Published online Dec 21, 2023. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v29.i47.6122
Peer-review started: August 28, 2023
First decision: September 23, 2023
Revised: October 23, 2023
Accepted: December 1, 2023
Article in press: December 1, 2023
Published online: December 21, 2023
Patients with Barcelona clinic liver cancer (BCLC) stage B hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) are considerably heterogeneous in terms of tumor burden, liver function, and performance status. To improve the poor survival outcomes of these patients, treatment approaches other than transarterial chemoembolization (TACE), which is recommended by HCC guidelines, have been adopted in real-world clinical practice. We hypothesize that this non-adherence to treatment guidelines, particularly with respect to the use of liver resection, improves survival in patients with stage B HCC.
To assess guideline adherence in South Korean patients with stage B HCC and study its impact on survival.
A retrospective analysis was conducted using data from 2008 to 2016 obtained from the Korea Central Cancer Registry. Patients with stage B HCC were cate
In South Korea, over the study period from 2008 to 2016, a notable trend was observed in adherence to HCC guidelines. Adherence to the EASL guidelines started relatively high, ranging from 77% to 80% between 2008 and 2012, but it gradually declined to 58.8% to 71.6% from 2013 to 2016. Adherence to the AASLD guidelines began at 71.7% to 75.9% from 2008 to 2010, and then it fluctuated between 49.2% and 73.8% from 2011 to 2016. In contrast, adherence to the APASL guidelines remained consistently high, staying within the range of 90.14% to 94.5% throughout the entire study period. Upward treatment, for example with liver resection, liver transplantation, or radiofrequency ablation, significantly improved the survival of patients with BCLC stage B HCC compared to that of patients treated in adherence to the guidelines (for patients analyzed according to the 2000 EASL guidelines, the 5-year survival rates were 63.4% vs 27.2%, P < 0.001), although results varied depending on the guidelines. Progression-free survival rates were also significantly improved upon the use of upward treatments in certain groups. Patients receiving upward treatments were typically < 70 years old, had platelet counts > 105/μL, and serum albumin levels ≥ 3.5 g/dL.
Adherence to guidelines significantly influences survival in South Korean stage B HCC patients. Curative treatments outperform TACE, but liver resection should be selected with caution due to disease heterogeneity.
Core Tip: The current hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) guidelines do not recommend curative treatments, except liver transplantation, for patients with Barcelona clinic liver cancer stage B HCC. Our study suggests survival benefits for selected patients aged < 70 years, with platelet counts > 105/μL and albumin levels ≥ 3.5 g/dL, even if the liver function corresponds to Child-Pugh score B7, beyond the Milan criteria and outside the up-to-7 criteria. As for the B2 group of the Kinki criteria, which presents a highly diverse population of patients with stage B HCC, curative strategies should be considered with caution through a multidisciplinary approach.