Lymphadenectomy combined with locoregional treatment for multiple advanced hepatocellular carcinoma with lymph node metastases.

Lymphadenectomy of lymph node metastasis (LNM) from hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) may potentially improve survival of patients with intrahepatic tumors controllable by means of locolegional treatment. However, the treatment strategy has not gained wide clinical acceptance, especially in patients with multiple advanced HCC. Thus, the purpose of this study is to evaluate the role of lymphadenectomy combined with locoregional treatment for the management of multiple advanced HCC with LNM. Between January 1998 and August 2012, 15 patients underwent a selective lymphadenectomy either concurrently or sequentially after hepatectomy. Seven of 15 patients underwent reductive hepatectomy while the remaining 8 patients had hepatectomy at curative intent. In patients with reductive hepatectomy, lymphadenectomy was concurrently performed and the residual intrahepatic tumors were treated thereafter with additional locoregional treatments consisting of transcatheter arterial chemoembolization, radiofrequency ablation, and percutaneous isolated hepatic perfusion. Only 4 patients (26.6%) of 15 patients developed lymph node recurrence. However, intrahepateic recurrence was encountered in 13 of 15 patients. The median survival time after lymphadenectomy was 25.2 months with the overall survival rates at 1, 2, and 3 years being 76.9%, 52.7%, and 26.4%, respectively. Selective lymphadenectomy and multimodal locoregional treatment in patients with multiple residual tumors exhibited a similar overall survival to complete resection of LNM and intrahepatic tumors (P=0.78). Lymphadenectomy combined with an additional aggressive locoregional treatments may be justified in selected patients with multiple advanced HCC with LNM.