Predictive factors for recurrence after percutaneous ethanol injection for solitary hepatocellular carcinoma

Background/Aims : Intrahepatic recurrence frequently occurs in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) even after successful percutaneous ethanol injection (PEI). This study investigated factors predicting recurrence after PEI for solitary HCC. Materials and Methods : The subjects were 31 patients with solitary HCC (10-29 mm) who received successful PEI. We investigated the relationship of pretreatment clinicopathological variables to recurrence-free survival including : age, gender, alcohol abuse, tumor size, tumor staining, tumor differentiation, serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) level, associated liver disease, and Child-Pugh classification. Differences in recurrence-free survival among subgroups classified by each factor were evaluated using log-rank tests. Results : Median recurrence-free survival time, 1 and 2 year recurrence-free survival rates of all 31 patients were 1.57 years, 72.2% and 45.4%, respectively. Among the 9 variables evaluated, serum AFP level of 20 ng/ml or less (p<0.005) and absence of cirrhosis (p = 0. 025) were factors favoring longer recurrence-free survival significantly. Conclusion : These results indicate that HCC patients with higher serum AFP level or coexistent cirrhosis should be followed more closely even after successful PEI.