Effects of Curative-Intent Treatments on Hepatocellular Carcinoma Survival in Alcohol-Related Cirrhosis: A Nationwide Study

PURPOSE: The aim of curative-intent treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is to restore the patients’ survival to what it would have been, had they not developed HCC. We examined the chances of such ‘statistical cure’ from HCC in patients with cirrhosis due to alcohol-related liver disease (ALD cirrhosis). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Using nationwide Danish healthcare registries, all patients with ALD cirrhosis who were treated for HCC in 2004–2018 were identified and included in cohorts based on initial HCC treatment. We used cure fraction analyses to estimate the chance of being statistically cured by each HCC treatment. RESULTS: We included 1087 patients with HCC due to ALD cirrhosis, of whom 51 (4.7%) were treated with resection and 215 (19.8%) were treated with ablation. The cure fraction, ie the fraction of patients who experienced no excess mortality from HCC, was 31.8% (95% CI: 0.0−67.5) following resection and 22.9% (95% CI: 2.6−43.2) following ablation. In patients who were still alive five years after the initial HCC treatment, the likelihood of having been statistically cured at that time was 69.0% after resection and 60.2% after ablation. For both treatments, a 90% chance of having been statistically cured was reached after seven years. CONCLUSION: Based on cure fraction analyses, resection for HCC statistically cures 31.8% of patients with HCC and underlying ALD cirrhosis, while ablation statistically cures 22.9% of patients. Seven years after curative-intent treatments for HCC, surviving patients are 90% likely to be statistically cured of HCC. This information is valuable to patients and the clinicians caring for them.