Publication:

Current advances made in the surgical treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the fifth most common tumor worldwide. Multiple treatment options are available for HCC like curative resection, liver transplantation, radiofrequency ablation, trans-arterial chemoembolization, radioembolization and systemic targeted agent like sorafenib. The treatment of HCC depends on the tumor stage, patient performance status and liver function reserve and requires a multidisciplinary approach. For localized HCC, surgical resection and orthoptic liver transplantation are the gold standard therapies. In the past few years with significant advances in surgical treatments and locoregional therapies, the short-term survival of HCC has improved. Advances in assessment and treatment, including emerging evidence from laparoscopic hepatectomies and combined treatments with newly developed chemotherapies, may lead to expanded indications for liver resection in HCC. Liver transplantation (LT) is an ideal treatment for chronically injured liver tissue with impaired liver function and risk of multicentric carcinogenesis. The expansion of criteria for LT in HCC patients and combined treatment involving LR and LT are under investigation and discussion. This review presents and discusses recent studies concerning liver resection and transplantation in HCC patients based on our extensive review of relevant literature.