Complete Tumor Necrosis (complete + tumor_necrosis)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


Excellent outcome following down-staging of hepatocellular carcinoma prior to liver transplantation: An intention-to-treat analysis,,

HEPATOLOGY, Issue 3 2008
Francis Y. Yao
We previously reported encouraging results of down-staging of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) to meet conventional T2 criteria (one lesion 2,5 cm or two to three lesions <3 cm) for orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) in 30 patients as a test of concept. In this ongoing prospective study, we analyzed longer-term outcome data on HCC down-staging in a larger cohort of 61 patients with tumor stage exceeding T2 criteria who were enrolled between June 2002 and January 2007. Eligibility criteria for down-staging included: (1) one lesion >5 cm and up to 8 cm; (2) two to three lesions with at least one lesion >3 cm and not exceeding 5 cm, with total tumor diameter up to 8 cm; or (3) four to five lesions with none >3 cm, with total tumor diameter up to 8 cm. A minimum observation period of 3 months after down-staging was required before OLT. Tumor down-staging was successful in 43 patients (70.5%). Thirty-five patients (57.4%) had received OLT, including two who had undergone live-donor liver transplantation. Treatment failure was observed in 18 patients (29.5%), primarily due to tumor progression. In the explant of 35 patients who underwent OLT, 13 had complete tumor necrosis, 17 met T2 criteria, and five exceeded T2 criteria. The Kaplan-Meier intention-to-treat survival at 1 and 4 years after down-staging were 87.5% and 69.3%, respectively. The 1-year and 4-year posttransplantation survival rates were 96.2% and 92.1%, respectively. No patient had HCC recurrence after a median posttransplantation follow-up of 25 months. The only factor predicting treatment failure was pretreatment alpha-fetoprotein >1,000 ng/mL. Conclusion: Successful down-staging of HCC can be achieved in the majority of carefully selected patients and is associated with excellent posttransplantation outcome. (HEPATOLOGY 2008.) [source]


Comparison of two techniques of transarterial chemoembolization before liver transplantation for hepatocellular carcinoma: A case-control study

LIVER TRANSPLANTATION, Issue 5 2007
Sébastien Dharancy
Supraselective transarterial chemoembolization (STACE) more efficiently targets chemotherapy delivered via the feeding arterial branches of the tumor than does conventional transarterial chemoembolization (TACE). However, the hypothesis of its greater efficacy compared with the latter is subject to controversy. The aim of the present study was to compare STACE to conventional TACE in a controlled study of candidates for liver transplantation (LT) for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Patients were matched for factors associated with HCC recurrence and survival. Sixty patients were included: 30 who were treated with STACE and 30 treated with conventional TACE. The 2 groups were similar in terms of matched criteria. In the overall population (uni- and multinodular HCC), there was no marked difference between the 2 groups in 5-year disease-free survival: 76.8% vs. 74.8%. In sensitivity analysis of patients considered to be the best candidates for TACE (uninodular HCC ,5 cm), there was a trend toward significance between STACE and TACE in 5-year disease-free survival: 87% vs. 64% (P = 0.09). The only factor associated with complete tumor necrosis was STACE in the overall population (30.8% vs. 6.9%, P = 0.02), with a similar trend in the subgroup of patients with a single nodule (33.3% vs. 6.7%, P = 0.06), whereas the mean number of procedures was similar in the 2 groups (mean, 1.3 procedures; range 1-5 procedures; P = NS). STACE is more efficient at inducing complete tumor necrosis in the liver. This study observed trends toward improvement in the disease-free survival of patients with uninodular HCC ,5 cm. Future studies focusing on such patients are warranted. Liver Transpl, 2007. © 2007 AASLD. [source]


A prospective study on downstaging of hepatocellular carcinoma prior to liver transplantation,

LIVER TRANSPLANTATION, Issue 12 2005
Francis Y. Yao
In patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) exceeding conventional (T2) criteria for orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT), the feasibility and outcome following loco-regional therapy intended for tumor downstaging to meet T2 criteria for OLT are unknown. In this first prospective study on downstaging of HCC prior to OLT, the eligibility criteria for enrollment into a downstaging protocol included 1 lesion >5 cm and ,8 cm, 2 or 3 lesions at least 1 >3 cm but ,5 cm with total tumor diameter of ,8 cm, or 4 or 5 nodules all ,3 cm with total tumor diameter ,8 cm. Patients were eligible for living-donor liver transplantation (LDLT) if tumors were downstaged to within proposed University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) criteria.13 A minimum follow-up period of 3 months after downstaging was required before cadaveric OLT or LDLT, with imaging studies meeting criteria for successful downstaging. Among the 30 patients enrolled, 21 (70%) met criteria for successful downstaging, including 16 (53%) who had subsequently received OLT (2 with LDLT), and 9 patients (30%) were classified as treatment failures. In the explant of 16 patients who underwent OLT, 7 had complete tumor necrosis, 7 met T2 criteria, but 2 exceeded T2 criteria. No HCC recurrence was observed after a median follow-up of 16 months after OLT. The Kaplan-Meier intention-to-treat survival was 89.3 and 81.8% at 1 and 2 yr, respectively. In conclusion, successful tumor downstaging can be achieved in the majority of carefully selected patients, but longer follow-up is needed to further access the risk of HCC recurrence after OLT. (Liver Transpl 2005;11:1505,1514.) [source]