Preserved liver function, portal thrombosis and absence of oesophageal varices are risk factors for metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma.

Background: Extrahepatic metastases represent a major obstacle for further improving prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma.

Aim: To assess clinical predictors of extrahepatic metastases in a large cohort followed in a single centre.

Methods: We evaluated clinical files of 520 consecutive patients with hepatocellular carcinoma admitted from 1994 to 2002 to our Liver Unit.

Prognostic value of quantitative liver function tests in viral cirrhosis: a prospective study.

Background And Aims: Widespread application of quantitative liver function tests as a prognostic tool is controversial. In this study we assessed the predictivity of serial evaluations of galactose elimination capacity (GEC) and the monoethylglycinexylidide (MEGX) test on survival in viral cirrhosis, and secondarily we compared these tests with Child-Turcotte-Pugh (CTP) and Model for End Stage Liver Disease (MELD) scores.

Methods: In a cohort of 35 patients with viral cirrhosis, GEC and MEGX were evaluated every 6 months for 24 months and compared with CTP and MELD scores at the same time intervals.