Abstract: Objective To investigate the efficacy of percutaneous microwave ablation（PMCT） in the treatment of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma with underlying liver cirrhosis. Methods 108 patients with small hepatocellular carcinoma between January 2005 and July 2014 in our hospital were recruited in this study,and 40 patients were treated with PMCT and 68 were with hepatectomy. The Cox regression analysis was applied to analyze the factors associated with postoperative survival. Results There was no significant difference as respect to total survival（60% vs. 58.8%） and recurrence-free survival rates（40.0% vs. 38.2%） between the patients subjected to PMCT or surgical resection at the end of three-year follow-up;univariate analysis showed the Child-Pugh class,serum alpha-fetoprotein and albumin levels at baseline in fatal patients were significantly poorer or lower than those in survival patients（P<0.05）;multivariate cox regression analysis showed that Child-Pugh class （HR=1.81,95%CI: 0.97~3.38）,serum alpha-fetoprotein（HR=1.83,95% CI:0.99~3.37）and albumin levels（HR=1.81,95%CI:0.98~3.36） were the independent factors for prognosis of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma with underlying liver cirrhosis（P<0.05）. Conclusion The survival rate of patients with small hepatocellular carcinoma and cirrhosis treated with PMCT is similar to that of those received surgical resection. The prognosis is correlated with liver function,serum alpha-fetoprotein and albumin levels.

Key words: Hepatocellular carcinoma, Liver cirrhosis, Percutaneous microwave ablation, Prognosis