Volume 31, Issue 2 pp. 467-474
Original Article - Hepatology

BCLC stage B is a better designation for single large hepatocellular carcinoma than BCLC stage A

Young Kul Jung

Young Kul Jung

Departments of Internal Medicine,, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea

The first two authors contributed equally to this work.Search for more papers by this author
Chang Ho Jung

Chang Ho Jung

Departments of Internal Medicine,, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea

The first two authors contributed equally to this work.Search for more papers by this author
Yeon Seok Seo

Corresponding Author

Yeon Seok Seo

Departments of Internal Medicine,, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea

Correspondence

Dr Yeon Seok Seo, Department of Internal Medicine, Korea University College of Medicine, 126-1, 5-Ga, Anam-Dong, Seongbuk-Gu, Seoul, 136-705, Korea. Email: [email protected]

Dr Ji Hoon Kim, Department of Internal Medicine, Korea University College of Medicine, 97, Guro-Dong Gil, Guro-Dong, Guro-Ku, Seoul, 152-703, Korea. Email: [email protected]

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Ji Hoon Kim

Corresponding Author

Ji Hoon Kim

Departments of Internal Medicine,, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea

Correspondence

Dr Yeon Seok Seo, Department of Internal Medicine, Korea University College of Medicine, 126-1, 5-Ga, Anam-Dong, Seongbuk-Gu, Seoul, 136-705, Korea. Email: [email protected]

Dr Ji Hoon Kim, Department of Internal Medicine, Korea University College of Medicine, 97, Guro-Dong Gil, Guro-Dong, Guro-Ku, Seoul, 152-703, Korea. Email: [email protected]

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Tae Hyung Kim

Tae Hyung Kim

Departments of Internal Medicine,, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea

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Yang Jae Yoo

Yang Jae Yoo

Departments of Internal Medicine,, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea

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Seong Hee Kang

Seong Hee Kang

Departments of Internal Medicine,, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea

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Sun Young Yim

Sun Young Yim

Departments of Internal Medicine,, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea

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Sang Jun Suh

Sang Jun Suh

Departments of Internal Medicine,, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea

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Hyunggin An

Hyunggin An

Biostatistics, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea

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Hyung Joon Yim

Hyung Joon Yim

Departments of Internal Medicine,, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea

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Jong Eun Yeon

Jong Eun Yeon

Departments of Internal Medicine,, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea

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Kwan Soo Byun

Kwan Soo Byun

Departments of Internal Medicine,, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea

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Soon Ho Um

Soon Ho Um

Departments of Internal Medicine,, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea

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First published: 01 September 2015
Citations: 39
Declaration of conflict of interest: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Abstract

Background and Aim:

Although the Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) staging system is widely used for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) staging, the most appropriate BCLC stage designation for single large HCC (SLHCC, single nodule > 5 cm) remains controversial. This study investigated the prognosis of patients with SLHCC.

Methods:

Patients with newly diagnosed HCCs (BCLC stages A or B) were classified according to tumor burden: group 1, a single nodule > 2 and ≤ 5 cm or two or three nodules ≤ 3 cm; group 2, a single nodule > 5 cm; and group 3, two or three nodules > 3 cm or > 3 nodules. Survival analysis was performed according to tumor stage, treatment type, and Child–Pugh grade.

Results:

A total of 1005 patients were enrolled. Age was 59.3 ± 10.6 years, and 788 patients (78.4%) were men. Groups 1, 2, and 3 consisted of 613 (61.0%), 124 (12.3%), and 268 (26.7%) patients, respectively. HCC treatment included resection in 202 patients (20.1%), radiofrequency ablation ± transarterial chemoembolization in 311 patients (30.9%), and transarterial chemoembolization in 492 patients (49.0%). The median survival time differed significantly according to tumor stage (75.2, 44.9, and 30.3 months in groups 1, 2, and 3, respectively; P < 0.001). Multivariate analysis showed that group 2 had significantly worse survival compared with group 1 and similar survival to group 3.

Conclusions:

Patients in group 2 had a worse prognosis than those in group 1 and a similar prognosis to those in group 3. Our results suggest that BCLC stage B is the best stage designation for SLHCC.

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