Liver transplantation for hepatocellular carcinoma--is there a risk of recurrence caused by intraoperative blood salvage autotransfusion?

<i>Background/Aims:</i> The use of intraoperative blood salvage autotransfusion (IBSA) during surgical approaches may contribute to tumour cell dissemination. Therefore, IBSA should be avoided in cases of malignancy. However, the risks of IBSA might be acceptable in liver transplantation (LT) for selected small hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). <i>Methods:</i> In total, 136 recipients of LT with histologically proven HCC in the explanted liver were included in this analysis. With regard to tumour recurrence, 40 patients receiving IBSA despite HCC (IBSA group) were compared to 96 patients without IBSA (non-IBSA group). <i>Results:</i> Milan criteria as asses…