Hepatocellular Carcinoma · Surgical · Definitive / Curative

Chen et al. 2006 (PLAT vs resection)

Clinical question: What are the efficacy and safety outcomes of solitary hcc ≤5 cm?

Registry: No registry identifier reported · Prospective randomized trial; n=180. Evidence cut-off: 13 November 2026.

Design, eligibility and treatment

Population

Solitary HCC ≤5 cm.

Intervention / comparator

Percutaneous local ablative therapy versus partial hepatectomy.

Design

Prospective randomized trial; n=180.

Primary endpoint

Overall survival and complications.

Key efficacy outcomes

4-y OS 67.9% PLAT vs 64.0% surgery; 1-, 2-, 3-y OS 95.8%, 82.1%, 71.4% vs 93.3%, 82.3%, 73.4%.

Safety

Complications more frequent/severe after surgery; one in-hospital death. Nineteen of 90 assigned PLAT withdrew consent before treatment.

Interpretation and limitations

Major post-randomization withdrawal imbalance and mixed local ablative approaches limit inference; not a clean RFA-only equivalence trial.

Median survival differences and hazard ratios must not be converted into NNT. A patient pictogram is omitted unless a defensible fixed-time absolute event difference is reported.

Primary and supporting sources

Primary publication

Registry / supporting source

Primary-source data reviewed; the page explicitly identifies unavailable full-text toxicity details rather than imputing them.

Current-practice context · 13 November 2026

Historical trial results are distinct from current treatment recommendations. Check current jurisdiction-specific guidance, liver function, biomarker requirements, local expertise and regulatory availability before applying these findings. Comprehensive guideline reconciliation and browser-rendered QA remain pending.