Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Meta-Analysis
. 2023 Sep 1;109(9):2784-2793.
doi: 10.1097/JS9.0000000000000503.

Effect of anatomical liver resection for hepatocellular carcinoma: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Affiliations
Meta-Analysis

Effect of anatomical liver resection for hepatocellular carcinoma: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Seong Wook Shin et al. Int J Surg. .

Abstract

Background: Despite retrospective studies comparing anatomical liver resection (AR) and non-anatomical liver resection (NAR), the efficacy and benefits of AR for hepatocellular carcinoma remain unclear.

Materials and methods: The authors systemically reviewed MEDLINE, Embase, and Cochrane Library for propensity score matched cohort studies that compared AR and NAR for hepatocellular carcinoma. Primary outcomes were overall survival (OS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS). Secondary outcomes were recurrence patterns and perioperative outcomes.

Results: Overall, 22 propensity score matched studies (AR, n =2,496; NAR, n =2590) were included. AR including systemic segmentectomy was superior to NAR regarding the 3-year and 5-year OS. AR showed significantly better 1-year, 3-year, and 5-year RFS than NAR, with low local and multiple intrahepatic recurrence rates. In the subgroup analyses of tumour diameter less than or equal to 5 cm and tumours with microscopic spread, the RFS in the AR group was significantly better than that in the NAR group. Patients with cirrhotic liver in the AR group showed comparable 3-year and 5-year RFS with the NAR group. Postoperative overall complications were comparable between AR and NAR.

Conclusions: This meta-analysis demonstrated that AR showed better OS and RFS with a low local and multiple intra-hepatic recurrence rate than NAR, especially in patients with tumour diameter less than or equal to 5 cm and non-cirrhotic liver.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Sponsorships or competing interests that may be relevant to content are disclosed at the end of this article.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flow diagram showing the selection of studies. HCC, hepatocellular carcinoma.
Figure 2
Figure 2
1-year, 3-year, and 5-year overall survival between AR and NAR. AR, anatomical liver resection; NAR, non-anatomical liver resection; OS, overall survival.
Figure 3
Figure 3
1-year, 3-year, and 5-year recurrence-free survival between AR and NAR. AR, anatomical liver resection; NAR, non-anatomical liver resection; RFS, recurrence-free survival.
Figure 4
Figure 4
1-year, 3-year, and 5-year overall and recurrence-free survivals in subgroup analyses for patients with/without microvascular invasion. AR, anatomical liver resection; MVI, microvascular invasion; NAR, non-anatomical liver resection; OS, overall survival; RFS, recurrence-free survival.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Local recurrence between anatomical liver resection (AR) and non-anatomical liver resection (NAR).
Figure 6
Figure 6
Intrahepatic single or multiple nodule recurrences between anatomical liver resection (AR) and non-anatomical liver resection (NAR).

References

    1. Galle PR, Forner A, Llovet JM, et al. EASL Clinical Practice Guidelines: management of hepatocellular carcinoma. J Hepatol 2018;69:182–236. - PubMed
    1. Portolani N, Coniglio A, Ghidoni S, et al. Early and late recurrence after liver resection for hepatocellular carcinoma: prognostic and therapeutic implications. Ann Surg 2006;243:229–235. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Imamura H, Matsuyama Y, Tanaka E, et al. Risk factors contributing to early and late phase intrahepatic recurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma after hepatectomy. J Hepatol 2003;38:200–207. - PubMed
    1. Huang SW, Chu PY, Ariizumi S, et al. Anatomical versus non-anatomical resection for hepatocellular carcinoma, a propensity-matched analysis between Taiwanese and Japanese Patients. In Vivo 2020;34:2607–2612. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Shi F, Zhou Z, Huang X, et al. Is anatomical resection necessary for early hepatocellular carcinoma? A single institution retrospective experience. Future Oncol 2019;15:2041–2051. - PubMed