Role of liver and spleen stiffness in predicting the recurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma after resection

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a frequent complication of liver disease, and hepatic resection, when feasible, is the first-choice therapy. Tumour recurrence complicates at least 2/3 hepatic resections at 5 years. Early recurrences (<24 months of surgery) are mainly tumour or treatment-related, but predictors of late recurrences (24 months post-surgery) are undefined. We aimed to evaluate the factors related to HCC recurrence after curative resection, with liver and spleen stiffness measurement (LSM and SSM) as markers of severity and duration of the underlying liver disease