Risk stratification model for predicting distant metastasis after hepatectomy for hepatocellular carcinoma: A multi-institutional analysis.

Summary: When people have surgery to remove liver cancer, the cancer sometimes comes back. If it spreads to other parts of the body, like the lungs or blood vessels, it is much harder to treat and patients do not live as long. Doctors looked at over 2,700 patients to see why this happens. They found that things like large tumors, having multiple tumors, or needing a blood transfusion during surgery made spreading more likely. Using this information, the doctors built a special chart, called a nomogram, to predict who is at the highest risk. This new tool is very accurate and will help doctors watch high-risk patients closely and give them better care after surgery.