Takashi Matsumata

Risk factors for intrahepatic recurrence in human small hepatocellular carcinoma

BACKGROUND/AIMS Postoperative intrahepatic recurrence of human hepatocellular carcinoma is high. Recently, the relationship between proliferating cell activity in the cirrhotic liver and occurrence or recurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma has been reported. METHODS One hundred two resected cases of small hepatocellular carcinoma of < 3 cm in diameter without venous invasion or intrahepatic metastasis were examined to ascertain the factors affecting postoperative intrahepatic recurrence. RESULTS Cumulative intrahepatic recurrence rates at 1, 3, and 5 years after surgery were 12.0%, 57.2%, and 67.6%, respectively. The log-rank test indicated that serum albumin levels of < 3.7 g/dL, alanine aminotransferase levels of more than 54 IU/L, active inflammation in the nontumorous portion, and high proliferating cell nuclear antigen labeling index in the nontumorous portion (> 23.2%) were significant risk factors for recurrence. Tumor factors, including tumor size, histological grade, or alpha-fetoprotein level, were not significant risk factors. Coxs proportional hazard model identified that serum albumin level and alanine aminotransferase level were independently associated with intrahepatic recurrence after hepatectomy. CONCLUSIONS This study suggests that the principal cause linked to either a recurrence or a second new growth of hepatocellular carcinoma in the remnant liver after hepatectomy was the state of the underlying liver parenchyma as well as other tumor factors per se.

Limited Hepatic Resection Effective for Selected Cirrhotic Patients with Primary Liver Cancer

We evaluated in retrospect the applicability of limited hepatic resection in cases of primary liver cancer in cirrhotic patients. According to the severity of impaired liver function, 37 patients underwent limited resection, and for 13, standard major hepatic resection was done. The mortality rate in case of limited resection was 10.8%, and the rate in case of massive excision was 15.4%. One, two- and five-year survival rates of limited operation were 79.9, 60.3, and 32.6%, respectively. After standard resection, the rates were 78.7, 67.5, and 22.5%, respectively. There were no significant differences in the mortality and survival rates between the two groups. These results indicate that, for the patient with a small liver cancer, and poor liver function, the limited procedure leads to a comparatively longer survival. This limited resection can be selectively used to treat cancer associated with cirrhosis and encapsulated tumors. For the preoperative evaluation, hepatic arteriograms aid in patient selection.

Significance of preoperative elevation of serum C-reactive protein as an indicator for prognosis in colorectal cancer

BACKGROUND C-reactive protein (CRP) is a product synthesized in hepatocytes and has been reported to be upregulated by such proinflammatory cytokines as interleukin-1, interleukin-6, and tumor necrosis factor. The significance of a preoperative serum elevation in CRP as a predictive indicator for the malignant potential and prognosis in colorectal cancer has not been elucidated. METHOD One hundred and twenty consecutive patients with colorectal cancer, whose local lesions were resected in our department, were selected. Any patients with inflammatory diseases such as infection or collagen diseases were excluded from the current study. The preoperative serum CRP level was measured, and the relationship between the serum elevation of CRP and both the clinicopathologic factors and prognosis of the patients was investigated. RESULTS The incidences of liver metastases, peritonitis carcinomatosa, histopathologic lymph nodes metastasis, and intravascular invasion in patients with a preoperatively elevated serum CRP level were significantly more frequent than in those with a negative serum protein level. The survival rates of the patients without a preoperative elevation of the serum CRP proved to be significantly more favorable than that of the patients with such an elevation (P <0.001). CONCLUSIONS A preoperative serum elevation of CRP was thus found to be an indicator of the malignant potential of the tumor as well as a predictor of the prognosis of patients with colorectal cancer.

Surgical margin and recurrence after resection of hepatocellular carcinoma in patients with cirrhosis: further evaluation of limited hepatic resection

This report attempts to elucidate the manner in which the surgical margin is linked to a recurrence after curative hepatectomy for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in patients with cirrhosis. Forty patients were divided into two groups: those in whom the margin from the cut surface to HCC in the fresh resected specimen was less than 10 mm wide, and patients in whom the surgical margin was equal to or exceeded 10 mm. These margins were expressed as tumor wedge positive [TW(+)], and tumor wedge negative [TW(-)], respectively. There were 24 and 16 patients in the TW(+) and TW(-) groups, respectively. There was no statistically significant difference in clinicopathologic variables, except for age and values of serum albumin between the two groups. There was a recurrence in ten of 24 patients (42%) of the TW(+) group and in eight of 16 patients (50%) of the TW(-) group. Mean disease-free periods were 21.4 months in the TW(+) group and 23.6 months in TW(-) group. These 40 patients were also divided with regard to the time of recurrence, the early recurrence within 24 months, and the late recurrence after 24 months. There was no statistically significant difference in the rate of recurrence and mean disease-free period between the TW(+) and TW(-) groups in the early and late recurrence groups. In both the TW(+) and TW(-) groups, there were no recurrences in 13 of 16 patients (81.3%) with a tumor less than 4 cm in diameter, yet there were recurrences in seven of eight patients (87.5%) with a tumor exceeding 4 cm in diameter, regardless of the time to recurrence. These results suggest that in patients with a tumor less than 4 cm, the extent of TW is not linked to an early recurrence. However, when the tumor size exceeds 4 cm, 10 mm of TW is inadequate to achieve curability. When a wide resection is not feasible, then adjuvant chemotherapy should be aggressive.

