Purpose: This study aimed to describe adult living donor liver transplantation (LDLT) for acute liver failure and evaluate its clinical significance by comparing its surgical and survival outcomes with those of deceased donor liver transplantation (DDLT). Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 267 consecutive patients (161 LDLT recipients and 106 DDLT recipients) aged 18 years or older who underwent liver transplantation between January 2006 and December 2020. Results: The mean periods from hepatic encephalopathy to liver transplantation were 5.85 days and 8.35 days for LDLT and DDLT, respectively (P = 0.091). Among these patients, 121 (45.3%) had grade III or IV hepatic encephalopathy (living, 34.8% vs. deceased, 61.3%; P < 0.001), and 38 (14.2%) had brain edema (living, 16.1% vs. deceased, 11.3%; P = 0.269) before liver transplantation. There were no significant differences in in-hospital mortality (living, 11.8% vs. deceased, 15.1%; P = 0.435), 10-year overall survival (living, 90.8% vs. deceased, 84.0%; P = 0.096), and graft survival (living, 83.5% vs. deceased, 71.3%;P = 0.051). However, postoperatively, the mean intensive care unit stay was shorter in the LDLT group (5.0 days vs. 9.5 days, P < 0.001). In-hospital mortality was associated with vasopressor use (odds ratio [OR], 3.40; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.45–7.96; P = 0.005) and brain edema (OR, 2.75; 95% CI, 1.16–6.52; P = 0.022) of recipient at the time of transplantation. However, LDLT (OR, 1.26; 95% CI, 0.59–2.66; P = 0.553) was not independently associated with in-hospital mortality. Conclusion LDLT is feasible for acute liver failure when organs from deceased donors are not available.

Background: s/Aims: This study aimed to compare the outcomes of liver resection (LR) and transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) in patients with multinodular hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) within the Milan criteria who were not eligible for liver transplantation. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 483 patients with multinodular HCC within the Milan criteria, who underwent either LR or TACE as an initial therapy between 2013 and 2022. The overall survival (OS) in the entire population and recurrence-free survival (RFS) in patients who underwent LR and TACE and achieved a complete response were analyzed. Propensity score (PS) matching analysis was also used for a fair comparison of outcomes between the two groups. Results: Among the 483 patients, 107 (22.2%) and 376 (77.8%) underwent LR and TACE, respectively. The median size of the largest tumor was 2.0 cm, and 72.3% of the patients had two HCC lesions. The median OS and RFS were significantly longer in the LR group than in the TACE group (P<0.01 for both). In the multivariate analysis, TACE (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR], 1.81 and aHR, 2.41) and large tumor size (aHR, 1.43 and aHR, 1.44) were significantly associated with worse OS and RFS, respectively. The PS-matched analysis also demonstrated that the LR group had significantly longer OS and RFS than the TACE group (PS<0.05). Conclusions In this study, LR showed better OS and RFS than TACE in patients with multinodular Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer stage A HCC. Therefore, LR can be considered an effective treatment option for these patients.

Purpose: Studies have yielded contradictory results on whether donor sex and donor-recipient sex disparity affect hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) recurrence after living donor liver transplantation (LDLT). The present study assessed whether donor sex or donor-recipient sex disparity affects HCC recurrence after LDLT at a high-volume center. Methods: This study included 772 HCC patients who underwent LDLT between January 2006 and December 2015 at Asan Medical Center. Patients were divided into 4 groups based on the sex of the donor and recipient: male-to-male (n = 490, 63.5%), male-to-female (n = 75, 9.7%), female-to-male (n = 170, 22.0%), and female-to-female (n = 37, 4.8%). Results: Disease-free survival (DFS; P = 0.372) and overall survival (OS; P = 0.591) did not differ significantly among the 4 groups. DFS also did not differ significantly between LDLT recipients with male and female donors (P = 0.792) or between male and female recipients (P = 0.084). After patient matching with an α-FP/des-γ-carboxy prothrombin/tumor volume score cutoff of 5logs, donor-recipient sex disparity did not significantly affect DFS (P = 0.598) or OS (P = 0.777). There were also no differences in DFS in matched LDLT recipients with male and female donors (P = 0.312) or between male and female recipients (P = 0.374). Conclusion Neither donor sex nor donor-recipient sex disparity significantly affected posttransplant HCC recurrence.

Purpose: The programmed death protein 1 (PD-1) pathway is the critical mechanism in development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The present study analyzed the prognostic impact of pretransplant serum soluble PD-1 (sPD-1) concentration and α-FP–des-γ- –tumor volume (ADV) score in patients with previously untreated HCC undergone liver transplantation (LT). Methods: This retrospective single-center study enrolled 100 patients with HCC who underwent living donor LT from 2010 to 2016. Concentrations of sPD-1 were measured in stored serum samples. Results: Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis of 2-year tumor recurrence resulted in an sPD-1 cutoff of 177.1 µg/mL, which was associated with higher rates of tumor recurrence (P = 0.022), but not with overall patient survival (P = 0.460). The derived cutoff for pretransplant ADV score was 5.4log, which was associated with higher tumor recurrence rate (P < 0.001) and lower overall patient survival rate (P < 0.001). Both sPD-1 of >177.1 µg/mL (hazard ratio [HR], 2.26; P = 0.020) and pretransplant ADV score of >5.4log (HR, 3.56; P < 0.001) were independent risk factors for posttransplant HCC recurrence. The combination of these 2 factors enabled the stratification of patients into 3 groups, with groups having 0, 1, and 2 risk factors differing significantly in the prognosis of tumor recurrence (P < 0.001) and overall patient survival (P = 0.006). Conclusion Both sPD-1 concentration and ADV score have prognostic impacts in patients who underwent LT for untreated HCCs. These factors, both individually and combined, can help in predicting posttransplant prognosis.

