Surgical Resection for Hepatoblastoma-Updated Survival Outcomes.

BACKGROUND

Hepatoblastoma is the most common liver malignancy in the pediatric age group. The management of hepatoblastoma involves multidisciplinary approach.

METHODS

Patients with hepatoblastoma who underwent liver resection between 2000 and 2013 were analyzed and survival outcomes were studied.

RESULTS

The crude incidence rate of hepatoblastoma at the Madras Metropolitan Tumor Registry (MMTR) is 0.4/1,00,000 population per year. Twelve patients underwent liver resection for hepatoblastoma during the study period; this included eight males and four females. The median age at presentation was 1.75 years (Range 5 months to 3 years). The median serum AFP in the study population was 20,000 ng/ml (Range 4.5 to 1,40,000 ng/ml). Three patients had stage I, one patient had stage II, and eight patients had stage III disease as per the PRETEXT staging system. Two patients were categorized as high risk and ten patients were categorized as standard risk. Seven of these patients received two to four cycles of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (PLADO regimen), and one patient received neoadjuvant radiation up to 84 Gy. Major liver resection was performed in nine patients. Nine patients received adjuvant chemotherapy. The most common histological subtype was embryonal type. Microscopic margin was positive in three cases. One patient recurred 7 months after surgery and the site of failure was the lung. The 5-year overall survival of the case series was 91%. The median survival was 120 months.

CONCLUSION

Liver resections can be safely performed in pediatric populations after neoadjuvant treatment. Patients undergoing surgery had good disease control and long-term survival.