Liver transplantation for hepatoblastoma

Abstract

Liver transplantation is the only potentially curative option for unresectable hepatoblastoma. The introduction of platinum-based chemotherapy drastically improved the survival outcomes of patients with hepatoblastoma. However, the use of neoadjuvant chemotherapy and the optimal number of cycles required in patients listed for liver transplantation, as well as the potential use of adjuvant chemotherapy, remain unclear. Additionally, the shortage of donor liver grafts, along with the lack of clear consensus on the management of metastatic hepatoblastoma, makes the decision on whether to proceed to liver transplantation even more complex and challenging. Technological advances may optimize intraoperative imaging of both the primary tumor and metastatic sites, thus facilitating complete resection. Such improvements, along with the wider use of social media platforms to increase public awareness, could potentially pave the way for more optimal implementation of liver transplantation for the treatment of patients with unresectable hepatoblastoma.

Keywords

Hepatoblastoma / liver transplantation / chemotherapy / liver tumors / pediatric

References

[1] Feng J,Heger U,Mehrabi A.Incidence trends and survival prediction of hepatoblastoma in children: a population-based study.Cancer Commun (Lond)2019;39:62 PMCID:PMC6813130

[2] Czauderna P,Hiyama E,Malogolowkin MH.Hepatoblastoma state of the art: pathology, genetics, risk stratification, and chemotherapy.Curr Opin Pediatr2014;26:19-28

[3] Allan BJ,Diaz S,Neville HL.Predictors of survival and incidence of hepatoblastoma in the paediatric population.HPB (Oxford)2013;15:741-6 PMCID:PMC3791112

[4] Garber JE,Kingston JE.Hepatoblastoma and familial adenomatous polyposis.J Natl Cancer Inst1988;80:1626-8

[5] Cohen MM Jr.Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome: historical, clinicopathological, and etiopathogenetic perspectives.Pediatr Dev Pathol2005;8:287-304

[6] Spector LG.The epidemiology of hepatoblastoma.Pediatr Blood Cancer2012;59:776-9

[7] Angelico R,Gazia C.How do synchronous lung metastases influence the surgical management of children with hepatoblastoma?.Cancers (Basel)2019;11:1693 PMCID:PMC6895839

[8] Aronson DC.Malignant tumors of the liver in children.Semin Pediatr Surg2016;25:265-75

[9] Starzl TE,von Kaulla KN.Homotransplantation of the liver in humans.Surg Gynecol Obstet1963;117:659-76. PMCID:PMC2634660

[10] Ezekian B,Schroder PM.Improved contemporary outcomes of liver transplantation for pediatric hepatoblastoma and hepatocellular carcinoma.Pediatr Transplant2018;22:e13305

[11] Otte JB,Aronson DC.International Society of Pediatric Oncology (SIOP)Liver transplantation for hepatoblastoma: results from the International Society of Pediatric Oncology (SIOP) study SIOPEL-1 and review of the world experience.Pediatr Blood Cancer2004;42:74-83

[12] Meyers RL.Liver transplantation in the management of unresectable hepatoblastoma in children.Front Biosci2012;E4:1293

[13] Khaderi S,Cotton RT,Rana A.Role of liver transplantation in the management of hepatoblastoma in the pediatric population.World J Transplant2014;4:294-8 PMCID:PMC4274598

[14] Squires RH,Romero R.Evaluation of the pediatric patient for liver transplantation: 2014 practice guideline by the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases, American Society of Transplantation and the North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition.Hepatology2014;60:362-98

[15] Sindhi R,Bukowinski A.Liver transplantation for pediatric liver cancer.Cancers (Basel)2020;12:720 PMCID:PMC7140094

[16] Ziogas IA,Wu WK.Management of hepatoblastoma in the United States: can we do better?.Surgery2021;170:579-86

[17] Yamada Y,Fujino A.Fluorescence-guided surgery for hepatoblastoma with indocyanine green.Cancers (Basel)2019;11:1215 PMCID:PMC6721588

[18] Yamamichi T,Yonekura T.Clinical application of indocyanine green (ICG) fluorescent imaging of hepatoblastoma.J Pediatr Surg2015;50:833-6

[19] Kitagawa N,Mochizuki K.Navigation using indocyanine green fluorescence imaging for hepatoblastoma pulmonary metastases surgery.Pediatr Surg Int2015;31:407-11

