Perioperative safety, oncologic outcome, and risk factors of salvage liver resection for initially unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma converted by transarterial chemoembolization plus tyrosine kinase inhibitor and anti-PD-1 antibody: a retrospective multicenter study of 83 patients

Abstract

Background: To assess the perioperative safety, oncological outcomes, and determinants influencing the oncological outcomes of salvage liver resection for initially unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) rendered resectable through transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) combined with tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) and anti-PD-1 antibodies (α-PD-1).

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed data from 83 consecutive patients across six tertiary hospitals who underwent salvage liver resection for initially unresectable HCC following conversion by TACE combined with TKIs and α-PD-1, emphasizing perioperative and oncological outcomes. Multivariate Cox regression analysis was employed to discern independent risk factors for postoperative recurrence-free survival (RFS).

Results: The median operative duration was 200 min, with a median blood loss of 400 ml. Intraoperative blood transfusions were necessitated for 27 patients. The overall perioperative complication rate was 48.2%, with a major complication rate of 16.9%. One patient died during the perioperative period due to postoperative liver failure. During the median follow-up period of 15.1 months, 24 patients experienced recurrence, with early and intrahepatic recurrence being the most common. Seven patients died during follow-up. Median RFS was 25.4 months, with 1- and 2-year RFS rates of 68.2% and 61.8%, respectively. Median overall survival was not reached, with 1- and 2-year overall survival rates of 92.2% and 87.3%, respectively. Multivariate Cox regression analysis revealed that pathological complete response (pCR) and intraoperative blood transfusion served as independent prognostic determinants for postoperative RFS.

Conclusions: Our study provides preliminary evidence suggesting that salvage liver resection may be an effective and feasible treatment option for patients with unresectable HCC who achieve resectability after conversion therapy with TACE, TKIs, and α-PD-1. The perioperative safety of salvage liver resection for these patients was manageable and acceptable. However, further research, particularly prospective comparative studies, is needed to better evaluate the potential benefits of salvage liver resection in this patient population.

Keywords: Conversion therapy; Hepatocellular carcinoma; Prognosis; Salvage resection.