• T Matsumata, Y Ikeda, H Hayashi, T Kamakura, A Taketomi, and K Sugimachi.
• Second Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan.
• Cancer. 1993 Sep 15; 72 (6): 1866-71.

BackgroundIn cases of surgery for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), postoperative intrahepatic recurrence is the main obstacle to long-term survival of patients. The association between perioperative transfusion and recurrence-free survival was studied in 126 patients with HCC who underwent hepatic resection between 1985 and 1990 and in whom complete follow-up information was available until 1992.MethodsPatients who received neither whole blood nor packed erythrocytes during hospitalization formed the no transfusion group (n = 72), and the remaining patients who were given either whole blood or packed erythrocytes during hospitalization constituted the transfusion group (n = 54).ResultsThe 1-year, 3-year, and 5-year recurrence-free survival rates of the nontransfused versus transfused groups were 80.6% versus 74.1%, 50.9% versus 33.4%, and 37.1% versus 26.2%, respectively (P = 0.1590). After adjustment for other covariates, the serum albumin level and histological intrahepatic metastasis (im) remained as significant variables for recurrence-free survival. Although there was no association between the erythrocyte transfusion and the recurrence-free survival of the patients with serum albumin levels either more than 3.5 g/dl or less than or equal to 3.5 g/dl, the 1-year, 3-year, and 5-year recurrence-free survival rates of the nontransfused versus transfused groups of the patients with im-negative HCC were 92.2% versus 80.0%, 62.6% versus 36.3%, and 47.4% versus 27.1%, respectively (P = 0.0254).ConclusionsThe association between erythrocyte transfusion and the recurrence-free survival was recognized only in patients with im-negative HCC.

19 keywords...

hide…