Abstracts
1998 Digestive Disease Week

#1037

PROGNOSTIC FACTORS AFTER HEPATECTOMY FOR HEPATO-CELLULAR CARCINOMA. H. Lau, S.T. Fan, I. Ng1, J. Wong. Departments of Surgery and Pathology1, The University of Hong Kong, Queen Mary Hospital, Hong Kong, China.

INRODUCTION: We conducted the present study to identify the prognostic factors affecting long-term survival and evaluate the clinical value of pTNM staging system as a prognostic factor in our patients. METHODS: From January 1989 to August 1995, 204 consecutive patients underwent hepatectomies for hepatocellular carcinoma. The overall cumulative and disease-free survival rates were analyzed. Uni-variate and multi-variate analysis of 16 clinico-pathological factors, including factors in the pTNM staging system, were performed to determine the significant prognostic factors. RESULTS: The median period of overall cumulative survival and disease-free survival were 35 months and 12.4 months respectively. By uni-variate analysis, all factors in the tumor (T) staging, viz. size of tumor, vascular invasion, number of tumor nodules and localization of tumor, were correlated with survival. By Cox regression analysis, preoperative indocyanine green retention value at 15 minutes, size of tumor and number of tumor nodules were independent prognostic factors of long-term survival whereas number of tumor nodules, size of tumor and venous permeation were the most powerful predictors of tumor recurrence. Significant difference of cumulative survival curves was observed among the stages of pTNM classification. CONCLUSIONS: pTNM classification and pre-operative indocyanine green retention value at 15 minutes are the most important prognostic factors affecting long-term survival following hepatectomy for hepatocellular carcinoma.

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