<b><i>Background:</i></b> Treatment outcomes of laparoscopic liver resection (LLR) and percutaneous radiofrequency ablation (p-RFA) for small single hepatocellular carcinomas (HCCs) have not yet been fully compared. The aim of this study was to compare LLR and p-RFA as first-line treatment options in patients with single nodular HCCs ≤3 cm. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> From January 2014 to December 2016, a total of 566 patients with single nodular HCC ≤3 cm treated by either LLR (<i>n</i> = 251) or p-RFA (<i>n</i> = 315) were included. The recurrence-free survival (RFS) and cumulative incidence of local tumor progression (LTP) were estimated using Kaplan-Meier methods and compared using the log-rank test. Treatment outcome of 2 treatment modalities was compared in the subgroup of patients according to the tumor location. <b><i>Results:</i></b> There were no significant differences in overall survival between LLR and p-RFA (<i>p</i> = 0.160); however, 3-year RFS was demonstrated to be significantly higher after LLR (74.4%) than after p-RFA (66.0%) (<i>p</i> = 0.013), owing to its significantly lower cumulative incidence of LTP (2.1% at 3 years after LLR vs. 10.0% after p-RFA, <i>p</i> < 0.001). The complication rate of p-RFA was significantly lower than that of LLR (5.1 vs. 10.0%, <i>p</i> = 0.026). LLR also provided significantly better local tumor control than p-RFA for subscapular tumors (3-year LTP rates: 1.9 vs. 8.8%, <i>p</i> = 0.012), perivascular tumors (3-year LTP rates: 0.0 vs. 17.2%, <i>p</i> = 0.007), and tumors located in anteroinfero-lateral liver portions (3-year LTP rates: 0.0 vs. 10.7%, <i>p</i> < 0.001). However, there were no significant differences in LTP rates between LLR and p-RFA for non-subcapsular and non-perivascular tumors (<i>p</i> = 0.482) and for tumors in postero-superior liver portions (<i>p</i> = 0.380). <b><i>Conclusions:</i></b> LLR can provide significantly better local tumor control than p-RFA for small single HCCs in subcapsular, perivascular, and anteroinferolateral liver portions and thus may be the preferred treatment option for these tumors.
Outcomes of laparoscopic liver resection versus percutaneous radiofrequency ablation in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma and liver cirrhosis: 10 years analysis in a single center
