Prognosis of patients undergoing hepatectomy for solitary hepatocellular carcinoma originating in the caudate lobe.

BACKGROUND Operative and nonoperative treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) originating in the caudate lobe is regarded as challenging because of its deep location in the liver and possibly worse prognosis than HCC in other sites in the liver. The objective of this study is to investigate the clinicopathologic factors and survival of patients who underwent hepatectomy for solitary HCC originating in the caudate lobe. METHODS A retrospective review of 783 patients who underwent curative hepatectomy for solitary HCC between 1988 was performed. Clinicopathologic factors and survival rate of 46 (5.9%) patients with HCC originating in the caudate lobe were compared with those of 737 (94%) patients with HCC arising in other sites. RESULTS The clinical backgrounds of patients with HCC in the caudate lobe and in other sites were comparable. Hepatectomy for HCC in the caudate lobe was associated with greater operative time and blood loss than for HCC in other sites of the liver. Pathologically, HCC in the caudate lobe was associated with less frequent intrahepatic metastasis, lesser operative margins, and more frequent tumor exposure than HCC in other sites. Overall and disease-free 5-year survival rates of the 46 patients with solitary HCC in the caudate lobe were 76% and 45%, respectively; no significant difference was observed in the overall or disease-free survival rates between the 2 groups (P = .07 and P = .77, respectively). Resection of HCC in the paracaval portion of the caudate lobe (n = 27) was associated with more frequent anatomic resection, greater operative time and blood loss, and a lesser operative margin than HCC in the Spiegel lobe or caudate process (n = 19). CONCLUSION Resection for HCC in the caudate lobe, especially in the paracaval portion, remains technically demanding. The prognosis of patients with solitary HCC in the caudate lobe, however, was as good as that of patients with solitary HCC in other sites in the liver.