Purpose: Malignant intraductal papillary neoplasm of the bile duct of the liver (IPNB-L) cannot readily be diagnosed through preoperative CT or MRI, but fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG)-PET is a viable alternative. This study evaluated the diagnostic and prognostic impacts of FDG-PET in patients with IPNB-L. Methods: This was a retrospective single-center study of 101 IPNB-L patients who underwent hepatectomy between 2010 and 2019. Results: Mean age was 64.4 ± 8.3 years and 76 (75.2%) were male. Anatomical hepatic resection was performed in 99 (98.0%). Concurrent bile duct resection and pancreaticoduodenectomy were performed in 41 (40.6%) and 1 (1.0%), respectively. R0 and R1 resections were performed in 88 (87.1%) and 13 (12.9%), respectively. Low-grade intraepithelial neoplasia and high-grade neoplasia/invasive carcinoma were diagnosed in 19 (18.8%) and 82 (81.2%), respectively. Median FDG-PET maximal standardized uptake values (SUVmax) in low-grade neoplasia and high-grade neoplasia/carcinoma were 3.6 (range, 1.7–7.6) and 5.2 (range, 1.5–18.7) (P = 0.019), respectively. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis of SUVmax showed area under the curve of 0.674, with sensitivity of 84.2% and specificity of 47.4% at SUVmax cutoff of 3.0. This cutoff had no significant influence on tumor recurrence (P = 0.832) or patient survival (P = 0.996) in patients with IPNB-L of high-grade neoplasia or invasive carcinoma. Conclusion IPNB-L is a rare type of biliary neoplasm and encompasses a histological spectrum ranging from benign disease to invasive carcinoma. An FDG-PET SUVmax cutoff of 3.0 appears to effectively discern high-grade neoplasia/ carcinoma from low-grade neoplasia, which will assist with the surgical strategy for these cases.

Background/Aims: Multiplication of α-fetoprotein, des-γ-carboxy prothrombin, and tumor volume (ADV score) is a surrogate marker for post-resection prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). This study aimed to validate the predictive power of the ADV score-based prognostic prediction model for patients with solitary huge HCC. Methods: Of 3,018 patients, 100 patients who underwent hepatic resection for solitary HCC ≥13 cm between 2008 and 2012 were selected. Results: The median tumor diameter and tumor volume were 15.0 cm and 886 mL, respectively. Tumor recurrence and overall survival (OS) rates were 70.7% and 66.0% at one year and 84.9% and 34.0% at five years, respectively. Microvascular invasion (MVI) was the only independent risk factor for disease-free survival (DFS) and OS. DFS and OS, stratified by ADV score with 1-log intervals, showed significant prognostic contrasts (P=0.007 and P=0.017, respectively). DFS and OS, stratified by ADV score with a cut-off of 8-log, showed significant prognostic contrasts (P=0.014 and P=0.042, respectively). The combination of MVI and ADV score with a cut-off of 8-log also showed significant prognostic contrasts in DFS (P<0.001) and OS (P=0.001) considering the number of risk factors. Prognostic contrast was enhanced after combining the MVI and ADV score. Conclusions The prognostic prediction model with the ADV score could reliably predict the risk of tumor recurrence and long-term patient survival outcomes in patients with solitary huge HCC ≥13 cm. The results of this study suggest that our prognostic prediction models can be used to guide surgical treatment and post-resection follow-up for patients with huge HCCs.

Purpose: Despite aggressive medical and nutritional management, patients with methylmalonic acidemia (MMA) often suffer from multi-organ damage. Early deceased donor liver transplantation (DDLT) has emerged as an intervention to prevent disease progression. We investigated the efficacy of living donor LT (LDLT) with a potential carrier of MMA and a small volume of graft in patients with MMA as an alternative to DDLT. Methods: Of five patients (three male, two female; median age 5.7 years; range, 1.3–13.7 years), four underwent carrier LDLT, while one underwent non-carrier auxiliary LDLT. All patients received pre- and post-LT continuous renal replacement therapy and were provided with minimal restriction diet according to serum MMA level after LT. MMA levels in the serum and urine, the incidence of metabolic crisis, and clinical findings before and after LT were compared. Results: The survival rate was 100% during 2.2 years of follow up period after LT. In all five cases, MMA titer in the serum after transplantation decreased with less restrictive diet. Metabolic crisis was not observed during the follow-up period. In addition, no patient showed progression of severe renal impairment requiring hemodialysis. Progression of delayed cognitive development was not observed. Social functioning with improved neuropsychiatric development was observed. Conclusion This study showed that LDLT achieved improved quality of life with less restrictive diet, therefore it could be a feasible alternative option to DDLT for the treatment of patients with MMA, even with an auxiliary LT.

