Wide margins and anatomical resection improve outcomes in HCC

In a systematic review of 12 studies involving 6,747 cases of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with microvascular invasion, narrow resection margins (RMs) were identified as significant risk factors for postoperative recurrence and overall survival (OS). Researchers reported that narrow RMs had a pooled hazard ratio of 1.76 for recurrence and 1.99 for OS. Conversely, wide RMs and anatomical resection significantly benefited long-term survival. Japanese studies demonstrated a heightened risk of recurrence compared to Chinese studies, underscoring the need for tailored surgical strategies.