Factors associated with the survival of liver transplant patients due to hepatocellular carcinoma according to Milan criteria

Abstract

Objective: To determine the overall survival of patients undergoing liver transplantation (LT) for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) following the Milan criteria (MC) and analyze factors associated with survival. Method: Non-concurrent cohort study. We analyzed patients undergoing LT for HCC between 2000 and 2016. An analysis of the factors associated with survival was carried out using Kaplan-Meier, log-rank test and Cox regression. A value of p < 0.05 was considered significant. Results: A total of 50 LT were performed for HCC. The average age was 60.8 ± 6.1 years; 38 patients (76%) were male. In the multivariate analysis, the factors associated with survival were compliance with CM (hazard ratio [HR]: 0.104; 95% confidence interval [95% CI]: 0.017-0.637; p = 0.01) and absence of vascular invasion (HR: 0.050; 95% CI: 0.008-0.306; p < 0.01) in the explant biopsy. Conclusion: Survival of patients undergoing HT by HCC in our center is similar to that reported in the international literature, and is determined by the compliance of the CM and the absence of vascular invasion in the explant biopsy.