Hepatocellular carcinoma after Fontan surgery: a Systematic Review.

AIM: Fontan surgery is often the procedure of choice for patients with congenital single effective ventricle. In the long term, elevated systemic venous pressure and chronic ischaemia following this procedure may lead to advanced chronic liver disease and there is also a risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). This review systematically summarizes the characteristics and outcomes of this rare condition.

METHODS: Pubmed and Embase were searched from inception to January 2020 for studies reporting on HCC after Fontan surgery. The factors analyzed were clinical presentation, histology, imaging findings, treatments and survival. Our primary analysis was based on biopsy-proven HCC.

RESULTS: The records selected were 26 observational studies (19 case reports/case series, 7 cohort studies) including 65 biopsy-proven HCC. Age at the time of HCC diagnosis ranged from 12 to 52 years, and 62% were female. Only one case occurred earlier than ten years after Fontan surgery. Twenty patients had no imaging or histological evidence of liver cirrhosis and 78.3% had elevated alpha-fetoprotein levels. Advanced stage was the most common at diagnosis. The most frequent treatments were transarterial chemoembolization (n=18) and surgery (n=12). One-year survival was 50% and only four patients (6.2%) were under liver imaging surveillance. We also analyzed 17 patients with non-biopsy-proven HCC.

CONCLUSIONS: After Fontan surgery, HCC usually occurs at least ten years later and can develop in the absence of cirrhosis. Biopsy is mandatory to confirm the diagnosis. Patients were diagnosed at a late stage and survival outcomes were poor, highlighting a need for liver surveillance.