Validation of Japanese indication criteria for deceased donor liver transplantation for hepatocellular carcinoma: Analysis of US national registry data

Abstract

AbstractAimThe Japanese indication criteria for liver transplantation (LT) for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) have been updated based on living donor LT data to include either the Milan criteria (MC) or the 5‐5‐500 rule, which requires a nodule size of ≤5 cm, ≤5 nodules, and an alpha‐fetoprotein (AFP) level ≤500 ng/mL. We aimed to validate the 5‐5‐500 rule and the MC for deceased donor LT (DDLT).MethodsUsing national registry data from the United States from 2010 to 2014, we separated DDLT patients into four groups based on the MC and the 5‐5‐500 rule. The AFP values were stratified into categories: ≤100, 101–300, 301–500, and >500 ng/mL.ResultsThe 5‐year survival rate was significantly lower for patients in the groups within MC/beyond 5‐5‐500 (56.3%) or beyond MC/5‐5‐500 (60.7%) than for patients in the groups within MC/5‐5‐500 (76.2%) and beyond MC/within 5‐5‐500 (72.3%) (p < 0.01). Hepatocellular carcinoma recurrence at 5 years was highest for the within MC/beyond 5‐5‐500 (25.4%) group, followed by the beyond MC/within 5‐5‐500 (13.1%), beyond MC/5‐5‐500 (9.6%), and within MC/5‐5‐500 (7.4%) groups. The stratified 5‐year survival rates after DDLT were 76.5%, 72.4%, 58.4%, and 55.6% in the AFP ≤100, 101–300, 301–500, and >500 categories, respectively (p < 0.01).ConclusionThe 5‐5‐500 rule guides the appropriate selection of patients with HCC for DDLT. Patients with AFP levels from 300 to 500 ng/mL had inferior outcomes even when they met the 5‐5‐500 rule, so further investigation is needed to guide their treatment.