Background/purpose: The majority of hepatocellular carcinomas are associated with chronic infection with hepatitis B or C virus. Recently, however, the proportion of non-B non-C hepatocellular carcinomas has been increasing. It is necessary to determine the optimal surgical approach for non-B non-C hepatocellular carcinoma.
Methods: Seventy-seven patients with non-B non-C hepatocellular carcinoma who underwent curative hepatic resection were included in this study. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to clarify risk factors for postoperative recurrence of non-B non-C hepatocellular carcinoma.
Results: On univariate analysis, surgical margin <5 mm (P = 0.001) and the presence of multiple tumors (P = 0.002) were significantly associated with lower disease-free survival rate. On multivariate analysis, surgical margin <5 mm and the presence of multiple tumors were independent risk factors for postoperative recurrence.
Conclusion: Curative resection with adequate surgical margins for single non-B non-C hepatocellular carcinoma can achieve a good outcome.