High Levels of Gamma-Glutamyl Transferase and Indocyanine Green Retention Rate at 15 min as Preoperative Predictors of Tumor Recurrence in Patients With Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Remnant liver function is associated with long-term survival in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma undergoing hepatectomy

It is important to assess the prognosis and intervene before and after surgery in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma. This study aims to elucidate the association of outcomes and residual liver function after hepatectomy. A total of 176 patients who underwent the initial resection for hepatocellular carcinoma between January 2011 and March 2021 at Jichi Medical University were included. Hepatic clearance of the remnant liver was measured using 99mTc-galactosyl serum albumin scintigraphy. The log-rank test was used to analyze survival using the Kaplan-Meier method. Hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for overall survival were calculated using Cox's proportional hazard model. In multivariate analysis, microvascular invasion, intraoperative blood loss, and hepatic clearance of the remnant liver were independently associated with overall survival. Hepatic clearance of the remnant liver was independently associated with recurrence free survival. This is the first report to show that lower residual liver function is associated with shorter survival in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma undergoing hepatectomy. Preoperative determination of remnant liver function may allow assessment of prognosis in patients planned to undergo resection of hepatocellular carcinoma. Preservation of liver functional reserve may be crucial for improved long-term outcomes after hepatectomy.

A Novel Nomogram Model to Predict the Recurrence-Free Survival and Overall Survival of Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Background

Treatments for patients with early‐stage hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) include liver transplantation (LT), liver resection (LR), radiofrequency ablation (RFA), and microwave ablation (MWA), are critical for their long-term survival. However, a computational model predicting treatment-independent prognosis of patients with HCC, such as overall survival (OS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS), is yet to be developed, to our best knowledge. The goal of this study is to identify prognostic factors associated with OS and RFS in patients with HCC and develop nomograms to predict them, respectively.

Methods

We retrospectively retrieved 730 patients with HCC from three hospitals in China and followed them up for 3 and 5 years after invasive treatment. All enrolled patients were randomly divided into the training cohort and the validation cohort with a 7:3 ratio, respectively. Independent prognostic factors associated with OS and RFS were determined by the multivariate Cox regression analysis. Two nomogram prognostic models were built and evaluated by concordance index (C-index), calibration curves, area under the receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve, time-dependent area under the ROC curve (AUC), the Kaplan–Meier survival curve, and decision curve analyses (DCAs), respectively.

Results

Prognostic factors for OS and RFS were identified, and nomograms were successfully built. Calibration discrimination was good for both the OS and RFS nomogram prediction models (C-index: 0.750 and 0.746, respectively). For both nomograms, the AUC demonstrated outstanding predictive performance; the DCA shows that the model has good decision ability; and the calibration curve demonstrated strong predictive power. The nomograms successfully discriminated high-risk and low-risk patients with HCC associated with OS and RFS.

Conclusions

We developed nomogram survival prediction models to predict the prognosis of HCC after invasive treatment with acceptable accuracies in both training and independent testing cohorts. The models may have clinical values in guiding the selection of clinical treatment strategies.

Optical/electrochemical methods for detecting mitochondrial energy metabolism

This review highlights the biological importance of mitochondrial energy metabolism and the applications of multiple optical/electrochemical approaches to determine energy metabolites. Mitochondria, the main sites of oxidative phosphorylation and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) biosynthesis, provide the majority of energy required by aerobic cells for maintaining their physiological activity. They also participate in cell growth, differentiation, information transmission, and apoptosis. Multiple mitochondrial diseases, caused by internal or external factors, including oxidative stress, intense fluctuations of the ionic concentration, abnormal oxidative phosphorylation, changes in electron transport chain complex enzymes and mutations in mitochondrial DNA, can occur during mitochondrial energy metabolism. Therefore, developing accurate, sensitive, and specific methods for the in vivo and in vitro detection of mitochondrial energy metabolites is of great importance. In this review, we summarise the mitochondrial structure, functions, and crucial energy metabolic signalling pathways. The mechanism and applications of different optical/electrochemical methods are thoroughly reviewed. Finally, future research directions and challenges are proposed.

Peritumoral Dilation Radiomics of Gadoxetate Disodium-Enhanced MRI Excellently Predicts Early Recurrence of Hepatocellular Carcinoma without Macrovascular Invasion After Hepatectomy

Background

Whether peritumoral dilation radiomics can excellently predict early recrudescence (≤2 years) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains unclear.

Methods

Between March 2012 and June 2018, 323 pathologically confirmed HCC patients without macrovascular invasion, who underwent liver resection and preoperative gadoxetate disodium (Gd-EOB-DTPA) MRI, were consecutively recruited into this study. Multivariate logistic regression identified independent clinicoradiologic predictors of 2-year recrudescence. Peritumoral dilation (tumor and peritumoral zones within 1cm) radiomics extracted features from 7-sequence images for modeling and achieved average but robust predictive performance through 5-fold cross validation. Independent clinicoradiologic predictors were then incorporated with the radiomics model for constructing a comprehensive nomogram. The predictive discrimination was quantified with the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) and net reclassification improvement (NRI).