[20] Takahashi N,Hoshino K.Living donor liver re-transplantation for recurrent hepatoblastoma in the liver graft following complete eradication of peritoneal metastases under indocyanine green fluorescence imaging.Cancers (Basel)2019;11:730 PMCID:PMC6562613

[21] Meyers AB,Geller JI.Hepatoblastoma imaging with gadoxetate disodium-enhanced MRI - typical, atypical, pre- and post-treatment evaluation.Pediatr Radiol2012;42:859-66

[22] Brown J,Shafford E.Pretreatment prognostic factors for children with hepatoblastoma - results from the International Society of Paediatric Oncology (SIOP) Study SIOPEL 1.European Journal of Cancer2000;36:1418-25

[23] Zsíros J,Shafford E.Successful treatment of childhood high-risk hepatoblastoma with dose-intensive multiagent chemotherapy and surgery: final results of the SIOPEL-3HR study.J Clin Oncol2010;28:2584-90

[24] Zsiros J,Brock P.Dose-dense cisplatin-based chemotherapy and surgery for children with high-risk hepatoblastoma (SIOPEL-4): a prospective, single-arm, feasibility study.The Lancet Oncology2013;14:834-42 PMCID:PMC3730732

[25] Perilongo G,Maibach R.International Society of Paediatric Oncology-SIOPEL 2Risk-adapted treatment for childhood hepatoblastoma. final report of the second study of the International Society of Paediatric Oncology - SIOPEL 2.Eur J Cancer2004;40:411-21

[26] Pritchard J,Shafford E.Cisplatin, doxorubicin, and delayed surgery for childhood hepatoblastoma: a successful approach--results of the first prospective study of the International Society of Pediatric Oncology.J Clin Oncol2000;18:3819-28

[27] Aronson DC,Maibach R.Childhood Liver Tumour Strategy Group (SIOPEL)Microscopically positive resection margin after hepatoblastoma resection: what is the impact on prognosis?.Eur J Cancer2019;106:126-32

[28] Schnater JM,Plaschkes J.Surgical view of the treatment of patients with hepatoblastoma: results from the first prospective trial of the International Society of Pediatric Oncology Liver Tumor Study Group (SIOPEL-1).Cancer2002;94:1111-20

[29] Katzenstein HM,Malogolowkin MH.Upfront window vincristine/irinotecan treatment of high-risk hepatoblastoma: a report from the Children’s Oncology Group AHEP0731 study committee.Cancer2017;123:2360-7 PMCID:PMC5665173

[30] O’neill AF,Krailo MD,Gao Y.Characterization of pulmonary metastases in children with hepatoblastoma treated on children’s oncology group protocol AHEP0731 (The Treatment of Children With All Stages of Hepatoblastoma): a report from the children’s oncology group.J Clin Oncol2017;35:3465-73. PMCID:PMC5648177

[31] Katzenstein HM,Krailo M.Children’s Oncology GroupAmifostine does not prevent platinum-induced hearing loss associated with the treatment of children with hepatoblastoma: a report of the Intergroup Hepatoblastoma Study P9645 as a part of the Children’s Oncology Group.Cancer2009;115:5828-35 PMCID:PMC2795100

[32] Sasaki F,Iwafuchi M.(Japanese Study Group for Pediatric Liver Tumor)Outcome of hepatoblastoma treated with the JPLT-1 (Japanese Study Group for Pediatric Liver Tumor) Protocol-1: a report from the Japanese Study Group for Pediatric Liver Tumor.J Pediatr Surg2002;37:851-6

[33] Hishiki T,Sasaki F.Outcome of hepatoblastomas treated using the Japanese Study Group for Pediatric Liver Tumor (JPLT) protocol-2: report from the JPLT.Pediatr Surg Int2011;27:1-8

[34] Hishiki T,Ida K.The role of pulmonary metastasectomy for hepatoblastoma in children with metastasis at diagnosis: results from the JPLT-2 study.J Pediatr Surg2017;52:2051-5

[35] Hiyama E,Watanabe K.Resectability and tumor response after preoperative chemotherapy in hepatoblastoma treated by the Japanese Study Group for Pediatric Liver Tumor (JPLT)-2 protocol.J Pediatr Surg2016;51:2053-7

[36] Schweinitz D, Hecker H, Schmidt-von-arndt G, Harms D. Prognostic factors and staging systems in childhood hepatoblastoma.Int J Cancer1997;74:593-9

