Analysis of Recurrence Patterns After Anatomical or Non-anatomical Resection for Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Recurrence patterns after hepatic resection has been poorly understood in view of tumor blood flow drainage (TBFD) area. Our goal was to clarify the recurrence patterns after anatomical versus nonanatomical hepatic resection for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). A total of 424 consecutive patients with HCC, who were treated by curative resection (R0) at our hospital from 2001 to 2012, were evaluated. Among these, we compared the outcomes of the anatomical resection group (AR group, n = 243) and the nonanatomical resection group (NR group, n = 181). We performed an analysis of the recurrence patterns of HCC based on the preoperative CT during hepatic arteriography in these 424 patients. Preoperative liver function was better in the AR group than the NR group (P < 0.001), and tumor size was larger in the AR group than the NR group (P < 0.001). HCC recurrence was recorded in 145 patients (59.7 %) of the AR group and 102 patients (56.4 %) of the NR group with no significant differences between the two groups (P = 0.590). The incidences of extrahepatic and intrahepatic recurrence (solitary/multiple) were similar between the two groups. In addition, the rate of recurrences by local dissemination, either recurrences in the same subsegment in the NR group or recurrences in the TBFD area in the AR group, was sufficiently low (1.4 %) as to be considered negligible. The incidence and patterns of HCC recurrence were similar between the anatomical and nonanatomical resection. Recurrence by local dissemination may be considered to be negligible in both surgical methods.