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World J Gastrointest Oncol. Apr 15, 2026; 18(4): 115576
Published online Apr 15, 2026. doi: 10.4251/wjgo.v18.i4.115576
Published online Apr 15, 2026. doi: 10.4251/wjgo.v18.i4.115576
Hepatocellular carcinoma in F0 livers: Clinical and prognostic insights
Mizuki Endo, Koichi Honda, Tomoko Tokumaru, Tomoko Saito, Masao Iwao, Mie Arakawa, Masataka Seike, Masaaki Kodama, Kazunari Murakami, Kazuhiro Mizukami, Department of Gastroenterology, Faculty of Medicine, Oita University, Yufu 879-5593, Japan
Takuro Uchida, Division of Travel Medicine and Health, Research Center for GLOBAL and LOCAL Infectious Diseases, Oita University, Yufu 879-5593, Japan
Takashi Masuda, Yuichi Endo, Department of Gastroenterological and Pediatric Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Oita University, Yufu 879-5593, Japan
Masafumi Inomata, Department of Gastroenterological and Pediatric Surgery, Oita University, Yufu 879-5593, Japan
Author contributions: Endo M conceptualized and designed the study, performed data analysis, interpreted the results, and drafted the manuscript; Honda K, Tokumaru T, Saito T, Uchida T, Iwao M, Arakawa M, Seike M, and Kodama M contributed to data acquisition, clinical interpretation, and critical revision of the manuscript; Murakami K contributed to study supervision and interpretation of surgical findings; Masuda T, Endo Y, and Inomata M contributed to surgical management of patients and provided critical revision of the manuscript; Mizukami K supervised the study, contributed to interpretation of the data, and critically revised the manuscript; all authors read and approved the final manuscript.
Institutional review board statement: This study was reviewed and approved by the Institutional Review Board of Oita University, Japan.
Informed consent statement: All participants provided informed consent.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All authors declare no conflict of interest in publishing the manuscript.
Data sharing statement: The datasets generated and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
Corresponding author: Mizuki Endo, Assistant Professor, Department of Gastroenterology, Faculty of Medicine, Oita University, 1-1 Idaigaoka, Hasama-Machi, Yufu 879-5593, Japan.
Received: October 21, 2025
Revised: December 29, 2025
Accepted: February 4, 2026
Published online: April 15, 2026
Processing time: 169 Days and 20.6 Hours
Revised: December 29, 2025
Accepted: February 4, 2026
Published online: April 15, 2026
Processing time: 169 Days and 20.6 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) arising in nonfibrotic (F0) livers is uncommon and its clinical behavior remains unclear. This study directly compared F0 and cirrhotic (F4) HCC, revealing that F0 HCC typically occurs in older men with negative for both hepatitis B and C etiology and larger tumors. Despite preserved liver function, recurrence significantly worsened prognosis. Tumor number was the sole independent risk factor for recurrence in F0 HCC. These findings emphasize the need for early detection strategies, even in non-cirrhotic populations.