Prognostic Impact of Des-γ-carboxyl Prothrombin in Living-Donor Liver Transplantation for Recurrent Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Abstract Background Although the Milan criteria are widely accepted for liver transplantation (LT) in patients for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), they have not been fully evaluated for salvage LT in patients with recurrent HCC. We have previously reported outcomes of living-donor LT (LDLT) for HCC and identified 2 risk factors affecting recurrence-free survival (RFS): tumor size >5 cm and des-γ-carboxyl prothrombin (DCP) concentration >300 mAU/mL (Kyushu University criteria). This study was designed to clarify risk factors for tumor recurrence after LDLT in patients with recurrent HCC. Methods Outcomes in 114 patients who underwent LDLT for recurrent HCC were analyzed retrospectively. RFS rates after LDLT were calculated, and risk factors for tumor recurrence were identified. Results The 1-, 3-, and 5-year RFS rates after LDLT were 90.6%, 80.4%, and 78.8%, respectively. Univariate analysis showed that tumor recurrence was associated with alpha-fetoprotein concentration ≥300 ng/mL, DCP concentration ≥300 mAU/mL, tumor number ≥4, tumor size ≥5 cm, transarterial chemotherapy before LDLT, duration of last treatment of HCC to LDLT