Table 2.
Comparisons of long‐term outcomes and treatment modality for recurrence among patients with early and late recurrence
| Outcomes and treatment modality | Overall recurrence (n = 604), n (%) | Early recurrence (n = 322), n (%) | Late recurrence (n = 282), n (%) | p value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Period of follow‐up after surgery, median (range), months | 53.9 (2.3–192.0) | 30.5 (2.0–156.5) | 88.9 (28.6–192.0) | <.001 |
| Postoperative anti‐HBV therapy until recurrence | ||||
| Regular | 492 (81.5) | 268 (83.2) | 224 (79.4) | .249 |
| Irregular | 112 (18.5) | 54 (16.8) | 58 (20.6) | |
| Postoperative HBV reactivation until recurrence | 70 (11.6) | 25 (7.8) | 45 (16.0) | .002 |
| Postoperative recurrence surveillance | ||||
| Regular | 403 (66.7) | 268 (83.2) | 135 (47.9) | <.001 |
| Irregular | 201 (33.3) | 54 (16.8) | 147 (52.1) | |
| Patterns of initial recurrence | ||||
| Intrahepatic only | 489 (81.0) | 232 (72.0) | 257 (91.1) | <.001 |
| Extrahepatic only | 28 (4.6) | 28 (8.7) | 0 (0) | |
| Intrahepatic and extrahepatic | 87 (14.4) | 62 (19.3) | 25 (8.9) | |
| Extent of initial recurrence | ||||
| Within Milan criteria | 276 (45.7) | 132 (41.0) | 144 (51.1) | .014 |
| Beyond Milan criteria | 328 (54.3) | 190 (59.0) | 138 (48.9) | |
| Treatment modality for initial recurrence | ||||
| Potentially curative treatment | 248 (41.1) | 109 (33.9) | 143 (50.7) | <.001 |
| Noncurative treatment | 356 (58.9) | 213 (66.1) | 139 (49.3) | |
| Mortality during the follow‐up | 430 (71.2) | 263 (81.7) | 167 (59.2) | <.001 |
| Cancer‐specific mortality | 362 (59.9) | 225 (69.9) | 137 (48.6) | <.001 |
| Non–cancer‐specific mortality | 68 (12.5) | 38 (11.8) | 30 (13.5) | .598 |
| Median OS from surgery (95% CI), months | 63.1 (57.4–68.8) | 30.6 (27.2–33.9) | 106.8 (98.3–115.4) | <.001 |
| 1‐year OS rate, % | 92.9 | 86.6 | 100.0 | |
| 3‐year OS rate, % | 68.6 | 64.5 | 97.2 | |
| 5‐year OS rate, % | 51.2 | 43.5 | 81.0 | |
| Median PRS from recurrence diagnosis (95% CI), months | 26.7 (23.2–30.1) | 19.1 (15.3–22.8) | 37.5 (32.2–42.8) | <.001 |
| 1‐year PRS rate, % | 72.5 | 67.0 | 79.1 | |
| 3‐year PRS rate, % | 41.4 | 33.2 | 51.8 | |
| 5‐year PRS rate, % | 27.6 | 20.1 | 37.4 |
Abbreviations: CI, confidence interval; HBV, hepatitis B virus; OS, overall survival; PRS, postrecurrence survival.