The prognostic factors for HCC with microscopic PVI have remained elusive and no therapeutic strategy has been established in patients with HCC accompanied by microscopic PVI. A research article to be published on June 7, 2009 in the World Journal of Gastroenterology addresses this question. The research team led by Dr. Ken Shirabe from Aso Iizuka Hospital evaluated the prognostic factors in HCC, accompanied by microscopic PVI and the presence of multiple PVI was proven to be a significantly poor prognostic factor.
Furthermore, they demonstrated that, in patients with PVI-S, non-anatomical resection was a significantly poor prognostic factor for disease-free survival. Operative procedure was not a significant prognostic factor in patients with PVI-M. Anatomical resection is recommended in these patients with HCC. Patients with HCC and PVI-M may be good candidates for adjuvant chemotherapy.
Reference: Shirabe K, Kajiyama K, Harimoto N, Masumoto H, Fukuya T, Ooya M, Maehara Y. Prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma accompanied by microscopic portal vein invasion. World J Gastroenterol 2009; 15(21): 2632-2637
http://www.wjgnet.com/1007-9327/15/2632.asp
Correspondence to: Ken Shirabe, MD, PhD, FACS, Department of Surgery and Science, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, 3-1-1 Maidashi, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka 812-8582, Japan. kshirabe@surg2.med.kyushu-u.ac.jp
Telephone: +81-92-6425466 Fax: +81-92-6425482
World Journal of Gastroenterology