BACKGROUND: Liver transplantation for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) can result in a potential cure and greater survival than other less radical techniques. AIM: To analyze the survival and recurrence rate in liver transplant recipients with hepatocellular carcinoma and alpha-fetoprotein over 200 ng/ml. METHOD: Analysis, in this retrospective study, 90 cirrhotic patients with hepatocellular carcinoma who underwent orthotopic liver transplantation between 1997 and 2009. Liver lesions were diagnosed by preoperative Doppler ultrasonography, abdominal computerized tomography and alpha-fetoprotein blood level. Two groups were studied according to alpha-fetoprotein level over or below 200 ng/ml. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to study survival rate. The Cox regression analysis was performed to study predictive factor to survival. RESULTS: It was observed that risk of death was 1% for each 10 units of alpha-fetoprotein over 200 ng/ml and 1% for each mm over 28 mm (tumor size). In this sample average age, gender, presence of recidivism, vascular invasion, incidental tumor, Edmondson-Steiner grade and Milan criteria were similar when the two groups were submitted to multivarite analysis and the survival rate and the size of great nodule had a significant difference between the two groups. The survival rate was better for those patients with alpha-fetoprotein<200 ng/ml. CONCLUSION: Patients who had alpha-fetoprotein >200 showed worst survival and size of tumor was a predictive risk factor for mortality but this did not have influence in relationship to tumor recurrence
Carcinoma, hepatocellular; Liver transplantation; Recurrence; Survivorship