Results

With the median recurrence-free survival (RFS) reaching 60.43 months, 28.2% (91/323) and 16.4% (53/323) patients suffered from early and delay relapse, respectively. Microvascular invasion, tumor size >5 cm, alanine aminotransferase >50 U/L, γ-glutamyltransferase >60 U/L, prealbumin ≤250 mg/L, and peritumoral enhancement independently impaired 2-year RFS in the clinicoradiologic model with AUC of 0.694 (95% CI 0.628–0.760). Nevertheless, these indexes were paucity of robustness (P >0.05) when integrating with 38 most recurrence-related radiomics signatures for developing the comprehensive nomogram. The peritumoral dilation radiomics—the ultimate prediction model yielded satisfactory mean AUCs (training cohort: 0.939, 95% CI 0.908–0.973; validation cohort: 0.842, 95% CI 0.736–0.951) after 5-fold cross validation and fitted well with the actual relapse status in the calibration curve. Besides, our radiomics model obtained the best clinical net benefits, with significant improvements of NRI (35.9%-66.1%, P <0.001) versus five clinical algorithms: the clinicoradiologic model, the tumor-node-metastasis classification, the Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer stage, the preoperative and postoperative risks of Early Recurrence After Surgery for Liver tumor.

Conclusion

Gd-EOB-DTPA MRI-based peritumoral dilation radiomics is a potential preoperative biomarker for early recurrence of HCC patients without macrovascular invasion.

miRNA Regulation of Glutathione Homeostasis in Cancer Initiation, Progression and Therapy Resistance

Glutathione (GSH) is the most abundant antioxidant that contributes to regulating the cellular production of Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) which, maintained at physiological levels, can exert a function of second messengers in living organisms. In fact, it has been demonstrated that moderate amounts of ROS can activate the signaling pathways involved in cell growth and proliferation, while high levels of ROS induce DNA damage leading to cancer development. Therefore, GSH is a crucial player in the maintenance of redox homeostasis and its metabolism has a role in tumor initiation, progression, and therapy resistance. Our recent studies demonstrated that neuroblastoma cells resistant to etoposide, a common chemotherapeutic drug, show a partial monoallelic deletion of the locus coding for miRNA 15a and 16-1 leading to a loss of these miRNAs and the activation of GSH-dependent responses. Therefore, the aim of this review is to highlight the role of specific miRNAs in the modulation of intracellular GSH levels in order to take into consideration the use of modulators of miRNA expression as a useful strategy to better sensitize tumors to current therapies.

High serum gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase concentration associates with poor postoperative prognosis of patients with hepatitis B virus-associated intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma

Background

Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) caused by chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection has become prominent. Prospectively stratifying postoperative risk factors is a challenging task.

Methods

We retrospectively assessed the relationship between serum gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT) concentration and postoperative outcomes in 107 subjects with HBV-associated ICC. Cox proportionate hazard models and subgroup analyses were used to test the hypothesis with adjustment for potential confounders.

Results

Serum GGT concentration was negatively correlated with postoperative outcomes. For a 1-standard deviation (per-SD) (117 µ/L) increase of serum GGT concentration, the relative risk (RR) for overall survival (OS) and time to recurrence (TTR) were 1.72 [95% confidence interval (CI), 1.37 to 2.16] and 1.53 (95% CI, 1.22 to 1.91), respectively. In addition, the RRs of middle and top tertiles of GGT for death were 1.81 (95% CI, 0.98 to 3.32) and 3.56 (95% CI, 1.97 to 6.42), respectively (P for trend <0.001). Similarly, the RRs for recurrence of the corresponding tertiles were 1.70 (95% CI, 0.93 to 3.10) and 3.27 (95% CI, 1.77 to 6.06), respectively (P for trend =0.002). In our study, the negative correlation between serum GGT levels and OS did not differ significantly between groups stratified by age, sex, HBV DNA level, carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA19-9) level and liver resection type (all P for interaction >0.05); however, there was a significant interactive effect of serum GGT and adjuvant chemotherapy on OS (RR =0.64 vs. 1.77, P for interaction =0.04).

Conclusions

High serum GGT concentration is associated with an increased risk of postoperative death and tumor recurrence in patients with HBV-associated ICC. However, this relationship became less significant with the implementation of adjuvant chemotherapy.

Postoperative Adjuvant Transarterial Chemoembolization Improves Short-Term Prognosis of Hepatocellular Carcinoma with Bile Duct Tumor Thrombus: A Propensity-Score Matching Study

Purpose

To evaluate the effect of postoperative adjuvant transarterial chemoembolization (PA-TACE) on the prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with macroscopic bile duct tumor thrombus (BDTT).

Patients and Methods

This study included 109 patients who underwent R0 resection for HCC with BDTT between January 2008 and December 2017: non-TACE (48) and PA-TACE (61). Propensity-score matching (PSM) was conducted in a 1:1 ratio. Recurrence and overall survival (OS) rates were analyzed using the Kaplan–Meier method. Independent risk factors were identified by univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses. Subgroup analysis was performed by risk-factor stratification.

Results

The recurrence rates in the non-TACE and PA-TACE groups were different at 6 months (50.9% vs 26.9%, P=0.03) before PSM and at 6 months (59.3% vs 26.5%, P=0.02) and 12 months (81.4% vs 37.5%, P=0.022) after PSM. OS rates of the non-TACE and PA-TACE groups were different at 6 months (74.0% vs 91.6%, P<0.001) and 12 months (61.1% vs 77.6%, P=0.01) before PSM and at 6 months (73.0% vs 96.8%, P=0.01), 12 months (52.1% vs 89.6%, P=0.001), and 18 months (33.8% vs 64.4%, P=0.034) after PSM. PA-TACE was an independent prognostic factor for both recurrence and OS before and after PSM. Subgroup analysis showed that patients with no HBV infection, tumors >5 cm, macrovascular invasion, alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) >400 ng/mL, or gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) >150 U/L benefited significantly from PA-TACE in terms of recurrence rates (all P<0.05). Patients with no HBV infection, multiple tumors, tumors >5 cm, macrovascular invasion, or AFP >400 ng/mL benefited significantly from PA-TACE in terms of OS (all P<0.05).

Conclusion

PA-TACE could prolong the short-term prognosis of HCC with macroscopic BDTT and should be recommended for patients with no HBV infection, multiple tumors, tumors >5 cm, poor differentiation, macrovascular invasion, AFP >400 ng/mL, or GGT >150 U/L.

Preoperative prediction of microvascular invasion in non-metastatic hepatocellular carcinoma based on nomogram analysis

Purpose

The presence of microvascular invasion (MVI) is an unfavorable prognostic factor for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). This study aimed to construct a nomogram-based preoperative prediction model of MVI, thereby assisting to preoperatively select proper surgical procedures.

Methods

A total of 714 non-metastatic HCC patients undergoing radical hepatectomy were retrospectively selected from Zhongshan Hospital between 2010 and 2018, followed by random assignment into training (N = 520) and validation cohorts (N = 194). Nomogram-based prediction model for MVI risk was constructed by incorporating independent risk factors of MVI presence identified from multivariate backward logistic regression analysis in the training cohort. The performance of nomogram was evaluated by calibration curve and ROC curve. Finally, decision curve analysis (DCA) was used to determine the clinical utility of the nomogram.

Results

In total, 503 (70.4%) patients presented MVI. Multivariate analysis in the training cohort revealed that age (OR: 0.98), alpha-fetoprotein (≥400 ng/mL) (OR: 2.34), tumor size (>5 cm) (OR: 3.15), cirrhosis (OR: 2.03) and γ-glutamyl transpeptidase (OR: 1.61) were significantly associated with MVI presence. The incorporation of five risk factors into a nomogram-based preoperative estimation of MVI risk demonstrated satisfactory discriminative capacity, with C-index of 0.702 and 0.690 in training and validation cohorts, respectively. Calibration curve showed good agreement between actual and predicted MVI risks. Finally, DCA revealed the clinical utility of the nomogram.

Conclusion

The nomogram showed a satisfactory discriminative capacity of MVI risk in HCC patients, and could be used to preoperatively estimate MVI risk, thereby establishing more rational therapeutic strategies.

Development and Validation of a Prognostic Nomogram to Predict the Long-Time Prognosis in Non-B, Non-C Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Purpose

To develop and validate a nomogram for individualized prediction of the long-term prognosis of patients with non-B, non-C hepatocellular carcinoma (NBNC-HCC) who underwent hepatectomy.

Materials and Methods

Five hundred ninety-four patients who met the criteria were included in the research and randomly categorized into the training or validation cohort. The nomogram was constructed on the basis of the independent risk variables that were acquired via multivariate Cox proportional hazard regression analysis. Several complementary methods included the Harrell c-index, time-dependent areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve (tdAUC), and calibration plot, and the Kaplan–Meier curve with Log rank test were used to test predictive performance of the model. The clinical utility of the model was tested by the decision cure analysis (DCA).

