HEPATOCELLULAR-CARCINOMA - SURGICAL RESECTION VERSUS SURGICAL RESECTION COMBINED WITH PREOPERATIVE AND POSTOPERATIVE LOCOREGIONAL IMMUNOTHERAPY-CHEMOTHERAPY - A PROSPECTIVE RANDOMIZED STUDY

Hepatocellular carcinoma, remains a disease with poor prognosis. Liver resection, although the optimal method of management, is associated w ith a high incidence of intrahepatic tumour recurrence ranging between 50-70%, 12 to 18 months following surgery. This study assesses prospe ctively the results of liver resection as compared to liver resection combined with pre- and post-operative locoregional chemotherapy-immuno therapy in 40 patients suffering from hepatocellular carcinoma. Patien ts were randomly assigned to two groups. Group A (20 patients) had liv er resection only, while Groups B (20 patients) had liver resection co mbined with pre- and past-operative targeting locoregional chemotherap y-immunotherapy. Five (5) patients died in total: two from Groups A an d two from Group B, during the first 30 days following surgery due to reasons related to the procedure (post-operative liver failure in thre e, pulmonary embolism in one). The remaining patient from Group A died 10 months following liver resection due to intrahepatic tumour recurr ence. From Group A, 17 patients are alive from 3 to 26 months after su rgery. Of the 17 alive patients, 10 are free of disease and 7 show int rahepatic recurrence. Thus, tumour intrahepatic recurrence occurred in 8 patients of group A. From Group B, all 18 patients are alive and fr ee of disease from 4 to 27 months after surgery. No patient died becau se of the disease nor has any patient shown intrahepatic tumour recune nce. As a conclusion of the present results, liver resection combined with pre- and post-operative targeting locoregional immunotherapy-chem otherapy appears to offer substantial advantages for patients undergoi ng surgery because of hepatocellular carcinoma.