Purpose: When splitting a liver for adult and pediatric graft recipients, the retained left medial section (S4) will undergo ischemic necrosis and the right trisection graft becomes an extended right liver (ERL) graft. We investigated the fates of the retained S4 and its prognostic impact in adult split liver transplantation (SLT) using an ERL graft. Methods: This was a retrospective analysis of 25 adult SLT recipients who received split ERL grafts. Results: The mean model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) score was 27.3 ± 10.9 and graft-recipient weight ratio (GRWR) was 1.98 ± 0.44. The mean donor age was 26.5 ± 7.7 years. The split ERL graft weight was 1,181.5 ± 252.8 g, which resulted in a mean GRWR of 1.98 ± 0.44. Computed tomography of the retained S4 parenchyma revealed small ischemic necrosis in 16 patients (64.0%) and large ischemic necrosis in the remaining 9 patients (36.0%). No S4-associated biliary complications were developed. The mean GRWR was 1.87 ± 0.43 in the 9 patients with large ischemic necrosis and 2.10 ± 0.44 in the 15 cases with small ischemic necrosis (P = 0.283). The retained S4 parenchyma showed gradual atrophy on follow-up imaging studies. The amount of S4 ischemic necrosis was not associated with graft (P = 0.592) or patient (P = 0.243) survival. A MELD score of >30 and pretransplant ventilator support were associated with inferior outcomes. Conclusion The amount of S4 ischemic necrosis is not a prognostic factor in adult SLT recipients, probably due to a sufficiently large GRWR.

Purpose: Combined hepatocellular carcinoma and cholangiocarcinoma (cHCC-CC) has wide histologic diversity. This study investigated the effects of cHCC-CC histology, according to the 2010 World Health Organization (WHO) classification, on patient prognosis. Methods: The medical records of patients who underwent surgical resection for cHCC-CC at our institution between July 2012 and June 2019 were retrospectively evaluated. Results: During the study period, 168 patients, 122 males (72.6%) and 46 females (27.4%), underwent surgical resection for cHCC-CC, including 159 patients (94.6%) who underwent R0 resection. Mean tumor diameter was 4.4 ± 2.8 cm, and 161 patients (95.8%) had solitary tumors. Histologically, 86 patients (51.2%) had classical type, and 82 (48.8%) had tumors with stem cell (SC) features, including 33 (19.6%) with intermediate-cell and 23 (13.7%) each with typical SC and cholangiolocellular features; 3 tumors (1.8%) were unclassifiable. At 1, 3, and 5 years, tumor recurrence rates were 31.9%, 49.6%, and 58.1%, respectively, and patient survival rates were 91.0%, 70.2%, and 60.3%, respectively. Univariate analysis showed that tumor size of >5 cm, microscopic and macroscopic vascular invasion, lymph node metastasis, 8th edition of the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) tumor stage, and 2010 WHO classification were significantly prognostic. Multivariate analysis showed that the 8th AJCC tumor stage and 2010 WHO histologic classification were independently prognostic for tumor recurrence and patient survival. There were no significant prognostic differences among the 3 SC subtypes. Conclusion Postresection outcomes are better in patients with SC-type than with classical-type cHCC-CC.

Background/Aims: Multiplication of α-fetoprotein, des-γ-carboxy prothrombin, and tumor volume (ADV score) is a surrogate marker for post-resection prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). This study aimed to validate the predictive power of the ADV score-based prognostic prediction model for patients with solitary huge HCC. Methods: Of 3,018 patients, 100 patients who underwent hepatic resection for solitary HCC ≥13 cm between 2008 and 2012 were selected. Results: The median tumor diameter and tumor volume were 15.0 cm and 886 mL, respectively. Tumor recurrence and overall survival (OS) rates were 70.7% and 66.0% at one year and 84.9% and 34.0% at five years, respectively. Microvascular invasion (MVI) was the only independent risk factor for disease-free survival (DFS) and OS. DFS and OS, stratified by ADV score with 1-log intervals, showed significant prognostic contrasts (P=0.007 and P=0.017, respectively). DFS and OS, stratified by ADV score with a cut-off of 8-log, showed significant prognostic contrasts (P=0.014 and P=0.042, respectively). The combination of MVI and ADV score with a cut-off of 8-log also showed significant prognostic contrasts in DFS (P<0.001) and OS (P=0.001) considering the number of risk factors. Prognostic contrast was enhanced after combining the MVI and ADV score. Conclusions The prognostic prediction model with the ADV score could reliably predict the risk of tumor recurrence and long-term patient survival outcomes in patients with solitary huge HCC ≥13 cm. The results of this study suggest that our prognostic prediction models can be used to guide surgical treatment and post-resection follow-up for patients with huge HCCs.