Comparison of therapeutic outcomes of liver resection and transarterial chemoembolization in multifocal HCC: a propensity score-matched analysis

Background and Aims: Patients with multifocal hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), preserved liver function, without cancer-related symptoms (PS 0), vascular invasion or extrahepatic spread represent a heterogeneous group. Although transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) is the most frequently employed treatment in this group of patients, previous data have indicated that liver resection (LR) could be a safe and effective procedure for multifocal HCC. Nevertheless, it is still debated whether better outcomes are achieved after surgery as compared to those obtained with TACE.