Oncology Medical News about Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Become a Member Today!
Register

Most Viewed Abstracts

1. Report Shows Shift in Starting Salaries for Physicians

2. Recommendations on the use of 18F-FDG PET in oncology

3. Taxane-based combinations as adjuvant chemotherapy of early breast cancer: a meta-analysis of randomized trials

4. Gene expression signatures, clinicopathological features, and individualized therapy in breast cancer

5. Sentinel node biopsy is important in mastectomy for ductal carcinoma in situ

Your Article Summary

See Latest Articles

(Click the title below to leave the MDLinx Network and go to the Journal's Website)

Long-term outcome of cirrhotic patients with early hepatocellular carcinoma treated with ultrasound-guided percutaneous laser ablation: a retrospective analysis
Journal of Clinical Oncology, 06/18/09

Pacella CM et al. - In a study to assess the use of percutaneous laser ablation (PLA) in pts with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the analysis confirms that a complete tumor ablation results in improved survival in pts with nonsurgical HCC. Ideal candidates for PLA are younger pts with normal serum albumin levels and tumor size ≤2 cm.

Methods

Treatment and survival parameters of 432 cirrhotic pts with nonsurgical early HCC (single nodule ≤4 cm or 3 nodules ≤3 cm each) who had received PLA in 9 Italian centers were retrospectively analyzed.

Results

Single tumors were seen in 344 (80%) of 432 pts, and 2 to 3 nodules were seen in 88 pts (20%), for a total of 548 tumors.
Initial complete response after PLA was observed in 338 pts (78%).
Median overall survival time was 47 mos.
3- and 5-yr cumulative survival rates were 61% and 34%, respectively.
In multivariate analysis, independent predictors of survival were serum albumin levels >3.5 g/dL, achievement of a complete tumor ablation, and age <73 yrs.
Child-Turcotte-Pugh class A pts had a 5-yr cumulative survival rate of 41%; this figure increased up to 60% with a median survival time of 63 mos in pts with tumors ≤2.0 cm.

Exclusive Author Commentary
Claudio Maurizio Pacella, 06/19/09

In our opinion, the main contribution of our work is to reinforce the idea that percutaneous tretaments of HCC (laser ablation and radiofrequency above all) should be considered as a first-line therapeutic tool for selected HCC patients (namely younger patients with small nodules and preserved liver function) even if they are candidate to liver resection. In other words, it is time to reconsider current therapeutic algorithms for HCC : 2 cm nodules not candidate to liver transplantation could be offered not only surgery but also percutaneous treatments for their neoplastic disease sicne the survival at five years is similar to resected patienta but at lower costs and morbidity/mortality.

<< Previous
Impact of residual in situ carcinoma on postoperative survival in...

Next >>
Macrophage markers in serum and tumor have prognostic impact in...