Infectious complications after HCC surgery raise risk of recurrence and death

Key clinical point: Infectious complications during curative resection for HCC significantly reduced overall survival and recurrence-free survival; outcomes were even worse for patients with non-surgical site infections vs surgical site infections.

Major finding: A total of 269 patients experienced a postoperative complication. Overall survival was significantly shorter in HCC patients who experienced infectious complications after curative surgery compared to those who did not (46.5 months vs 106.4 months, P < 0.001).

Study details: The data come from 734 adults with hepatocellular carcinoma who underwent curative resection between 2000 and 2017.

Disclosures: The study received no outside funding. The researchers had no financial conflicts to disclose.

Source: Wei T et al. Ann Surg Oncol. 2021 Aug 10. doi: 10.1245/s10434-021-10565-2.