Introduction : Liver resection has been accepted as the first-line treatment for single hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, the superiority of anatomical resection (AR) for a small HCC remains controversial. In this study, we investigated the clinical outcomes after AR and non-anatomical resection (NAR) for single HCC smaller than 3 cm and the risk factors for HCC recurrence.

Methods : A total of 116 consecutive patients who underwent liver resection for single HCC (

Results : The mean follow up period was 69.9 months. There was no difference between AR and NAR group in patients demographics and pathologic data except tumor location.The 1-, 2-, 3- and 5-year disease-free survival (DFS) rates were 75, 66, 56 and 43 % in AR group and 90, 81, 70, and 51 % in NAR group, respectively (p=0.455). There was no significant difference in tumor recurrence and survival between AR and NAR group. Multivariate analysis showed that HBeAg (+) (p=0.018, HR=3.09) and presence of satellite nodule (p=0.005, HR=6.21) were independent risk factors for early recurrence within 1 year. The overall recurrence was independently related to the presence of satellite nodule (p=0.001, HR=4.98) and background liver cirrhosis (p=0.032, HR=1.96).

Conclusions : The outcomes of NAR are comparable with those of AR in single HCC smaller than 3 cm. The presence of satellite nodule and background liver cirrhosis are the independent risk factors for recurrence.