Milan Criteria in Liver Transplantation for Hepatocellular Carcinoma: an Evidence-Based Analysis of 15 Years of Experience

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Milan Criteria in Liver Transplantation for Hepatocellular Carcinoma: an Evidence-Based Analysis of 15 Years of Experience LIVER TRANSPLANTATION 17:S44–S57, 2011 SUPPLEMENT Milan Criteria in Liver Transplantation for Hepatocellular Carcinoma: An Evidence-Based Analysis of 15 Years of Experience Vincenzo Mazzaferro,1 Sherrie Bhoori,1 Carlo Sposito,1 Marco Bongini,1 Martin Langer,2 Rosalba Miceli,3 and Luigi Mariani3 Units of 1Gastrointestinal Surgery and Liver Transplantation, 2Anesthesia and Intensive Care, and 3Medical Statistics, Biometry, and Bioinformatics, National Cancer Institute of Milan, Milan, Italy Received February 14, 2011; accepted June 11, 2011. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the seventh most transplant patients in comparison with any other pre- common cancer worldwide and the third most com- vious experience with transplantation or other options mon cause of cancer-related deaths; the number of for HCC.2 Since then, these selection criteria have new cases per year is approaching 750,000.1 become universally known as the Milan criteria (MC) The magnitude of the incidence of HCC has discour- in recognition of their origin. Ever since their adoption aged any attempts to apply liver transplantation (LT) in clinical practice, the MC have helped doctors to as the prevailing curative therapy for HCC worldwide single out early-stage HCC as a prognostic category of because of the limited sources of donated organs cancer presentation that is amenable to curative (deceased and living donors) and the poor access to treatments. After their implementation, the favorable sophisticated health care systems in some geographi- posttransplant outcomes that were observed in cohort cal areas. If these limitations continue to prevail series were so convincing that the MC immediately throughout the world, any attempt to significantly became the standard of care for early HCC, and fur- reduce HCC-related mortality rates through the appli- ther validation by randomized controlled trials (RCTs) cation of LT will be delusional. was prevented. International experiences have confirmed, however, After the passage of approximately a decade, the potential of LT to definitively cure HCC because it researchers began to challenge the MC with other pro- presents a unique opportunity to remove both the tu- posals designed to capture those patients not meeting mor (HCC is associated with 695,000 deaths per year1) the MC who could achieve similar posttransplant sur- and the underlying cirrhosis. Despite its limited access, vival rates through the expansion of the accepted tu- LT has become the standard of care for patients with mor limits for transplant eligibility. small HCCs and the main driving force for alternative None of these expanded criteria have become the strategies offered to patients with intermediate HCCs. new reference standard for selecting LT candidates In 1996, a prospective cohort study defined restric- with HCC; any broadening of the selection criteria for tive selection criteria that led to superior survival for transplantation is inevitably hampered by severe Abbreviations: AFP, alpha-fetoprotein; CI, confidence interval; df, degrees of freedom; HCC, hepatocellular carcinoma; LT, liver transplantation; MC, Milan criteria; MELD, Model for End-Stage Liver Disease; mVI, microvascular invasion; NA, not applicable; n/n, number of studies/number of patients; NOS, Newcastle-Ottawa scale; RCT, randomized controlled trial; TACE, transarterial chemoembolization. This study was supported by an institutional grant for the Hepato-Oncology Project at the National Cancer Institute of Milan (5Â1000), by the Italian Association for Cancer Research, and by the Italian National Ministry of Health. Potential conflict of interest: Nothing to report. Address reprint requests to Vincenzo Mazzaferro, M.D., Unit of Gastrointestinal Surgery and Liver Transplantation, National Cancer Institute of Milan, Via Venezian 1, Milan, Italy 20133. Telephone: þ39 02 23902760; FAX: þ39 02 23903498; E-mail: [email protected] DOI 10.1002/lt.22365 View this article online at wileyonlinelibrary.com. LIVER TRANSPLANTATION.DOI 10.1002/lt. Published on behalf of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases S44 Liver Transplantation, Vol 17, No 10, Suppl 2 (October), 2011: pp S44-S57 LIVER TRANSPLANTATION, Vol. 17, No. 10, 2011 MAZZAFERRO ET AL. S45 TABLE 1. Inclusion and Exclusion Criteria for the Literature Search Variable Inclusion Criteria