Estimation of risk of major complications after hepatic resection

To identify the risk factors predicting major postoperative complications from among preoperative and intraoperative variables, an extensive retrospective analysis of 209 patients who underwent hepatic resections was performed using multivariate logistic regression. The major complications were defined as liver failure, intractable ascites and pleural effusion, intraperitoneal infection, intra-abdominal hemorrhage requiring reoperation, major bile leakage, and gastrointestinal tract bleeding. First, detailed pre- and intraoperative data including medical history, laboratory data, portion and extent of hepatectomy, operative time, and amount of blood loss were univariately analyzed. Next, any significant variables were multivariately analyzed using the logistic regression method. Diabetes, increased intraoperative blood loss, resection of segment 8, and an increased serum blood urea nitrogen level were independent and significant variables predicting major postoperative complications. A higher level of serum cholesterol and a procedure involving a portion of left lateral segment were found to decrease the risk. Both more careful operative procedures and intensive management of DM and renal dysfunction in the perioperative period could result in a better quality of life after hepatic resection.

Surgical manipulation of VX2 carcinoma in the rabbit liver evokes enhancement of metastasis

To search for possible untoward effects of surgical manipulation of a malignant tumor, a series of experiments was carried out using VX2 carcinoma of rabbits. Fourteen days after inoculation of VX2 carcinoma into the liver, the rabbits were separated into two groups: Group I, manual manipulation during relaparotomy; and Group II, relaparotomy alone without manual manipulation of the tumor. After these procedures, the tumor was surgically removed and histologic examinations were made. The incidence of vascular permeation of liver tumor cells into the hepatic vein was significantly higher in Group I (P less than 0.01). On the 14th day after resection of the tumor, the number of metastatic nodules in the lungs was significantly increased in Group I (P less than 0.01). Survival time of rabbits after resection of tumor was significantly shorter in Group I (P less than 0.01). These results are taken to mean that manual manipulation of a tumor may well enhance metastasis.

Hepatic resection for hepatocellular carcinoma in elderly patients

Of 154 elective hepatectomies performed during the 13 year period from 1973 to 1985 for hepatocellular carcinoma, 27 (17.5 percent) were performed on patients 65 years of age or older. Among these elderly patients, 40.7 percent died in the hospital compared with 21.3 percent of the younger patients (p less than 0.05). Sepsis accounted for 72.7 percent of the hospital deaths among the elderly patients, in contrast to 25.9 percent among the younger patients. The overall incidence of hospital death due to sepsis was significantly higher in the elderly patients (p less than 0.001). Hepatic lobectomy or segmentectomy in the elderly patients with cirrhosis was followed by hospital death in 88.9 percent compared with 25 percent of the elderly patients without cirrhosis (p less than 0.01). A higher incidence of hospital death occurred among the elderly in Okudas stage I (p less than 0.05), Childs class A (p less than 0.02), and in those with concomitant systemic disorders (p less than 0.05). We conclude that in patients 65 years of age or older with hepatocellular carcinoma, concomitant systemic disorders play a role in determining the outcome of hepatectomy. Elderly patients with cirrhosis are high-risk candidates for major hepatectomy for whom limited hepatic resection should be considered.

Preoperative elevation of serum C-reactive protein is related to impaired immunity in patients with colorectal cancer.

The significance of a preoperative elevation of serum C-reactive protein (CRP) as an indicator of the malignant potential and prognosis in colorectal cancer is reported. The reduction of circulating lymphocytes reflects the immunosuppressive conditions of patients with neoplasms. The aim of the current study was to elucidate the significance of a preoperative elevation of serum CRP as an indicator of the impaired immunity of the patients with colorectal cancer. The subjects were 155 consecutive patients with colorectal cancer who were treated with surgical resection. The preoperative serum CRP level and the proportion of circulating lymphocytes in peripheral blood were measured and the relationship between these values was investigated. The mean value of lymphocytes percentages in patients with the preoperative elevation of serum CRP was 25.2 +/- 8.7%, which was significantly lower than that (33.4 +/- 9.3%) in patients without the preoperative elevation of serum CRP (p < 0.01). In summary, preoperative elevation of serum CRP was significantly related to the reduction of lymphocyte percentages in peripheral blood, and it can be an indicator of impaired immunity in the patients with colorectal cancer.

The association between transfusion and cancer‐free survival after curative resection for hepatocellular carcinoma

Background. In cases of surgery for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), postoperative intrahepatic recurrence is the main obstacle to long‐term survival of patients. The association between perioperative transfusion and recurrence‐free survival was studied in 126 patients with HCC who underwent hepatic resection between 1985 and 1990 and in whom complete follow‐up information was available until 1992.

Intrahepatic peripheral cholangiocarcinoma: two-phased dynamic incremental CT and pathologic correlation.

To elucidate the characteristic CT findings of intrahepatic peripheral Cholangiocarcinoma, two-phased dynamic incremental CT scans of 20 cholangiocarcinomas in 16 patients were carefully analyzed. Dynamic incremental CT scanning was performed after intravenous administration of 100 ml iodinated contrast medium at a rate of 2 ml/s using a power injector. The CT scans (8–16 sections) were obtained during 45–110 s (early phase) and 6–7 min (delayed phase) after commencement of the injection of the contrast medium. On CT, 55% (11 of 20) of intrahepatic peripheral cholangiocarcinomas appeared hypo-dense in both phases. Most of the tumors (80%) appeared hypodense in the early phase and had increased CT numbers in their delayed images. Lymphadenopathy was observed in 69% (11 of 16) of patients whose main tumors exceeded 3 cm in diameter. All tumors appeared irregular or indistinct. Twenty percent (4 of 20) of the cholangiocarcinomas were difficult to distinguish from hepatocellular carcinomas or hemangiomas.