Long-Term Survival in Patients Receiving Combination Therapy with Resection and Radiofrequency Ablation for Multi-Focal Hepatocellular Carcinoma Classified as Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer Stage B: A Retrospective Controlled Study

Objective: To evaluate the survival outcomes of combined liver resection (LR) and radiofrequency ablation (RFA) on multi-focal hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in patients with Barcelona clinic liver cancer (BCLC) stage B. Methods: A total of 210 cases of HCC were included in this study. In 42 cases, patients were treated with combination therapy using LR and RFA (LRCRFA). In 84 cases, patients underwent transarterial chemoembolization (TACE), and in another 84 cases, patients underwent LR; both the TACE and LR groups served as controls. It both categorized as BCLC stage B for LRCRFA and TACE groups but as BCLC stage A for LR group. Results: The overall survival (OS) rate of the LRCRFA group was significantly higher than that of the TACE group (P 0.05). Having more than 2 existing tumors was an independent risk factor for OS rate. Conclusion: Combination therapy using LR and RFA can more effectively improve the prognosis of these patients than TACE. Patients with BCLC stage B HCC with ≤4 tumors or ≤5 tumors smaller than 6 cm in diameter are the ideal candidates for the application of LRCRFA.