Surgical treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma with hepatic vein tumor thrombosis

Objective To evaluate surgical treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC) with hepatic vein tumor thrombus(HVTT). Methods We retrospectively analyzed the clinical and pathological data of 23 HCC patients with HVTT undergoing surgical treatment at the Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Fujian Provincial Hospital from June 2011 to June 2017, including 14 patients with HVTT and 9 patients with inferior vena cava tumor thrombosis (IVCTT). Results 21 patients with HVTT underwent anatomical hepatectomy and 2 underwent partial resection. The HVTT operation time was (235±45) min, and the IVCTT operation time was (308±75) min. The intraoperative blood loss was (880±677) ml, (1 150±808) ml, respectively. The follow-up time after surgery was 3 to 44 months. The median tumor-free survival time of the 23 patients was 5 months, and the median survival time was 16 months. The median survival time of HVTT and IVCTT was 14 months and 17 months, respectively. The 1-, 2-, and 3-year survival rates of the 23 HCC with HVTT/IVCTT were 56.5%, 21.7%, and 8.7%, respectively. Conclusions Surgical treatment is a choice of therapy for HCC patients with HVTT/IVCTT having good liver function, limited and removable lesion, and no distant metastasis. Key words: Carcinoma hepatocellular; Hepatic vein