Prognostic effect of transarterial chemoembolization–induced complete pathological response in patients undergoing liver resection and transplantation for hepatocellular carcinoma

Transarterial chemoembolization (TACE)–induced complete pathological response (CPR) is known to improve postresection outcomes of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We aimed to assess the prognostic effects of CPR after preoperative TACE for HCC in patients who underwent hepatic resection (HR) or liver transplantation (LT). The clinical outcomes of patients showing CPR after HR (n = 110) or LT (n = 233) were analyzed. The control groups comprised patients with minimal recurrence risk as naïve single HCC ≤ 2 cm for HR (n = 476), and 1 or 2 HCCs ≤ 2 cm for LT (n = 184). Among HR study patients, 1‐, 3‐, and 5‐year tumor recurrence rates were 18.5%, 50.6%, and 58.7% respectively, which were higher than those of controls (P