Edmondson grade predicts survival of patients with primary clear cell carcinoma of liver after curative resection: A retrospective study with long-term follow-up

AimPrimary clear cell carcinoma of liver (PCCCL) is a specific and rare subtype of primary hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We performed a retrospective study with long-term follow-up to investigate predictive factors and prognosis of intrahepatic recurrences of PCCCL after radical resection. MethodsWe retrospectively analyzed records of 38 patients with PCCCL who were diagnosed at Peking Union Medical College Hospital between January 1989 and September 2010, with a long-term follow up to January 2015, to determine their clinical characteristics and postoperative survival. The data were compared with 400 patients received radical hepatectomy for common type hepatocellular carcinoma (CHCC) during the study period. ResultsPCCCL tumors were smaller than those of CHCC (P < 0.001) and the incidence of vascular invasion of tumors in PCCCL group was significantly lower than that in CHCC (P = 0.029). The 1-, 3-, and 5-year overall survival (OS) for PCCCL patients were 94.6%, 67.3%, and 58.5%, respectively; 1-, 3-, and 5-year disease-free survival (DFS) were 89.2%, 54.1%, and 48.6%, respectively. Both OS and DFS were significantly better for PCCCL patients than for CHCC (P = 0.039 and 0.044). Cox modeling showed high Edmondson grade to be the only independent predictive factor for survival of PCCCL patients, which were different from those of CHCC. ConclusionsPCCCL is a less malignant subtype of HCC than CHCC, patients with PCCCL likely have later intrahepatic recurrences and a better prognosis. Edmondson grade predicts survival of patients with PCCCL after curative resection; those with higher Edmondson grades may require more careful follow-up and aggressive post-hepatectomy therapy.