**1. Introduction**

276 Liver Transplantation – Basic Issues

Yasutomi, M., Uemoto, S., Inomata, Y., Tanaka, K. (2000) Liver failure following living

Zaman, MD., Hoti, E., Qasim, A., Maguire, D., McCormick, PA., (2006) MELD score as a

*Transplant Proc* Vol. 38, No. 7, (September 2006), pp. 2097-2098.

No. 7, (November 2000), pp. 2133.

donor liver transplantation for fulminant hepatic failure. *Transplant Proc* Vol. 32,

prognostic model for listing acute liver failure patients for liver transplantation.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the third most common cause of cancer mortality worldwide and accounts for 20% of all liver transplants (Wigg, 2010). Its incidence has increased two fold in the last decade and it is the fifth leading cause of cancer in males. The availability of liver transplantation as a cure for chronic liver disease and the demonstration of outcomes exceeding 70% at 5 years after transplantation for HCC have pushed the field to refine this therapy in order to utilize this precious resource in the most effective, fair and safe manner. The combination of a rising incidence of HCC and a flat donor procurement rates has resulted in longer waiting times in many areas. The complex decision making and management issues of patients with HCC, cirrhosis and possibly undergoing oncological therapies while waiting for an organ transplant poses challenges to the management team, not encountered in any other clinical or surgical field.
