Liver transplantation in hepatocellular carcinoma - should we perform downstaging?

Aim: To compare the long-term outcomes between liver transplant (LT) recipients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) who were downstaged with transarterial-chemoembolization (TACE) to the Milan criteria (MC) and those initially meeting the MC.

Methods: This retrospective study enrolled 198 patients with HCC: 38 were downstaged and 160 patients initially met the MC. Post-LT survival and HCC recurrence-free survival were evaluated.