Effectiveness of surgical resection for complicated liver cancer and its influencing factors: A retrospective study

BACKGROUND: Surgical resection is the preferred method for patients with complex liver cancer. But the tumor is in a special position, the surgery is highly risky, postoperative complications can easily occur, and the prognosis is not ideal. AIM: To investigate the effectiveness of surgical resection for complex liver cancer and its influencing factors. METHODS: Fifty-seven patients who had complicated liver cancer and underwent surgical resection at our hospital from August 2015 to August 2016 were enrolled in this study. All patients were followed for three years, and their postoperative complications, survival, and factors that impacted their survival were analyzed. RESULTS: The total incidence of postoperative complications was 45.61%, and the incidence of pleural effusion was the highest at 28.07%. There were no correlations between the 2-year and 3-year survival rates and sex, age, and HbsAg of the patients (P > 0.05). In terms of pathological parameters, the 2-year and 3-year survival rates were significantly different according to the presence of a tumor capsule, degree of liver cirrhosis, satellite or focal lesions, hepatic vein thrombosis, portal vein tumor thrombus, and intraoperative blood loss (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The effectiveness of surgical resection for complex hepatocellular carcinoma may be affected by factors such as the presence of a tumor capsule, cirrhosis degree, satellite or focal lesions, hepatic vein embolization, portal vein tumor thrombus, and intraoperative blood loss. Therefore, these factors should be controlled and prevented during surgery to help improve patient survival after surgery.