Liver transplant for large hepatocellular carcinoma in Malatya: The role of gamma glutamyl transferase and alpha-fetoprotein, a retrospective cohort study

BACKGROUND: There is increasing interest in transplanting patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with tumors greater than 5 cm (Milan criteria). AIM: To investigate possible prognostically-useful factors for liver transplantation in HCC patients with large tumors. METHODS: In this clinical study, 50 patients with HCC who were transplanted at our Liver Transplant Center between April 2006 and August 2019 and had tumors greater than 6 cm maximum diameter were retrospectively analyzed. Their survival and full clinical characteristics were examined, with respect to serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) and gamma glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT) levels. Kaplan-Meier survival estimates were used to determine overall survival and disease-free survival in these patients. The inclusion criterion was evidence of HCC. Exclusion criteria were the presence of macroscopic portal vein thrombosis or metastasis and a follow-up period of less than 90 d. RESULTS: Using receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) analysis, cutoff values of AFP 200 ng/mL and GGT 104 IU/L were identified and used in this study. Significantly longer overall survival (OS) and disease-free-survival (DFS) were found in patients who had lower values of either parameter, compared with higher values. Even greater differences in survival were found when the 2 parameters were combined. Two tumor size bands were identified, in searching for the limits of this approach with larger tumors, namely 6-10 cm and > 10 cm. Combination parameters in the 6-10 cm band reflected 5-year OS of 76.2% in patients with low AFP plus low GGT vs 0% for all other groups. Patients with tumors greater than 10 cm, did not have low AFP plus low GGT. The most consistent clinical correlates for longer survival were degree of tumor differentiation and absence of microscopic portal venous invasion. CONCLUSION: Serum levels of AFP and GGT, both alone and combined, represent a simple prognostic identifier in patients with large HCCs undergoing liver transplant-ation.