Kim SH. Splenectomy and hepatocellular carcinoma: Cause or confounder? World J Hepatol 2025; 17(10): 112445 [PMID: 41179727 DOI: 10.4254/wjh.v17.i10.112445]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Seoung Hoon Kim, MD, PhD, Organ Transplantation Center, National Cancer Center, 323 Ilsan-ro, Ilsandong-gu, Goyang 10408, South Korea. kshlj@hanmail.net
Research Domain of This Article
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Article-Type of This Article
Letter to the Editor
Open-Access Policy of This Article
This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Oct 27, 2025 (publication date) through Nov 19, 2025
Times Cited of This Article
Times Cited (0)
Journal Information of This Article
Publication Name
World Journal of Hepatology
ISSN
1948-5182
Publisher of This Article
Baishideng Publishing Group Inc, 7041 Koll Center Parkway, Suite 160, Pleasanton, CA 94566, USA
Share the Article
Kim SH. Splenectomy and hepatocellular carcinoma: Cause or confounder? World J Hepatol 2025; 17(10): 112445 [PMID: 41179727 DOI: 10.4254/wjh.v17.i10.112445]
World J Hepatol. Oct 27, 2025; 17(10): 112445 Published online Oct 27, 2025. doi: 10.4254/wjh.v17.i10.112445
Splenectomy and hepatocellular carcinoma: Cause or confounder?
Seoung Hoon Kim
Seoung Hoon Kim, Organ Transplantation Center, National Cancer Center, Goyang 10408, South Korea
Author contributions: Kim SH conceived and designed the study, collected and analyzed the data, performed the analysis, wrote the paper.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The author declares that he has no conflict of interest to disclose.
Open Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Seoung Hoon Kim, MD, PhD, Organ Transplantation Center, National Cancer Center, 323 Ilsan-ro, Ilsandong-gu, Goyang 10408, South Korea. kshlj@hanmail.net
Received: July 28, 2025 Revised: August 2, 2025 Accepted: September 28, 2025 Published online: October 27, 2025 Processing time: 92 Days and 3.5 Hours
Abstract
While splenectomy has been associated with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in cirrhotic patients, its role as a direct carcinogenic factor remains controversial. This letter argues that the primary risk of HCC stems from the underlying liver disease rather than the surgical removal of the spleen itself. Current literature is based mostly on retrospective analyses lacking randomized controlled trials. Moreover, there is insufficient evidence to suggest that splenectomy in non-cirrhotic patients increases HCC risk. Prospective multicenter studies are needed to clarify the causal relationship.
Core Tip: This letter challenges the notion that splenectomy itself increases hepatocellular carcinoma risk. This letter emphasize that the primary driver is underlying liver disease, not splenectomy. Current evidence is largely based on retrospective studies, and well-designed prospective or randomized trials are needed to determine any independent effect of splenectomy on hepatocarcinogenesis.
