Efficacy evaluation of postoperative adjuvant TACE in preventing HCC recurrence within Milan criteria: A multi-center propensity score matching analysis based on pathological indicators.

Abstract

Objective: Malignant biological behaviors such as microvascular invasion (MVI), satellite nodule formation and poor differentiation can appear in the postoperative pathology of early hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), which often indicates that it has entered the stage of malignant evolution earlier. This study aimed to evaluate tumor recurrence in HCC patients meeting the Milan criteria who underwent postoperative adjuvant transarterial chemoembolization (PA-TACE) based on postoperative pathological indices.

Methods: A retrospective study was conducted on 790 HCC patients within the Milan criteria who underwent hepatectomy across four medical centers, comprising 366 patients treated with PA-TACE and 424 patients without PA-TACE. To reduce selection bias, propensity score matching (PSM) at a 1:1 ratio was applied, achieving balanced clinical characteristics between the two groups.

Results: Patients receiving PA-TACE did not experience more severe adverse events or toxicity-related deaths. After PSM of each subgroup, it was found that patients with MVI (Median time: 37 months vs 17 months, p = 0.010), satellite nodules (Median time: NA vs 14 months, p = 0.018), and Edmondson-Steiner grade III-IV (Median time: NA vs 13 months, p = 0.004) who received PA-TACE had higher recurrence-free survival (RFS). However, patients who were MVI-negative, satellite nodule-negative, and Edmondson-Steiner grade I-II did not benefit from PA-TACE in terms of RFS (All p > 0.05). Patients who received PA-TACE were more likely to undergo liver transplantation, re-hepatectomy, and local ablation after tumor recurrence, whereas patients who did not receive PA-TACE were more likely to receive TACE, chemoradiotherapy, and immunotargeted therapy after tumor recurrence (All p < 0.05).

Conclusion: Postoperative pathological indicators can guide the selection of PA-TACE for patients with HCC within the Milan criteria. Patients with MVI, satellite nodules, and Edmondson-Steiner grade III-IV are more suitable for receiving PA-TACE to improve RFS. PA-TACE may alter the recurrence pattern of tumors, rendering them more localized.