Anatomical vs nonanatomical liver resection for solitary hepatocellular carcinoma: A systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: non-anatomical resection (NAR) is still controversial. It is necessary to investigate which approach is better for patients with solitary HCC. AIM: To compare perioperative and long-term survival outcomes of AR and NAR for solitary HCC. METHODS: NAR liver resection; (2) Studies focused on primary HCC with a solitary tumor; (3) Studies reporting the long-term survival outcomes (> 5 years); and (4) Studies including patients without history of preoperative treatment. The main results were overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS). Perioperative outcomes were also compared. CONCLUSION: AR is superior to NAR in terms of long-term outcomes. Thus, AR can be recommended as a reasonable surgical option in patients with solitary HCC.