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Objective: Little is known about the role of antiviral therapy for patients with hepatitis B who underwent curative hepatectomy for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The aim of this study was to assess whether antiviral therapy after hepatectomy improves the prognosis of HCC in preoperatively antiviral-free patients., Materials and Methods: This was a retrospective study of postoperative antiviral treatment in patients (n=87) who underwent curative hepatectomy for HCC. Clinicopathological features and disease-free survival (DFS) were assessed. Patients were followed up to monitor HCC recurrence (median of 31 months)., Results: In patients with HCC up to 3 cm (n=36), antiviral therapy reduced serum alanine transminase levels after 6 months of treatment (-26.3%, P<0.01). Among these patients, there was a significant prolongation of DFS in patients who received antiviral therapy after hepatectomy compared with those who did not (P=0.006). However, in patients with HCC greater than 3 cm (n=51), antiviral therapy did not decrease alanine transminase levels (+32.8%, P<0.01). In these patients, antiviral therapy had no effect on DFS (P>0.05). Using multivariate analysis, postoperative antiviral therapy was found to be an independent prognostic factor that was associated with a better DFS in patients with HCC up to 3 cm (odds ratio=0.220, 95% confidence interval: 0.120-0.434, P=0.008)., Conclusion: Antiviral therapy improved the prognosis of hepatitis B virus-related HCC up to 3 cm. Antiviral therapy should be considered a standard postoperative adjuvant therapy of hepatitis B virus-related HCC.

The differences between Bismuth IIIa and IIIb types of hilar cholangiocarcinoma are unclear. Thus, this study aimed to compare the clinical characteristics of the Bismuth IIIa and IIIb types of hilar cholangiocarcinoma. A case series analysis was designed to explore the clinical and pathological findings and survival of 144 patients with hilar cholangiocarcinoma who underwent curative hepatectomy between 2007 and 2018. The patients in the IIIa group received portal vein embolization and transfusion more frequently than those in the IIIb group (18.3% vs. 0.0%, P < 0.05 and 36.6% vs. 25.0%, P < 0.05). The incidence of posthepatectomy liver failure and serious surgical complications (≥ grade B) was significantly higher in the IIIa group than in the IIIb group (12.2% vs. 4.5%, P < 0.01 and 32.9% vs. 9.1%, P < 0.01). Tumors of the patients in the IIIa group had more advanced T and N stages than those of the patients in the IIIb group (P < 0.01). The patients in the IIIa group had poorer disease-free and overall survival rates than those in the IIIb group (P = 0.014 and P = 0.048). N stage and lymphovascular invasion were independently correlated with disease-free survival, whereas T and N stages were independently correlated with overall survival in the IIIb group. Meanwhile, T stage, N stage, and lymphovascular invasion were independently correlated with disease-free survival, whereas posthepatectomy liver failure, complication, and T stage were independently correlated with overall survival in the IIIa group. Hepatic and portal vessel metastasis occurred more frequently in the IIIa group than in the IIIb group (7.3% vs. 0.0%, P < 0.05). In our centers, patients with Bismuth IIIb hilar cholangiocarcinoma exhibited better disease-free and overall survival rates with more favorable clinicopathological characteristics than those with IIIa hilar cholangiocarcinoma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. This study aimed at assessing the effects of transcatheter arterial chemoembolisation (TACE) and antiviral therapy on improving the prognosis of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) after radical hepatectomy. Methods. This study reviewed the data of 120 patients with HCC who received either radical hepatectomy alone (control group), radical hepatectomy with postoperative TACE (TACE group) or radical hepatectomy with combined postoperative TACE, and antiviral therapy (combined group) from January 2000 to May 2015. To reduce the impact of the possible biases on the conclusion of this study to the minimum, the cases with similar demographic and clinicopathological characteristics were collected and 40 cases were assigned into each group. Recurrence, disease-free survival (DFS), and overall survival (OS) rates were compared. Results. Median follow-up period was 54.26 ± 22.65 months with a range of 17–110 months. Recurrence after radical surgery was observed for 39 (97.5%) patients in the TACE group, 32 (80%) in the combined group, and 40 (100%) in the control group with median recurrence duration of 33, 43, and 16.5 months, respectively. Postoperative TACE with or without antiviral therapy significantly prolonged the DFS rate compared with radical hepatectomy alone (P=0.000). TACE combined with antiviral therapy significantly extended the DFS rate compared with TACE alone (P=0.008). Postoperative TACE with or without antiviral therapy also significantly prolonged the OS rate compared with radical hepatectomy alone (P=0.000). In addition, antiviral therapy combined with TACE significantly extended the 5-year OS rate of patients compared with individual TACE and radical hepatectomy (67.5% versus 55% and 2.5%; P=0.032). Conclusion. TACE is an appropriate therapy for HCC patients after radical hepatectomy. When combined with antiviral therapy, this treatment may further prolong the recurrence time and thus lead to high DFS and OS rates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]