Postoperative Outcomes of Primary Hepatic Neuroendocrine Carcinomas: Review Article

Background: We examined the course of a primary hepatic neuroendocrine carcinoma (PHNEC) patient and analyzed the postoperative outcome of all reported PHNEC cases.

Methods: A literature search for PHNEC cases was performed using PubMed. All reported cases and our present patient were analyzed in this study. Survival analysis was performed using the Kaplan-Meier method. Risk factors for the recurrence of PHNEC following hepatic resection were investigated.

Results: A total of 43 patients were analyzed in this study. The 3-, 5-, and 7-year overall survival rates were 55%, 48%, and 48%, respectively. The 3-, 5-, and 7-year overall survival rates in surgery patients were 78% each, and 25%, 17%, and 17%, respectively in nonsurgery patients. Lymph node metastasis posed a significant risk factor for postoperative recurrence.

Conclusions: Hepatic surgery is an appropriate therapeutic treatment for PHNEC without distant metastasis nor lymph node metastasis. Adjuvant chemotherapy might be necessary for PHNEC patients with lymph node metastases.