Background: The relative benefit of anatomical resection (AR) versus non-anatomical resection (NAR) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains controversial. This study compared the survival outcomes and recurrence rates of HCCs analysed according to tumour size and the extent of resection. Methods: Consecutive patients with HCC who underwent curative resection at Asan Medical Center between January 1999 and December 2009 were included in this study. We performed propensity score matching (PSM) according to tumour size to compare the survival outcomes between AR and NAR. A total of 986 patients were analysed; 812 and 174 patients underwent AR and NAR, respectively. Results: Before PSM, regardless of tumour size, the AR group demonstrated significantly better 5-year overall survival (OS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS) than the NAR group (p < 0.001). After PSM, the AR group demonstrated better OS and RFS rates than the NAR group when tumour size was less than 5 cm, but there was no significant difference in the OS and RFS rates between the two groups when tumour size was equal to or greater than 5 cm. In tumours less than 5 cm in size, AR was the most significant factor associated with OS and RFS. However, this prognostic effect of AR was not demonstrated in tumours with sizes equal to or greater than 5 cm. Conclusion: In patients with HCCs smaller than 5 cm, AR reduced the risk of tumour recurrence and improved OS. In HCCs larger than 5 cm, AR and NAR showed comparable survival outcomes.
Keywords: carcinoma; hepatectomy; hepatocellular; prognosis; propensity score; treatment outcome.