Prognostic value of precise hepatic pedicle dissection in anatomical resection for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma

The present study aimed to investigate the long-term and perioperative outcomes of precise hepatic pedicle dissection in anatomical resection (precise AR) vs non-anatomical resection (NAR) for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients. Data from a total of 270 consecutive HCC patients who underwent curative hepatectomy were retrospectively collected. Propensity score matching (PSM) analysis was performed. The long-term outcomes of precise AR and NAR were analyzed using the Kaplan-Meier method and the Cox proportional hazards model. The 1-, 3-, and 5-year overall survival (OS) rates were 90.3%, 76.2%, and 65.7% in the PS-precise AR group, respectively (n = 103); and 88.3%, 70.5%, and 52.0% in the PS-NAR group, respectively (n = 103) (P = .043). The 1-, 3-, and 5-year recurrence-free survival (RFS) rates were 83.4%, 63.2%, and 46.0% in the PS-precise AR group, respectively; and 75.7%, 47.4%, and 28.3% in the PS-NAR group, respectively (P = .002). Multivariate analysis showed that ICG-R15, BCLC staging, and microvascular invasion (MVI) were independent risk factors for OS; while tumor size, types of resection, surgical margin, and MVI were independent risk factors for RFS. Subgroup analysis indicated that the RFS rate was significantly better in the PS-precise AR group than in the PS-NAR group for patients with MVI and tumor size <= 5 cm. After PSM, precise hepatic pedicle dissection in AR significantly improved the recurrence-free survival rate of solitary HCC patients compared with NAR, especially in those with MVI and tumor size <= 5 cm.