[37] Fuchs J,Von Schweinitz D.Study Committee of the Cooperative Pediatric Liver Tumor Study Hb 94 for the German Society for Pediatric Oncology and HematologyPretreatment prognostic factors and treatment results in children with hepatoblastoma: a report from the German Cooperative Pediatric Liver Tumor Study HB 94.Cancer2002;95:172-82

[38] Yang T,Vasudevan SA.Surgical management of hepatoblastoma and recent advances.Cancers (Basel)2019;11:1944 PMCID:PMC6966548

[39] Towbin AJ,Woodley H.2017 PRETEXT: radiologic staging system for primary hepatic malignancies of childhood revised for the Paediatric Hepatic International Tumour Trial (PHITT).Pediatr Radiol2018;48:536-54

[40] Meyers RL,Hiyama E.Risk-stratified staging in paediatric hepatoblastoma: a unified analysis from the Children’s Hepatic tumors International Collaboration.The Lancet Oncology2017;18:122-31 PMCID:PMC5650231

[41] Paediatric Hepatic International Tumour Trial PHITT.; 2018. Available from: https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/Documents/college-mds/trials/crctu/phitt/Protocol/Current/PHITT-Protocol-version-3-0-17Oct2018.pdf [Last accessed on 15 Sep 2022]

[42] Ziogas IA,Zhao Z.Population-based analysis of hepatocellular carcinoma in children: identifying optimal surgical treatment.J Am Coll Surg2020;230:1035-1044.e3

[43] Perilongo G,Shafford E.Cisplatin versus cisplatin plus doxorubicin for standard-risk hepatoblastoma.N Engl J Med2009;361:1662-70

[44] Lake CM,Bondoc AJ.Surgical management of locally-advanced and metastatic hepatoblastoma.Semin Pediatr Surg2019;28:150856

[45] Otte JB.Pediatric liver transplantation: personal perspectives on historical achievements and future challenges.Liver Transpl2016;22:1284-94

[46] Trobaugh-Lotrario AD,Tiao GM.Pediatric liver transplantation for hepatoblastoma.Transl Gastroenterol Hepatol2016;1:44 PMCID:PMC5244811

[47] Czauderna P.Hepatoblastoma: current understanding, recent advances, and controversies.F1000Res2018;7:53 PMCID:PMC5770992

[48] Moon SB,Seo JM.Hepatoblastoma: 15-year experience and role of surgical treatment.J Korean Surg Soc2011;81:134-40 PMCID:PMC3204570

[49] Yankol Y,Kanmaz T.Results of pediatric living donor compared to deceased donor liver transplantation in the PELD/MELD era: experience from two centers on two different continents.Pediatr Transplant2016;20:72-82

[50] Kwong AJ,Lake JR.OPTN/SRTR 2019 annual data report: liver.Am J Transplant2021;21 Suppl 2:208-315

[51] Wu WK,Matsuoka LK.Waitlist mortality and post-liver transplant outcomes of pediatric patients with hepatocellular carcinoma and hepatoblastoma in the United States.Pediatr Blood Cancer2022;69:e29425

[52] Miller CM,Dhawan A.The international liver transplantation society living donor liver transplant recipient guideline.Transplantation2017;101:938-44 PMCID:PMC5642345

[53] Zhang R,Sun LY.Outcomes of pediatric liver transplantation: deceased donor liver transplantation vs living donor liver transplantation.Transplant Proc2018;50:3601-5

[54] Kasahara M,Fukuda A.Pediatric living-donor liver transplantation.Semin Pediatr Surg2017;26:224-32

[55] Barbetta A,Barhouma S.Living donor versus deceased donor pediatric liver transplantation: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Transplant Direct2021;7:e767 PMCID:PMC8454909

[56] Patel MS,Ghanekar A.Living donor liver paired exchange: a North American first.Am J Transplant2021;21:400-4

[57] Mishra A,Lee GS.Liver paired exchange: can the liver emulate the kidney?.Liver Transpl2018;24:677-86

[58] Non-directed Liver Donation. Patient Care. Available from: https://weillcornell.org/services/liver-transplantation-hepatobiliary-pancreatic-surgery/living-donor-liver-transplantation-program/non-directed-liver-donation [Last accessed on 13 Sep 2022]

