only complete records with long-term follow-up were included in the study. The authors described patient characteristics, calculated overall survival rates, and assessed associations between patient, disease factors, and survival.

Results:
Of 344 patients who underwent HR, 20 of them had complete records with long-term follow-up. This cohort had a median age of 57, predominantly male (70%), exhibiting a median alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) level of 230.5 ng/mL and an average of 4 nodules. Lymphovascular invasion was evident in 65%, with 85% displaying negative primary tumor margins. Major hepatectomy was the primary procedure (50%), followed by bisegmentectomy (40%) and trisegmentectomy (10%). The 1, 2 and 3-year survival rates post-hepatic resection (HR) for HCC BCLC-B stood at 65%, 35% and 25% respectively.

Conclusion:
The study shows that the institution’s treatment approach for BCLC-B HCC patients achieved acceptable 3-year survival rates, and the median overall survival rate observed are comparable with global data. This study highlights hepatic resection as a potential curative option for BCLC-B HCC patients.

Key words: Hepatocellular carcinoma, BCLC-B, survival rates, hepatectomy

DOI: