Hepatocellular Carcinoma Management in the Caudate Lobe

Hepatocellular carcinoma arising in the caudate lobe presents distinct challenges owing to its deep location adjacent to the vena cava and biliary confluence. Surgical access is hindered by narrow operative fields and proximity to major vessels, increasing the risk of intraoperative bleeding and postoperative liver dysfunction. As an alternative to open resection, minimally invasive approaches such as laparoscopic liver resection and image-guided ablation have been developed to reduce morbidity. Percutaneous techniques, including radiofrequency ablation and superselective transarterial chemoembolization, allow targeted tumour destruction while sparing healthy parenchyma. More recently, high-precision radiotherapy modalities such as proton beam therapy have shown promise in achieving local control without compromising surrounding structures. Despite these advances, optimal management remains contingent on tumour size, number, hepatic reserve and patient comorbidities. Multidisciplinary planning and the integration of emerging technologies have begun to standardise care pathways, aiming to improve overall and progression-free survival for this rare but prognostically unfavourable subset of hepatocellular carcinoma.

Research from Nature Portfolio

No recent Nature Portfolio content available.

Hepatocellular Carcinoma Management in the Caudate Lobe publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in hepatocellular carcinoma management in the caudate lobe across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Radiofrequency ablation (RFA): A percutaneous procedure that delivers thermal energy to destroy tumour tissue.

Transarterial chemoembolization (TACE): A locoregional therapy combining targeted chemotherapy infusion with arterial embolisation to restrict tumour blood supply.

Laparoscopic liver resection (LLR): Minimally invasive resection of hepatic tissue using abdominal keyhole incisions and specialised instruments.

Proton beam therapy (PBT): A form of radiotherapy using charged particles to deliver conformal doses to tumours while sparing adjacent organs.

Overall survival (OS): The duration from treatment initiation to death from any cause.

Progression-free survival (PFS): The interval during which a patient’s disease remains stable without radiological or clinical progression.

References

1. Laparoscopic liver resection versus radiofrequency ablation for caudate lobe solitary hepatocellular carcinoma: A propensity score matching study. Cancer Medicine (2024).
2. Transarterial chemoembolization vs. liver resection as initial treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma occurring exclusively in caudate lobe: A retrospective propensity matching analysis. Oncology Research Featuring Preclinical and Clinical Cancer Therapeutics (2022).
3. Long-term clinical outcomes of patients receiving proton beam therapy for caudate lobe hepatocellular carcinoma. Journal of Radiation Research (2021).