Exclusion Criteria Population type Human LT for cancer (HCC) Nonhumans Nonliver transplantation Not HCC with cirrhosis Intervention Within the MC or beyond the MC Beyond the MC only (for comparisons with patients within the MC) Extended criteria only Outcome Survival (overall, disease-free, and Data not available recurrence-free) restrictions in donor availability. Consequently, the liver tumor, hepatoma, hepatocellular carcinoma, HCC, MC remain the benchmark for any transplant strategy BCLC A, T1-T2, tumor size, tumor number, tumor bur- involving patients with HCC and the cornerstone for den, metastatic disease and metastases of HCC, decision making for other patients at any stage. transplantation, liver transplantation, liver substitu- Surprisingly, no systematic review of the available tion, orthotopic liver transplantation, OLT, LT, living do- experiences with the MC has been published yet; the nor liver transplantation, deceased donor liver trans- suboptimal quality of the literature and the poor plantation, survival, overall survival, recurrence-free application of evidence-based principles has pre- survival, RFS, disease-free survival, DFS, prognosis, vented this exercise. The aim of this study was to fill death, recurrence, tumor relapse, time to recurrence, the gap through a systematic review of the available time to relapse, and TTR. evidence on the MC and the related issue of the posi- Because of the large quantity of reports including the tion of LT in the treatment algorithm for HCC. use of the MC in the setting of HCC management, case studies and reviews that were not focused specifically on the MC were not considered. Abstracts were selected MATERIALS AND METHODS according to the inclusion-exclusion criteria and the review methodology, which are outlined in Table 1 and Definition and Endpoints Fig. 1, whereas studies lacking explant pathology data For the literature review, analysis, and discussion, (which were used to check for adherence to the MC) were the MC were defined as follows: a single HCC nodule not entered into the meta-analysis (exclusion code G). with a maximum size of 5 cm or as many as 3 nodules with the largest not exceeding 3 cm and no macrovas- Ranking Criteria and Meta-Analysis of Pooled 2 cular invasion. Data The systematic analysis was tailored to 2 predeter- mined questions: The classification proposed by the Oxford Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine was used to rank each pub- 1. Is the posttransplant survival of patients influ- lication in the particular subset of prognosis-oriented enced by the MC when they are assessed at the studies.3,4 This methodology, in combination with a time of the explant pathology examination? quality assessment scale for case-control and cohort 2. Do the boundaries of the MC correlate with a studies proposed by the Newcastle-Ottawa group [ie, reduced likelihood of detecting 2 pathology sur- the Newcastle-Ottawa scale (NOS)],5 allowed a com- rogates of tumor behavior: microvascular inva- prehensive review of the current evidence. sion (mVI) and poor differentiation (grade 3)? The ranking of the studies and the assumptions were In addition, we also probed the literature to answer made specifically in terms of prognosis according to less stringent questions (eg, the role of pretransplant practice and the literature search; for this purpose, the treatments in patients meeting or not meeting the MC MC were considered a prognostic covariate rather than at the time of wait listing). a therapeutic covariate. Accordingly, in the Oxford Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine scheme, specific grading criteria for assigning levels of evidence are used Review Methodology to discriminate prognosis-oriented studies from ther- A review of the literature in English was performed apy-oriented studies; the latter consist of systematic with various search terms. A PubMed-, Embase-, and reviews of RCTs (including meta-analyses), whereas the Scopus-based search strategy was used that com- former include case-control and cohort studies.3-5 bined text, keywords, and Medical Subject Headings The allocation of each study to the predefined cate- terms for titles and abstracts. Manual cross-referenc- gories was independently performed by 2 reviewers ing was also used to find more relevant articles. This who were trained in the field of transplantation and part of the search strategy was not restricted by date. HCC. All cases of possible inconsistencies between The following search terms were used in various com- the reviewers were discussed so a shared judgment of binations: Milan criteria, primary liver cancer, primary the study’s final allocation could be reached. S46 MAZZAFERRO ET AL. LIVER TRANSPLANTATION, October 2011 Figure 1. Review methodology. The studies were selected and then ranked with applied, and the odds ratio was the investigated the Oxford Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine association measure. Presuming an excess of vari- classification and the NOS quality assessment; ability (heterogeneity) in the study results, we used hazard ratio estimates, which were extracted from the random effect models to produce more conserv- sufficiently powered individual studies, were com- ative
