Transplantation
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Observational Study
More Than Just Wait Time? Regional Differences in Liver Transplant Outcomes for Hepatocellular Carcinoma.
Regional allocation of deceased donor livers has led to variable wait times for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients on the liver transplant list. The purpose of our study was to evaluate how regional differences in wait time affect outcomes for HCC patients. ⋯ Wait time inequality affects waitlist mortality and intention-to-treat survival but does not affect posttransplant survival. Posttransplant survival is predicted by tumor biology, graft quality, recipient age, underlying liver function, and region. Regional environments of HCC care seem to drive posttransplant survival.