Hepatocellular carcinoma recurrence pattern following liver transplantation and a suggested surveillance algorithm

Eduardo Scortegagna Jr; Adib R Karam; Shirin Sioshansi; Adel Bozorgzadeh; Curtis Barry; Sarwat Hussain

doi:10.1016/j.clinimag.2016.07.002

Hepatocellular carcinoma recurrence pattern following liver transplantation and a suggested surveillance algorithm

Clin Imaging. 2016 Nov-Dec;40(6):1131-1134. doi: 10.1016/j.clinimag.2016.07.002. Epub 2016 Jul 7.

Authors

Eduardo Scortegagna Jr¹, Adib R Karam², Shirin Sioshansi³, Adel Bozorgzadeh⁴, Curtis Barry⁵, Sarwat Hussain²

Affiliations

¹ Radiology Department, University of Massachusetts Medical School, 55 Lake Avenue North, Worcester, MA 01655. Electronic address: scortegagnajunior@gmail.com.
² Radiology Department, University of Massachusetts Medical School, 55 Lake Avenue North, Worcester, MA 01655.
³ Radiation Oncology Department, University of Massachusetts Medical School, 55 Lake Avenue North, Worcester, MA 01655.
⁴ Department of Surgery, University of Massachusetts Medical School, 55 Lake Avenue North, Worcester, MA 01655.
⁵ Department of Medicine, University of Massachusetts Medical School, 55 Lake Avenue North, Worcester, MA 01655.

PMID: 27474913
DOI: 10.1016/j.clinimag.2016.07.002

Abstract

Purpose: This study aims to evaluate the recurrence pattern of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) following liver transplantation.

Materials and methods: A total of 54 patients underwent liver transplantation for HCC; 9 patients developed biopsy-proven recurrent HCC (16.6%). The site of HCC recurrence along with other factors was analyzed.

Results: Seven patients were diagnosed with HCC prior to liver transplantation and 2 patients had incidental HCC in the explanted liver. Two patients had locoregional recurrence, 4 patients had distant metastasis, and 3 patients had synchronous locoregional recurrence and distant metastasis.

Conclusion: A significant proportion of HCC recurrence following liver transplantation is extrahepatic.

Keywords: HCC; Hepatocellular carcinoma; Liver transplantation; Metastasis; Surveillance.

MeSH terms

Adult
Aged
Algorithms
Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / diagnosis
Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / surgery*
Female
Humans
Incidental Findings
Liver Neoplasms / diagnosis
Liver Neoplasms / surgery*
Liver Transplantation*
Male
Middle Aged
Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / diagnosis*
Postoperative Complications / diagnosis*
Retrospective Studies