Recommended publications
  • Treatment Strategies for Hepatocellular Carcinoma—A Multidisciplinary Approach
    International Journal of Molecular Sciences Review Treatment Strategies for Hepatocellular Carcinoma—A Multidisciplinary Approach Isabella Lurje 1,† , Zoltan Czigany 1,† , Jan Bednarsch 1, Christoph Roderburg 2,3, Peter Isfort 4, Ulf Peter Neumann 1,5 and Georg Lurje 1,* 1 Department of Surgery and Transplantation, University Hospital RWTH Aachen, 52074 Aachen, Germany; [email protected] (I.L.); [email protected] (Z.C.); [email protected] (J.B.); [email protected] (U.P.N.) 2 Department of Internal Medicine III, University Hospital RWTH Aachen, 52074 Aachen, Germany; [email protected] 3 Department of Gastroenterology/Hepatology, Campus Virchow Klinikum and Charité Mitte, Charité University Medicine Berlin, 13353 Berlin, Germany 4 Department for Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University Hospital RWTH Aachen, 52074 Aachen, Germany; [email protected] 5 Department of Surgery, Maastricht University Medical Centre (MUMC), 6229 ET Maastricht, The Netherlands * Correspondence: [email protected] † Both authors contributed equally to this work. Received: 9 March 2019; Accepted: 21 March 2019; Published: 22 March 2019 Abstract: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common primary tumor of the liver and its mortality is third among all solid tumors, behind carcinomas of the lung and the colon. Despite continuous advancements in the management of this disease, the prognosis for HCC remains inferior compared to other tumor entities. While orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) and surgical resection are the only two curative treatment options, OLT remains the best treatment strategy as it not only removes the tumor but cures the underlying liver disease. As the applicability of OLT is nowadays limited by organ shortage, major liver resections—even in patients with underlying chronic liver disease—are adopted increasingly into clinical practice.
    [Show full text]
  • Transarterial Chemoembolization with Radiofrequency Ablation Versus Hepatectomy in Hepatocellular Carcinoma Beyond the Milan Criteria: a Retrospective Study
    Journal name: Cancer Management and Research Article Designation: Original Research Year: 2018 Volume: 10 Cancer Management and Research Dovepress Running head verso: Yuan et al Running head recto: TACE with RFA versus hepatectomy for HCC open access to scientific and medical research DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.2147/CMAR.S182914 Open Access Full Text Article ORIGINAL RESEARCH Transarterial chemoembolization with radiofrequency ablation versus hepatectomy in hepatocellular carcinoma beyond the Milan criteria: a retrospective study Hang Yuan* Purpose: To compare the efficacies of transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) combined Ping Cao* with radiofrequency ablation (RFA) with hepatectomy. Prognostic factors for the patient groups Hai-Liang Li were analyzed. Hong-Tao Hu Patients and methods: Data of 314 newly diagnosed cases of hepatocellular carcinoma Chen-Yang Guo beyond the Milan criteria were studied from January 2012 to December 2013 in our hospital. Forty-four patients were excluded owing to loss to follow-up (27 cases) or missing imaging Yan Zhao data (17 cases); finally, 270 patients were included. All patients underwent TACE combined Quan-Jun Yao with RFA (TR group, 136 patients) or hepatectomy (HT group, 134 patients). Efficacy evalu- Xiang Geng ation and prognostic factor analysis of the groups were conducted. Overall survival (OS) rate, Minimally Invasive and Interventional progression-free survival (PFS) rate, and major complications were recorded. Department, Affiliated Cancer The 1-, 2-, 3-, and 5-year OS rates and median survival times were 98.5%, 83.1%, Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Results: Henan Cancer Hospital, Zhengzhou 66.2%, 37.1%, and 46 months, respectively, for the TR group and 89.6%, 69.4%, 53.7%, 450008, China 30.3%, and 38 months, respectively, for the HT group.
