BACKGROUND: Hepatic resection is a potentially curative therapy for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), but recurrence of disease is very common. Few studies have reported 10-year actual survival rates following hepatic resection; instead, most have used actuarial measures based on the Kaplan-Meier method. This systematic review aims to document 10-year actual survival rates and to identify factors significant in determining prognosis. METHODS: A comprehensive search was undertaken of MEDLINE and EMBASE. Only studies reporting the absolute number of patients alive at 10 years after first resection for HCC were included; these figures were used to calculate the actual 10-year survival rate. A qualitative review and analysis of the prognostic factors identified in the included studies were performed. RESULTS: Fourteen studies, all of which were retrospective case series, including data on 4197 patients with HCC were analysed. Ten years following resection, 303 of these patients were alive. The 10-year actual survival rate was 7.2%, whereas the actuarial survival quoted from the same studies was 26.8%. Positive prognostic factors included better hepatic function, a wider surgical margin and the absence of satellite lesions. CONCLUSIONS: The actual long-term survival rate after resection of HCC is significantly inferior to reported actuarial survival rates. The Kaplan-Meier method of actuarial survival analysis tends to overestimate survival outcomes as a result of censorship of data and subgroup analysis.
BACKGROUND: Hepatic resection is a potentially curative therapy for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), but recurrence of disease is very common. Few studies have reported 10-year actual survival rates following hepatic resection; instead, most have used actuarial measures based on the Kaplan-Meier method. This systematic review aims to document 10-year actual survival rates and to identify factors significant in determining prognosis. METHODS: A comprehensive search was undertaken of MEDLINE and EMBASE. Only studies reporting the absolute number of patients alive at 10 years after first resection for HCC were included; these figures were used to calculate the actual 10-year survival rate. A qualitative review and analysis of the prognostic factors identified in the included studies were performed. RESULTS: Fourteen studies, all of which were retrospective case series, including data on 4197 patients with HCC were analysed. Ten years following resection, 303 of these patients were alive. The 10-year actual survival rate was 7.2%, whereas the actuarial survival quoted from the same studies was 26.8%. Positive prognostic factors included better hepatic function, a wider surgical margin and the absence of satellite lesions. CONCLUSIONS: The actual long-term survival rate after resection of HCC is significantly inferior to reported actuarial survival rates. The Kaplan-Meier method of actuarial survival analysis tends to overestimate survival outcomes as a result of censorship of data and subgroup analysis.
Authors: K Shirabe; M Shimada; K Kajiyama; T Gion; Y Ikeda; H Hasegawa; K Taguchi; K Takenaka; K Sugimachi Journal: Cancer Date: 1998-12-01 Impact factor: 6.860
Authors: N Nagasue; H Kohno; Y C Chang; H Taniura; A Yamanoi; M Uchida; T Kimoto; Y Takemoto; T Nakamura; H Yukaya Journal: Ann Surg Date: 1993-04 Impact factor: 12.969
Authors: V Mazzaferro; E Regalia; R Doci; S Andreola; A Pulvirenti; F Bozzetti; F Montalto; M Ammatuna; A Morabito; L Gennari Journal: N Engl J Med Date: 1996-03-14 Impact factor: 176.079
Authors: Jian Zheng; Deborah Kuk; Mithat Gönen; Vinod P Balachandran; T Peter Kingham; Peter J Allen; Michael I D'Angelica; William R Jarnagin; Ronald P DeMatteo Journal: Ann Surg Oncol Date: 2016-12-05 Impact factor: 5.344