Prognostic and Developmental Factors in Patients Receiving Liver Transplant due to Hepatocellular Carcinoma: One Center's Experience in the North of Spain

Abstract Background Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most frequent types of tumor. The aim of this study was to determine the survival of patients who had received liver transplants as a result of the disease. Methods This observational follow-up study included 150 patients who received liver transplantations from June 1994 to December 2007. The study considered epidemiological and staging variables, tumor descriptions, and follow-up variables. We employed Kaplan-Meier methodology together with a Cox multivariate regression analysis. Results The incidence of tumor relapse was 13.3%, with survival rates at 1, 3, and 5 years of 89.3%, 73.1%, and 61.4%, respectively. Variables that showed an independent effect to predict mortality were the degree of histological differentiation and of macrovascular invasion. Patients with poorly differentiated HCC had a 4.03 fold (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.61–10.06) greater possibility of dying. Macrovascular involvement increased the risk of death (relative risk = 2.23), an effect that was at the limit of significance (95% CI 0.99–5.04). Conclusions The survival rate was consistent with the literature. Poor tumor differentiation and macrovascular involvement were independent predictors of mortality.