Textbook Outcome of Laparoscopic Microwave Ablation for Hepatocellular Carcinoma

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Textbook outcome (TO) is a novel composite measure that provides a comprehensive evaluation of a specific treatment which can be useful for procedures’ standardization and reliable comparisons between different centers. This tool is gaining growing interest and widespread importance in many different fields. Considering liver surgery, however, an agreement was reached, and TO assessment was evaluated on a large scale only concerning liver resection. This study aimed to investigate the first TO for laparoscopic microwave ablation for hepatocellular carcinoma. Furthermore, the current study investigated the expendability of this tool for prognostic purposes. ABSTRACT: In the context of spreading interest in textbook outcome (TO) evaluation in different fields, we aimed to investigate an uncharted procedure, that is, laparoscopic microwave ablation (MWA) for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Absence of post-MWA complications, a hospital stay of three days, no mortality nor readmission within 30 days, and complete response of the target lesion at post-MWA CT scan defined TO achievement. Patients treated between January 2014 and March 2021 were retrospectively reviewed, and of the 521 patients eligible for the study, 337 (64.7%) fulfilled all the quality indicators to achieve the TO. The absence of complications was the main limiting factor for accomplishing TO. At multivariable analysis, Child–Pugh B cirrhosis, age of more than 70 years old, three nodules, and MELD score ≥ 15 were associated with decreased probabilities of TO achievement. A score based on these factors was derived from multivariable analysis, and patients were divided into three risk groups for TO achievement. At survival analysis, overall survival (OS) was significantly (p = 0.001) higher in patients who achieved TO than those who did not. Moreover, OS evaluation in the three risk groups showed a trend coherent with TO achievement probability. The present study, having assessed the first TO for laparoscopic MWA for HCC, encourages further broader consensus on its definition and, on its basis, on the development of clinically relevant tools for managing treatment allocation.