Assessment of Survival Benefits Derived from Surgical Resection Subsequent to the Attainment of Complete Response upon Triple Therapy in Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Multicenter Study
Introduction: The necessity of surgical resection for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients who achieve clinical complete response (CR) following triple therapy (transarterial chemoembolization, targeted therapy, and immunotherapy) remains controversial. Thus, this study aimed to compare survival outcomes between surgical resection and nonsurgical management in these patients. Methods: Between January 2018 and March 2024, 127 HCC patients who achieved clinical CR (cCR) following triple therapy were retrospectively included in this study. Patients were stratified into two groups based on whether they underwent surgical resection: the surgical resection group (n = 62) and the nonsurgical resection group (n = 65). Clinical characteristics, imaging findings, pathological results, and long-term outcomes were compared. Propensity score matching (PSM) was performed to mitigate the effect of potential confounders. Results: In the surgical group, 44 of 62 patients (70.9%) achieved pathological CR. The overall postoperative complication rate was 24.2%, with severe complications (grade III-IV) recorded in 8.1% of patients. After PSM, 55 matched pairs were included. One-, two-, and three-year overall survival (OS) rates following cCR were 96.0%, 90.8%, and 90.8% in the surgical group, compared to 91.3%, 85.8%, and 73.1% in the nonsurgical group (p = 0.013). Additionally, one-, two-, and three-year recurrence-free survival (RFS) rates were 81.5%, 74.6%, and 74.6% in the surgical group, compared to 81.1%, 53.5%, and 35.7% in the nonsurgical group (p = 0.020). Finally, multivariate analysis identified surgical resection as an independent prognostic factor for both OS (hazard ratio [HR], 0.266; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.087-0.817; p = 0.021) and RFS (HR, 0.457; 95% CI, 0.228-0.914; p = 0.027). Conclusion: For HCC patients achieving cCR after triple therapy, surgical resection may confer significant survival benefits and should therefore be considered as an optional treatment method.
基金:
Sichuan Provincial Natural Science Foundation of China [24NSFSC1116]; Sichuan Cancer Society Innovation Transformation Project; The 1.3.5 Project for Disciplines of Excellence-Clinical Research Incubation Project, West China Hospital, Sichuan University [2022HXFH012]
第一作者机构:[1]Sichuan Univ, West China Hosp, Dept Gen Surg, Div Liver Surg, Chengdu, Peoples R China
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推荐引用方式(GB/T 7714):
Zhang Xiaoyun,Feng Xielin,Deng Liwei,et al.Assessment of Survival Benefits Derived from Surgical Resection Subsequent to the Attainment of Complete Response upon Triple Therapy in Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Multicenter Study[J].LIVER CANCER.2025,doi:10.1159/000547723.
APA:
Zhang, Xiaoyun,Feng, Xielin,Deng, Liwei,Xie, Fei,Chen, Yan...&Wang, Haiqing.(2025).Assessment of Survival Benefits Derived from Surgical Resection Subsequent to the Attainment of Complete Response upon Triple Therapy in Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Multicenter Study.LIVER CANCER,,
MLA:
Zhang, Xiaoyun,et al."Assessment of Survival Benefits Derived from Surgical Resection Subsequent to the Attainment of Complete Response upon Triple Therapy in Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Multicenter Study".LIVER CANCER .(2025)