    [Show full text]
  • Time to Transplantation As Predictor of Hepatocellular Recurrence After Liver Transplantation: a Retrospective Cohort Study
    ARTÍCULO ORIGINAL Estudio retrospectivo Time to transplantation as predictor of hepatocellular recurrence after liver transplantation: a retrospective cohort study Santiago Rodriguez1, Lucas Ernani 2, Alfeu de Medeiros Fleck Jr.3 Claudio Augusto Marroni1,3, Ajacio Bandeira de Mello Brandão1,3 Este artículo está bajo una licencia de Creative Commons de tipo Recono- cimiento – No comercial – Sin obras derivadas 4.0 International 1 Graduate Program in Medicine: Hepatology. Univer- sidade Federal de Ciências da Saúde de Porto Alegre (UFCSPA), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil. Abstract 2 Department of Gastroenterology. Digestive System Surgery, School of Medicine, Hospital das Clínicas, Hepatocellular recurrence after liver transplantation (LTx) is a major cause Universidade de São Paulo (USP), São Paulo, SP, Brasil. 3 Liver Transplantation Group, Santa Casa de Miseri- of morbidity and mortality. We aimed to investigate the association córdia de Porto Alegre, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil. between waiting time and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) recurrence in patients undergoing LTx for HCC. We studied 250 patients who ORCID ID: underwent LTx between 2007-2015. Survival and recurrence curves were Santiago Rodríguez. http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8610-3622 calculated according to the Kaplan–Meier method and compared by Lucas Ernani the log-rank test. Univariate hazard ratios for predictors of post-LTx HCC https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6570-8702 Claudio Augusto Marroni recurrence were determined by Cox proportional hazards regressions. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1718-6548
    [Show full text]
  • Laparoscopic Resection of Hepatocellular Carcinoma: When, Why, and How? a Single-Center Experience
    JOURNAL OF LAPAROENDOSCOPIC & ADVANCED SURGICAL TECHNIQUES Volume 24, Number 4, 2014 ª Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. DOI: 10.1089/lap.2013.0502 Laparoscopic Resection of Hepatocellular Carcinoma: When, Why, and How? A Single-Center Experience Paulo Herman, MD, Marcos Vinicius Perini, MD, Fabricio Ferreira Coelho, MD, Jaime Arthur Pirolla Kruger, MD, Renato Micelli Lupinacci, MD, Gilton Marques Fonseca, MD, Felipe de Lucena Moreira Lopes, MD, and Ivan Cecconello, MD Abstract Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate short- and intermediate-term results of laparoscopic liver resection in selected patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Patients and Methods: Eighty-five patients with HCC were subjected to liver resection between February 2007 and January 2013. From these, 30 (35.2%) were subjected to laparoscopic liver resection and were retro- spectively analyzed. Special emphasis was given to the indication criteria and to surgical results. Results: There were 21 males and 9 females with a mean age of 57.4 years. Patients were subjected to 10 nonanatomic and 20 anatomic resections. Two patients were subjected to hand-assisted procedures (right posterior sectionectomies); all other patients were subjected to totally laparoscopic procedures. Conversion to open surgery was necessary in 4 patients (13.3%). Postoperative complications were observed in 12 patients (40%), and the mortality rate was 3.3%. Mean overall survival was 29.8 months, with 3-year overall and disease-free survival rates of 76% and 58%, respectively. Conclusions: Laparoscopic treatment of selected patients with HCC is safe and feasible and can lead to good short- and intermediate-term results. Introduction organ needs.
    [Show full text]
  • (NCCN Guidelines®) Hepatobiliary Cancers
    NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology (NCCN Guidelines®) Hepatobiliary Cancers Version 2.2015 NCCN.org Continue Version 2.2015, 02/06/15 © National Comprehensive Cancer Network, Inc. 2015, All rights reserved. The NCCN Guidelines® and this illustration may not be reproduced in any form without the express written permission of NCCN®. Printed by Alexandre Ferreira on 10/25/2015 6:11:23 AM. For personal use only. Not approved for distribution. Copyright © 2015 National Comprehensive Cancer Network, Inc., All Rights Reserved. NCCN Guidelines Index NCCN Guidelines Version 2.2015 Panel Members Hepatobiliary Cancers Table of Contents Hepatobiliary Cancers Discussion *Al B. Benson, III, MD/Chair † Renuka Iyer, MD Þ † Elin R. Sigurdson, MD, PhD ¶ Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Roswell Park Cancer Institute Fox Chase Cancer Center Center of Northwestern University R. Kate Kelley, MD † ‡ Stacey Stein, MD, PhD *Michael I. D’Angelica, MD/Vice-Chair ¶ UCSF Helen Diller Family Yale Cancer Center/Smilow Cancer Hospital Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center Comprehensive Cancer Center G. Gary Tian, MD, PhD † Thomas A. Abrams, MD † Mokenge P. Malafa, MD ¶ St. Jude Children’s Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women’s Moffitt Cancer Center Research Hospital/ Cancer Center The University of Tennessee James O. Park, MD ¶ Health Science Center Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center/ Steven R. Alberts, MD, MPH Seattle Cancer Care Alliance Mayo Clinic Cancer Center Jean-Nicolas Vauthey, MD ¶ Timothy Pawlik, MD, MPH, PhD ¶ The University of Texas Chandrakanth Are, MD ¶ The Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive MD Anderson Cancer Center Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center at Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins The Nebraska Medical Center Alan P.
