We created a published

work list on each procedure included in MEDLINE and Japana Centra Revuo Medicina during the period from 1983 to June 2007 and extracted reports that seemed to be useful for establishment of the Guidelines. Furthermore, we read the abstracts and picked up the original articles of those that should be reviewed, and selected articles with as high an evidence level as possible. Evaluations were chosen based on article style, sample size and study design. CQ48 In what patients should local ablation therapy be performed? Good candidates for local ablation therapy are patients with liver function graded Child–Pugh class A or B, and three or fewer tumors measuring 3 cm or less in diameter. (grade C1) In an analysis (n = 12 888) of the follow-up survey by the Liver Cancer Study Group of Japan, the Selleckchem BMS907351 therapeutic results of hepatectomy were better than those of PEIT in Clinical Stage (CS) I (current liver damage A) patients with a solitary tumor less than 2 cm in diameter (P = 0.01), whereas there was no significant difference between hepatectomy and PEIT in CS II (liver damage B) or more advanced-stage patients. In contrast, the therapeutic results of hepatectomy were good in patients with a solitary tumor larger than 2 cm in diameter. In CS II

(liver damage B) with a tumor larger than 2 cm in diameter, the therapeutic results of hepatectomy were also favorable (LF001781 level 2a). In a retrospective study in hepatocellular carcinoma patients (n = 3225) involving 18 institutions in Japan, the 5-year survival rate was equivalent selleck chemicals llc between hepatectomy and PEIT in CS I (liver damage A) patients with three or fewer tumors measuring 3 cm or less in diameter. In CS II (liver damage B) patients, the survival rate was higher for PEIT (LF004722 level 2b). In a retrospective study in patients with a single 上海皓元医药股份有限公司 hepatocellular carcinoma

measuring 5 cm or less in diameter with cirrhosis, patients were assigned to hepatectomy (n = 120), PEIT (n = 155) or non-treatment (n = 116) and studied. The results showed the 3-year survival rate to be equivalent between hepatectomy and PEIT in both Child–Pugh class A and B patients (LF006003 level 2b). Huang et al. conducted an RCT of hepatectomy and PEIT in 76 Child–Pugh class A or B hepatocellular carcinoma patients with two or fewer tumors measuring 3 cm or less in diameter and reported that there was no difference in the recurrence rate or the survival rate between the two (LF101344 level 1b). Nonetheless, there were only eight cancer deaths in both groups, and the follow-up period was found to be insufficient. Chen et al. performed an RCT of hepatectomy and RFA in 180 patients with a single tumor measuring no more than 5 cm in diameter and reported that there was no difference in the recurrence rate or the survival rate (LF101355 level 1b).