Objective: We investigated clinical characteristics and surgical outcome of hepatocellular carcinoma in association with hepatitis viral status. No consensus exists concerning differences in surgical outcome in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma according to viral hepatitis status, especially those negative for hepatitis B virus surface antigen and antibody to hepatitis C virus.
Methods: Clinicopathologic data were available for 39 hepatectomy patients with hepatocellular carcinoma who were negative for hepatitis B virus surface antigen and hepatitis C virus antibody. Clinical characteristics and surgical outcome were analyzed retrospectively and compared to those patients with positive hepatitis viral markers.
Results: Patients negative for viral hepatitis markers were more likely to have large, advanced-stages tumors with relatively well-preserved liver function and had a lower incidence of intrahepatic recurrences (P = 0.009). The intrahepatic recurrence rate reached a plateau at approximately 3 years after resection in patients with negative viral markers, while it continued to increase steadily in patients positive for viral hepatitis markers. By multivariable analysis, the absence of viral hepatitis markers predicted a decreased rate of intrahepatic recurrence (relative risk, 0.222; P = 0.001).
Conclusions: Adequate surgical resection in hepatocellular carcinoma patients negative for viral markers offers a good survival benefit, regardless of the etiology of the hepatocellular carcinoma.