    [Show full text]
  • Continuous Improvement of Survival Outcomes of Resection of Hepatocellular Carcinoma: a 20-Year Experience
    Continuous improvement of survival outcomes of resection of hepatocellular carcinoma: a 20-year experience (ANNSURG-D-10-00234.R2) Sheung Tat FAN MS, MD, PhD, DSc, FRCS (Glasg & Edin), FACS Chung Mau LO MS, FRCS (Edin), FACS Ronnie T.P. POON MS, PhD, FRCS (Edin), FACS Chun YEUNG MBBS, FRCS (Glasg), FACS Chi Leung LIU MBBS, MS, MD, FRCS (Edin), FACS Wai Key YUEN MBBS, FRCS (Glasg), FRACS (Gen Surg), FACS Chi Ming LAM MBBS, MS, PhD, FRCS (Edin) Kelvin K.C. NG MS, PhD, FRCSEd (Gen) See Ching CHAN MS, FRCS (Edin) Department of Surgery, The University of Hong Kong, Queen Mary Hospital, Pok Fu Lam Road, Hong Kong Correspondence to: Professor Sheung Tat FAN Department of Surgery The University of Hong Kong Queen Mary Hospital 102 Pok Fu Lam Road Hong Kong Tel: (852) 2255 4703 Fax: (852) 2986 5262 Email: [email protected] Keywords: Hepatocellular carcinoma, hepatectomy, hospital mortality, survival rates Short title: Survival outcomes of resection of hepatocellular carcinoma Mini-Abstract A continuous improvement of the survival results of hepatectomy for hepatocellular carcinoma was observed in the past 20 years. The improvement was seen in patients with cirrhosis, those undergoing major hepatectomy, and those with liver tumors of TNM stages II, IIIA and IVA. Structured Abstract Objective: To investigate the trend of the post-hepatectomy survival outcomes of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients by analysis of a prospective cohort of 1198 patients over a 20-year period. Summary Background Data: The hospital mortality rate of hepatectomy for HCC has improved but the long-term survival rate remains unsatisfactory.
    [Show full text]
  • Liver Transplantation for Hepatocellular Carcinoma: a Real-Life Comparison of Milan Criteria and AFP Model
    cancers Article Liver Transplantation for Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Real-Life Comparison of Milan Criteria and AFP Model Bleuenn Brusset 1,2, Jerome Dumortier 3, Daniel Cherqui 4, Georges-Philippe Pageaux 5, Emmanuel Boleslawski 6 , Ludivine Chapron 2, Jean-Louis Quesada 2 , Sylvie Radenne 7, Didier Samuel 4, Francis Navarro 5, Sebastien Dharancy 6 and Thomas Decaens 1,2,8,* 1 Faculty of Medicine, University Grenoble-Alpes, 38000 Grenoble, France; [email protected] 2 CHU Grenoble-Alpes, 38000 Grenoble, France; [email protected] (L.C.); [email protected] (J.-L.Q.) 3 Hospices Civiles de Lyon, Hôpital Edouard Herriot, 69003 Lyon, France; [email protected] 4 Assistance Publique des Hôpitaux de Paris, Hôpital Paul Brousse, Centre Hépato-Biliaire, 94800 Villejuif, France; [email protected] (D.C.); [email protected] (D.S.) 5 CHU de Montpellier, 34295 Montpellier, France; [email protected] (G.-P.P.); [email protected] (F.N.) 6 CHU de Lille, 59000 Lille, France; [email protected] (E.B.); [email protected] (S.D.) 7 Hospices Civiles de Lyon, Hôpital de la Croix Rousse, 69004 Lyon, France; [email protected] 8 Institute for Advanced Biosciences, Research Center UGA/Inserm U 1209/CNRS 5309, 38000 Grenoble, France Citation: Brusset, B.; Dumortier, J.; * Correspondence: [email protected]; Tel.: +33-4-7676-5441 Cherqui, D.; Pageaux, G.-P.; Boleslawski, E.; Chapron, L.; Simple Summary: The α-fetoprotein (AFP) model officially replaced the Milan criteria in France Quesada, J.-L.; Radenne, S.; Samuel, for liver transplantation (LT) for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in January 2013.
