A multi-center comparative study of the effectiveness of three radical therapies on hepatocellular carcinoma

Objective Partial hepatectomy, liver transplantation, and radio frequency ablation for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) were compared to select the most suitable method for HCC. Methods 1198 patients with HCC in 3 hospitals in Guangzhou were divided into 3 groups: group Ⅰ , small HCC; group Ⅱ > HCC without vascular invasions and group Ⅲ , HCC with vascular invasion. The patients either received partial hepatectomy, transplantation or ablation. The 1-, 2- or 3-year survival rates, the 3-year recurrent rates and Child-Pugh grades in the 3 groups were compared. Results For small HCC, there was a significant increase in the 3-year survival rate (P<0. 05) and a significant decease in the recurrent rate (P<0. 05) in patients who received transplantation, compared with those who received hepatic resection. Patients who received ablation had a higher 3-year survival rate and a lower recurrence (P<0. 05) in comparison with those who received hepatectomy. There was no significant difference(P<0. 05) between transplantation and ablation, but there were more Child A patients who received hepatectomy and ablation, and more Child B and C patients who received transplantation. For advanced HCC, there was no significant different in the 3-year survival rates for the 3 therapies, but the 3-year recurrence was lower (P<0. 05) in the transplantation group. Conclusions For small HCC, superiority of transplantation versus resection was obvious. Ablation (diameter <3 cm) was also superior to resection, whereas ablation was as effective as transplantation. There were more Child B and C patients in the transplantation group than the ablation and resection groups. Therefore, small HCC with hepatic decompensation should receive liver transplantation. Transplantation was advantageous in having less tumor recurrent but there was no difference in the 3 therapies for advanced HCC. Key words: Hepatocellular carcinoma;  Liver transplantation;  Hepatectomy;  Radiofrequency ablation