Purpose: To assess the outcome and effectiveness of liver surgery for huge hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in the caudate lobe.
Methods: This study retrospectively examined 18 patients who underwent surgical treatment for huge HCC in the caudate lobe. An isolated caudate lobectomy and an extended caudate lobectomy were each performed in nine patients (50%). The intraoperative and postoperative complications and treatments for recurrence were recorded. The survival curve was estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method.
Results: The postoperative mortality and morbidity were nil and 33.3%, respectively. Fourteen patients (77%) had tumor recurrence as of the last follow-up. The recurrence was treated in all patients. Eleven patients underwent transcatheter arterial chemoembolization, a median of three times per patient (range, 1-7); one of those patients also received percutaneous ethanol injection therapy and radiotherapy of recurrent nodules. One patient was treated with systemic chemotherapy. One patient underwent liver transplantation, and one underwent a repeated liver resection. The overall survival rates at 1, 3, and 5 years were 83%, 47%, and 31%, respectively.
Conclusion: Long-term survival can be achieved using an aggressive surgical approach in selected patients with huge HCC in the caudate lobe.