Liver transplantation for hepatocellular carcinoma in HCV-infected patients

Abstract

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common primary malignancy of the liver and has become the sixth most frequent cancer and the main cause of death among cirrhotic patients. Liver transplantation constitutes an effective treatment option that allows treating not only the neoplasia, but also the underlying liver disease. However, the success of liver transplantation relies on the accurate selection of optimal candidates with limited disease who will have a low rate of recurrence and an expected 5-year survival exceeding 60∈%. The seminal study by Mazzaferro et al. (N Engl J Med 334:693-699, 1996) established the Milan criteria (single HCC