    [Show full text]
  • Type of the Paper (Article
    Article Clinical Presentation of Hepatocellular Carcinoma in African Americans vs. Caucasians: A Retrospective Analysis Hrishikesh Samant 1, Kapil Kohli 1, Krunal Patel 2, Runhua Shi 3, Paul Jordan 1, James Morris 1, Annie Schwartz 3 and Jonathan Steven Alexander 1,3,* 1 Section of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Departments of Medicine, Ochsner-LSU Health Sciences Center in Shreveport, Shreveport, LA 71103, USA; [email protected] (H.S.); [email protected] (K.K.); [email protected] (P.J.); [email protected] (J.M.) 2 Lane Gastroenterology, Zachary, LA 70791, USA; [email protected] 3 Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, LSU Health Sciences Center Shreveport, Shreveport, LA 71130, USA; [email protected] (R.S.); [email protected] (A.S.) * Correspondence: [email protected]; Tel.: +1-318-675-4151 Abstract: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains an important form of cancer-related morbidity and mortality in the U.S. and worldwide. Previous U.S.-based studies on survival suggest ethnic disparities in HCC patients, but the complex interplay of multiple factors that contribute are still incompletely understood. Here we considered the influences of risk factors contributing towards HCC survival, including ethnic background, over ten years at a premier academic medical center with a majority (57.20%) African American (AA) population. Retrospective HCC data were col- lected from 2008–2018 at LSUHSC-Shreveport, an urban tertiary medical center. Data included Citation: Samant, H.; Kohli, K.; Patel, demographics, comorbidities, liver disease characteristics, and tumor parameters. Statistical analysis K.; Shi, R.; Jordan, P.; Morris, J.; was performed using Chi Square and one-way ANOVA. Results: 229 HCC patients were identified Schwartz, A.; Alexander, J.S.
    [Show full text]
  • The Treatment Effect of Liver Transplantation Versus Liver Resection for HCC: a Review and Future Perspectives
    cancers Review The Treatment Effect of Liver Transplantation versus Liver Resection for HCC: A Review and Future Perspectives Berend R. Beumer 1 , Roeland F. de Wilde 1, Herold J. Metselaar 2, Robert A. de Man 2, Wojciech G. Polak 1 and Jan N. M. Ijzermans 1,* 1 Department of Surgery Division of HPB & Transplant Surgery, Erasmus MC Transplant Institute, Erasmus MC, University Medical Centre Rotterdam, 3015AA Rotterdam, The Netherlands; [email protected] (B.R.B.); [email protected] (R.F.d.W.); [email protected] (W.G.P.) 2 Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Erasmus MC Transplant Institute, Erasmus MC, University Medical Centre Rotterdam, 3015AA Rotterdam, The Netherlands; [email protected] (H.J.M.); [email protected] (R.A.d.M.) * Correspondence: [email protected]; Tel.: +31-010-7032396 Simple Summary: For patients with early-stage hepatocellular carcinoma, it is important to know whether liver transplantation offers a survival benefit over liver resection. Patients receiving trans- plantation often have different characteristics in terms of their cancer stage and liver function compared to those being resected. This makes a comparison of the two treatment modalities challeng- ing. This article presents a comprehensive review of research articles comparing these two treatments and discusses their strengths and weaknesses. Furthermore, we suggest a new research design that uses a treatment guideline to help ensure that the groups are more comparable. Hereby, we enable future studies to assess whether liver transplantation offers a survival benefit over liver resection in Citation: Beumer, B.R.; de Wilde, patients that are eligible for both treatments.
