Abstract:Objective To study the clinical effect of sintilimab combined with microwave ablation in the treatment of recurrent hepatocellular carcinoma after hepatectomy.Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on the medical records of 83 patients with recurrent hepatocellular carcinoma after hepatectomy admitted to our hospital from February 2021 to April 2022. According to different treatment methods, they were divided into the observation group (n = 43) and the control group (n = 40). The control group was treated with the microwave ablation, while the observation group was additionally treated with sintilimab. The short-term clinical efficacy, tumor markers, liver function and complications of the two groups were compared. The patients were followed up for 3 years after the operation, and the survival of patients in the two groups was recorded.Results The disease control rate and objective response rate of the observation group were both higher than those of the control group (P < 0.05). The differences of alpha-fetoprotein, carbohydrate antigen 199, and carcinoembryonic antigen levels before and after treatment in the observation group were all greater than those in the control group (P < 0.05). The differences of alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, and total bilirubin levels before and after treatment in the observation group were all greater than those in the control group (P < 0.05). There was no statistically significant difference in the overall incidence of complications between the control group and the observation group (P > 0.05). After a 3-year follow-up, the survival rate of the observation group was 58.14%, and that of the control group was 37.50%. The overall survival rate of the observation group was higher than that of the control group (P < 0.05).Conclusion Sintilimab combined with microwave ablation has a definite effect in the treatment of recurrent hepatocellular carcinoma after hepatectomy. It reduces tumor marker levels, improves liver function, demonstrates reliable safety, and has the potential to prolong patient survival.