Background/aims: Most hepatocellular carcinomas (HCC) are associated with cirrhosis. The clinicopathologic characteristics and outcomes of HCC present in non-cirrhotic livers are not well known in Chinese patients. This study was performed to explore the features of these patients and their outcomes after hepatectomy.
Methods: 96 patients with histologically confirmed HCC in non-cirrhotic liver who underwent partial hepatectomy between 1995 and 2001 in our cancer center were reviewed. A retrospective analysis of the clinicopathologic features was performed, and survival of patients was analyzed by the Kaplan-Meier method and Cox regression model.
Results: Operative mortality and morbidity were none and 8.3% (8/96), respectively. Postoperative overall survival (OS) rates at 1, 3, 5 and 10 years were 84.4, 62.5, 47.9 and 38.2%, respectively, with a median OS of 57 months. Disease-free survival (DFS) rates at 1, 3, and 5 years were 56.3, 39.6, and 33.3%, respectively, with a median DFS of 18 months. TNM stage was an independent prognostic factor for both OS and DFS of non-cirrhotic HCC. Operative blood loss was an independent prognostic factor for OS and DFS of patients who received curative resection.
Conclusion: Curative partial hepatectomy was an effective and safe treatment for non-cirrhotic HCC. Aggressive local therapies were recommended for patients with intrahepatic recurrence.