[59] Herbst LR,Bowles Zeiser L.The landscape of nondirected living liver donation in the United States.Transplantation2022;106:1600-8

[60] Live and Let Live. Montefiore Einstein Center for Transplantation. Available from: https://liveandletlive.montefiore.org/ [Last accessed on 13 Sep 2022]

[61] Montefiore Einstein Center for Transplantation - Heart, Liver, Kidney, Pancreatic Transplantation - New York City. Available from: https://www.montefiore.org/transplantation [Last accessed on 13 Sep 2022]

[62] Austin MT,Chari RS,Wright JK.Survival after pediatric liver transplantation: why does living donation offer an advantage?.Arch Surg2005;140:465-70; discussion 470

[63] Khalaf H.Vascular complications after deceased and living donor liver transplantation: a single-center experience.Transplant Proc2010;42:865-70

[64] Ziogas IA,Matsuoka LK.Living vs deceased donor liver transplantation in cholestatic liver disease: an analysis of the OPTN database.Clin Transplant2020;34:e14031

[65] Otte JB,Reding R.Liver transplantation for hepatoblastoma: indications and contraindications in the modern era.Pediatr Transplant2005;9:557-65

[66] Meyers RL,Krailo M,Malogolowkin MH.Surgical resection of pulmonary metastatic lesions in children with hepatoblastoma.J Pediatr Surg2007;42:2050-6

[67] Yamada Y,Mori T.Metastasectomy of hepatoblastoma utilizing a novel overlay fluorescence imaging system.J Laparoendosc Adv Surg Tech A2018;28:1152-5

[68] Graaf W, Bennink RJ, Veteläinen R, van Gulik TM. Nuclear imaging techniques for the assessment of hepatic function in liver surgery and transplantation.J Nucl Med2010;51:742-52

[69] Talakić E,Mikalauskas S.Liver transplantation in malignancies: A comprehensive and systematic review on oncological outcome.Visc Med2021;37:302-314 PMCID:PMC8406343

[70] Isono K,Lee KJ.Pretransplant trends in α-fetoprotein levels as a predictor of recurrence after living donor liver transplantation for unresectable hepatoblastoma: a single-institution experience.Pediatr Transplant2018;22:e13221

[71] Umeda K,Kawaguchi K.Prognostic and therapeutic factors influencing the clinical outcome of hepatoblastoma after liver transplantation: a single-institute experience.Pediatr Transplant2018;22:e13113

[72] Triana Junco P,Dore M.Prognostic factors for liver transplantation in unresectable hepatoblastoma.Eur J Pediatr Surg2019;29:28-32

[73] Sakamoto S,Mizuta K.Japanese Liver Transplantation SocietyNationwide survey of the outcomes of living donor liver transplantation for hepatoblastoma in Japan.Liver Transpl2014;20:333-46

[74] Malogolowkin MH,Meyers RL.Complete surgical resection is curative for children with hepatoblastoma with pure fetal histology: a report from the Children’s Oncology Group.J Clin Oncol2011;29:3301-6 PMCID:PMC3158601

[75] Haas JE,Finegold MJ.Small cell undifferentiated histology in hepatoblastoma may be unfavorable.Cancer2001;92:3130-4

[76] Trobaugh-Lotrario AD,Finegold MJ,Feusner JH.Small cell undifferentiated variant of hepatoblastoma: adverse clinical and molecular features similar to rhabdoid tumors.Pediatr Blood Cancer2009;52:328-34 PMCID:PMC2946187

[77] López-Terrada D,de Dávila MT.Children’s Oncology Group Liver Tumor CommitteeTowards an international pediatric liver tumor consensus classification: proceedings of the Los Angeles COG liver tumors symposium.Mod Pathol2014;27:472-91

[78] Barbetta A,Barhouma S.Living donor versus deceased donor pediatric liver transplantation: a systematic review and Meta-analysis.Transplant Direct2021;7:e767 PMCID:PMC8454909

[79] Henderson ML,Van Pilsum Rasmussen SE.How should social media be used in transplantation?.Transplantation2019;103:573-80 PMCID:PMC6196114

[80] The Facebook Effect: Social Media Dramatically Boosts Organ Donor Registration - 06/18/2013. Available from: https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/news/media/releases/the_facebook_effect_social_media_dramatically_boosts_organ_donor_registration [Last accessed on 13 Sep 2022]