Surgical stress by hepatic ischaemia-reperfusion (I/R) is supposed to promote intra- and extrahepatic tumour recurrence. Treatment with prostaglandin E1 (PGE1) has been shown to attenuate hepatic I/R injury in liver transplant patients, but the potential anti-cancer effects have not been analysed.To evaluate the impact of PGE1 therapy on risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) recurrence in liver transplant patients.A retrospective review of 106 liver transplant patients with HCC was conducted. Fifty-nine patients underwent early post-liver transplantation (LT) treatment with the stable PGE1 analogue alprostadil. Administration of alprostadil was correlated with outcome in uni- and multivariate analysis. Subgroup analysis focused on patients with HCC beyond the Milan criteria (Milan Out) on radiographic imaging.Three- and 5-year recurrence-free survival rates were 87.9% and 85.7% in the PGE1-group, but only 65.3% and 63.1% in the non-PGE1-population (P = 0.003). Multivariate Cox regression analysis identified absence of PGE1-treatment (HR = 11.42), along with presence of poor tumour grading (HR = 2.69) and microvascular tumour invasion (HR = 35.8) to be independently associated with early (within 12 months) HCC recurrence. In Milan Out-patients, only therapy with PGE1 (HR = 5.09) and well/moderate tumour differentiation (HR = 6.51) were independent promoters of recurrence-free survival.Treating hepatic ischaemia-reperfusion injury with alprostadil reduces the risk of early HCC recurrence following LT. In particular patients with HCC exceeding the Milan criteria seem to benefit from PGE1-treatment. The molecular mechanisms of the anti-tumour effects need to be further assessed.     «

Surgical stress by hepatic ischaemia-reperfusion (I/R) is supposed to promote intra- and extrahepatic tumour recurrence. Treatment with prostaglandin E1 (PGE1) has been shown to attenuate hepatic I/R injury in liver transplant patients, but the potential anti-cancer effects have not been analysed.To evaluate the impact of PGE1 therapy on risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) recurrence in liver transplant patients.A retrospective review of 106 liver transplant patients with HCC was conducted. F...     »