Impact of "No-touch" Technique on the Outcome of Liver Transplantation for Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Impact of "No-touch" Technique on the Outcome of Liver Transplantation for Hepatocellular Carcinoma

The "no-touch" technique has been one of the most important principles of oncological surgery and aimed to prevent seeding and tumor cell dissemination. Previous studies in hepatectomy have shown that no-touch technique surgery can reduce HCC recurrence and improve the survival of patients. However, there is no consensus on whether the no-touch technique in LT for HCC improves the outcomes. This study aims to prospectively include liver transplant patients from multiple transplant centers, collecting their pre-transplant clinical information, post-transplant pathological records and exploring and clarify the correlation between "no-touch" technique and the prognosis of LT patients.

Inclusion Criteria:

1. Diagnosis of HCC based on CT or MRI imaging or needle biopsy confirming a histologic diagnosis of HCC.
2. Patients undergoing deceased donor liver transplantation for the first time.

Exclusion Criteria:

(1) patients who received split LT or simultaneous transplantation, (2) patients who received re-transplantation, (3) patients with macroscopic portal vein tumor thrombosis or other macrovascular invasion, (4) patients with incomplete follow-up or incomplete important parameters records.