Treating Small Hepatocellular Carcinomas

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Abstract
Many factors influence the survival of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma, quite apart from treatment, the most important being the size of the tumor at the time of diagnosis and the severity of the underlying cirrhosis.1 Small hepatocellular carcinomas have relatively long tumor-doubling times, as compared with large, symptomatic hepatocellular carcinomas. In a recent study, the three-year survival rate among 260 patients with well-compensated cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinomas 5 cm or less in diameter was 79 percent with surgical treatment and 26 percent without treatment; among 131 patients with more advanced liver disease, the comparable rates were 40 percent and 13 . . .