Abstract: Background andpurpose: The majority of recurrent hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is small nodule with less than 3 cm in diameter, and the treatment of radiofrequency ablation (RFA) is associated with a prolonging survival time in patients with small HCC. This study aimed to explore the efficacy and safety of RFA for recurrent HCC. Methods: The 1-, 3- and 5-year overall survival (OS) rate and progression-free survival (PFS) rate of 61 patients with recurrent HCC undergoing transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) and RFA after hepatectomy were retrospectively evaluated by the Kaplan-Meier method. Furthermore, the complication rate, mortality rate and prognostic factor for OS were evaluated in this study. Results: The 1-, 3-, and 5-year OS rates were 96.3%, 77.9% and 77.9%, respectively. The 1-, 3-, and 5-year PFS rates were 48.6%, 20.3% and 13.5%, respectively. Fifty-seven patients (93.4%) achieved complete ablation. There was one patient with a major complication, and no death case due to RFA was found. The median length of hospitalization was 5 days (quartile, 4-7). The prognostic factor for OS was the expression of HBsAg (P=0.044, HR=7.496, 95%CI: 1.057-53.152). Conclusion: RFA was a safe and effective treatment modality for recurrent HCC after hepatectomy.

Key words: Hepatocellular carcinoma, Recurrence, Hepatectomy, Radiofrequency ablation