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European Radiology
Published in: European Radiology 11/2020

01-11-2020 | Hepatocellular Carcinoma | Interventional

Radiofrequency ablation versus repeat resection for recurrent hepatocellular carcinoma (≤ 5 cm) after initial curative resection

Authors: Yuemin Feng, Hao Wu, Daniel Q. Huang, Chenghui Xu, Hang Zheng, Mayumi Maeda, Xinya Zhao, Le Wang, Feng Xiao, Huanran Lv, Tiantian Liu, Jianni Qi, Jie Li, Ning Zhong, Chuanxi Wang, Hong Feng, Bo Liang, Wanhua Ren, Chengyong Qin, Mindie H. Nguyen, Qiang Zhu

Published in: European Radiology | Issue 11/2020

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Abstract

Objectives

Recurrence rate is up to 70% at 5 years for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) after initial resection, but the management of recurrent HCC remains unclear. To compare the efficacy and safety of radiofrequency ablation (RFA) and repeat resection as the first-line treatment in recurrent HCC.

Methods

This multicenter retrospective study analyzed 290 patients who underwent RFA (n = 199) or repeat resection (n = 91) between January 2006 and December 2016 for locally recurrent HCC (≤ 5 cm) following primary resection. We compared the overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), and complications between the two treatment groups for the total cohort and the propensity score matched (PSM) cohort.

Results

The 1-, 3-, and 5-year OS (90.7%, 69.04%, 55.6% vs. 87.7%, 62.9%, 38.1%, p = 0.11) and PFS (56.5%, 27.9%, 14.6% vs. 50.2%, 21.9%, 19.2%, p = 0.80) were similar in the RFA group and the repeat resection group. However, RFA was superior to repeat resection in complication rate and hospital stay (p ≤ 0.001). We observed similar findings in the PSM cohort of 48 pairs of patients and when OS and PFS were measured from the time of the primary resection. The OS of the RFA group was significantly better than repeat resection group among those with 2 or 3 recurrent tumor nodules in both the total cohort (p = 0.009) and the PSM cohort (p = 0.018).

Conclusion

RFA has the same efficacy as repeat resection in recurrent HCC patients, but with fewer complications. RFA is more efficient and safer than repeat resection in patients with 2 or 3 recurrent tumor nodules.

Key Points

• Recurrence rate is up to 70% at 5 years for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) after initial resection.
• RFA has the same efficacy as repeat resection in recurrent HCC patients, but with fewer complications.
• RFA may be preferred for those with 2 or 3 recurrent HCC nodules.
Appendix
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Metadata
Title
Radiofrequency ablation versus repeat resection for recurrent hepatocellular carcinoma (≤ 5 cm) after initial curative resection
Authors
Yuemin Feng
Hao Wu
Daniel Q. Huang
Chenghui Xu
Hang Zheng
Mayumi Maeda
Xinya Zhao
Le Wang
Feng Xiao
Huanran Lv
Tiantian Liu
Jianni Qi
Jie Li
Ning Zhong
Chuanxi Wang
Hong Feng
Bo Liang
Wanhua Ren
Chengyong Qin
Mindie H. Nguyen
Qiang Zhu
Publication date
01-11-2020
Publisher
Springer Berlin Heidelberg
Published in
European Radiology / Issue 11/2020
Print ISSN: 0938-7994
Electronic ISSN: 1432-1084
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00330-020-06990-8

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