    [Show full text]
  • Technical Aspects of Orthotopic Liver Transplantation for Hepatocellular Carcinoma
    Technical Aspects of Orthotopic Liver Transplantation for Hepatocellular Carcinoma a a,b, Lung-Yi Lee, MD , David P. Foley, MD * KEYWORDS Liver transplantation Surgery Hepatocellular carcinoma Piggyback technique Portal vein thrombosis KEY POINTS In the majority of cases, patients with cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) who undergo liver transplantation are transplanted based on their higher Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) exception score and not their physiologic MELD score; this usually results in fewer physiologic derangements during liver transplantation. Patients who have previously undergone locoregional therapy or liver resection for HCC can develop significant perihepatic adhesions that increase the complexity of the hepa- tectomy during transplant. Implantation strategy of the inferior vena cava (IVC) during liver transplant may need to be modified based on location of previously treated HCC. Patients who undergo transarterial chemoembolization for pretransplant HCC therapy may have higher rates of hepatic artery thrombosis after liver transplant; therefore, aorto- hepatic bypass grafting with donor iliac artery may be required for arterial in flow to the liver allograft. Patients with portal vein (PV) thrombosis with a bland thrombus and a patent superior mesenteric vein (SMV) can undergo successful liver transplant through either PV throm- bectomy and standard end-to-end PV-PV anastomosis, or the use of SMV-PV bypass graft with donor iliac vein. a Department of Surgery, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Clinical Sciences Center, H4/766, 600 Highland Avenue, Madison, WI 53792-3284, USA; b Veterans Administration Surgical Services, William S. Middleton Memorial Veterans Hospital, 2500 Overlook Terrace, Madison, WI 53705, USA * Corresponding author.
    [Show full text]
  • SA–CME Information
    SA-CME SA–CME Information MRI Screening for Hepatocellular Carcinoma Description Target Audience Screening for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has been • Radiologists shown to improve overall survival by detecting earlier stage, • Related Imaging Professionals more treatable disease. For some patients with HCC, liver transplant is the preferred treatment. However, donor livers System Requirements are a scarce resource. Accurate identification and description In order to complete this program, you must have a com- of HCC with MRI is important in the determination of which puter with a recently updated browser and a printer. For as- patients will receive a liver transplant. sistance accessing this course online or printing a certificate, email [email protected]. This article reviews background information about cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma, the role of screening, transplant Instructions priority determination, and diagnostic criteria for HCC. This activity is designed to be completed within the des- ignated time period. To successfully earn credit, participants Learning Objectives must complete the activity during the valid credit period. To After completing this activity, the participant will be able to: receive SA–CME credit, you must: • Explain the Milan criteria and how these criteria impact liver allocation; 1. Review this article in its entirety. • Describe imaging findings of HCC; and, 2. Visit www.appliedradiology.org/SAM2. • Develop appropriate imaging protocols for HCC 3. Login to your account or create an account (new users). screening. 4. Complete the posttest and review the discussion and references. Accreditation/Designation Statement 5. Complete the evaluation. The Institute for Advanced Medical Education is accredited 6. Print your certificate. by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Educa- tion (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for Estimated time for completion: 1 hour physicians.
    [Show full text]
  • Living Donor Liver Transplantation for Hepatocellular Carcinoma
    EDITORIAL Living Donor Liver Transplantation for Hepatocellular Carcinoma: To Expand (Beyond Milan) or Downstage (to Milan)? group report their longterm results up to 10 years fol- SEE ARTICLE ON PAGE 369 lowing LDLT for HCC beyond Milan criteria in a prospectively applied protocol.(6) The study cohort met For patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) the proposed BCLC extended criteria (1 tumor > 5cm exceeding the Milan criteria, survival after liver trans- but 7 cm, 2-3 tumors at least 1 tumor > 3cm plantation (LT) incrementally decreases with increas- but 5 cm, or 4-5 tumors 3 cm) and other protocol (1) ing tumor size and number. The allocation system eligibility requirements including Eastern Cooperative for deceased donors in the United States is largely Oncology Group performance status 0 and Child- restricted to HCC within Milan criteria and does not Pugh class A/B. Out of 22 patients enrolled between accommodate to even modest expansion of tumor 2001 and 2014, 5 were successfully downstaged with (2) size. Wait-list dropout rates remain substantial even local-regional therapy (LRT) from beyond BCLC for HCC within Milan criteria in long wait-time extended criteria to within Milan criteria. A total of 12 (3) regions. Living donor liver transplantation (LDLT) of the 22 patients received LRT, in whom 10 were has been performed for patients with HCC beyond downstaged to within Milan criteria prior to LDLT. Milan criteria adhering to the principle that the risk to This study was therefore composed of a heterogeneous the donor is justified by the expectation of an accept- group of patients who underwent LDLT either with (4) able outcome for the recipient (double equipoise).
    [Show full text]