Results

Tumor diameter, tumor number, elevated serum gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT) level, microvascular invasion (MVI), and macrovascular invasion were independent risk factors of prognosis of NBNC-HCC. C-indexes of the nomogram were 0.702 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.662–0.741) in the training cohort and 0.700 (95% CI, 0.643–0.758) in the validation cohort, and median tdAUC values of the nomogram were 0.743 (range, 0.736–0.775) in the training cohort and 0.751 (range, 0.686–0.793) in the validation cohort, which were both higher than those in the conventionally used Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer staging system, American Joint Committee on Cancer, and eighth edition and the model of Zhang et al. The calibration plot depicted a good consistency between prediction of the model and observed outcome. The Kaplan–Meier curve analysis showed that the model was able to separate patients into three distinct risk subgroups. The DCA analysis also demonstrated that the nomogram was clinically useful.

Conclusion

We developed and validated a nomogram that was accurate and clinically useful in patients with NBNC-HCC who underwent hepatectomy.

Non-invasive tests for the prediction of primary hepatocellular carcinoma

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common malignancies in the world and it is one of the main complications of cirrhosis and portal hypertension. Even in the presence of a well-established follow-up protocol for cirrhotic patients, to date poor data are available on predictive markers for primary HCC occurrence in the setting of compensated advanced chronic liver disease patients (cACLD). The gold standard method to evaluate the prognosis of patients with cACLD, beyond liver fibrosis assessed with histology, is the measurement of the hepatic venous pressure gradient (HVPG). An HVPG ≥10 mmHg has been related to an increased risk of HCC in cACLD patients. However, these methods are burdened by additional costs and risks for patients and are mostly available only in referral centers. In the last decade increasing research has focused on the evaluation of several, simple, non-invasive tests (NITs) as predictors of HCC development. We reviewed the currently available literature on biochemical and ultrasound-based scores developed for the non-invasive evaluation of liver fibrosis and portal hypertension in predicting primary HCC. We found that the most reliable methods to assess HCC risk were the liver stiffness measurement, the aspartate aminotransferase to platelet ratio index score and the fibrosis-4 index. Other promising NITs need further investigations and validation for different liver disease aetiologies.

Preoperative gamma-glutamyltransferase to lymphocyte ratio predicts long-term outcomes in intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma patients following hepatic resection

BACKGROUND

Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) is a heterogeneous hepatobiliary cancer with limited treatment options. A number of studies have illuminated the relationship between inflammation-based prognostic scores and outcomes in patients with ICC. However, the use of reliable and personalized prognostic algorithms in ICC after resection is pending.

AIM

To assess the prognostic value of the gamma-glutamyltransferase to lymphocyte ratio (GLR) in ICC patients following curative resection.

METHODS

ICC patients following curative resection (2009-2017) were divided into two cohorts: The derivation cohort and validation cohort. The derivation cohort was used to explore an optimal cut-off value, and the validation cohort was used to further evaluate the score. Overall survival (OS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS) were analyzed, and predictors of OS and RFS were determined.

RESULTS

A total of 527 ICC patients were included and randomly divided into the derivation cohort (264 patients) and the validation cohort (263 patients). The two patient cohorts had comparable baseline characteristics. The optimal cut-off value for the GLR was 33.7. Kaplan-Meier curves showed worse OS and RFS in the GLR > 33.7 group compared with GLR ≤ 33.7 group in both cohorts. After univariate and multivariate analysis, the results indicated that GLR was an independent prognostic factor of OS [derivation cohort: hazard ratio (HR) = 1.620, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.066-2.462, P = 0.024; validation cohort: HR = 1.466, 95%CI: 1.033-2.142, P = 0.048] and RFS [derivation cohort: HR = 1.471, 95%CI: 1.029-2.103, P = 0.034; validation cohort: HR = 1.480, 95%CI: 1.057-2.070, P = 0.022].

CONCLUSION

The preoperative GLR is an independent prognostic factor for ICC patients following hepatectomy. A high preoperative GLR is associated with worse OS and RFS.

Prognostic and clinicopathological significance of Gamma-Glutamyltransferase in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma: A PRISMA-compliant meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Many studies explored the prognostic and clinicopathological significance of pretreatment serum Gamma-Glutamyltransferase (GGT) level in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, there are inconsistent results in the prognostic and clinicopathological significance of pretreatment serum GGT level in HCC. Thus, we conducted this meta-analysis to comprehensively assess the prognostic and clinicopathological significance of pretreatment serum GGT level in HCC patients.

METHODS

We systematically searched PubMed, EMBASE and Web of Science for relevant studies (up to June 14, 2018). The estimated hazard ratios (HRs) were used to assess the association between pretreatment serum GGT level and survival in HCC patients. The estimated odds ratios (ORs) were applied to evaluate the correlation between pretreatment serum GGT and clinicopathological features in HCC.

RESULTS

Our results showed that high pretreatment serum GGT level was significantly correlated with poor overall survival (OS) (HR = 1.70, 95% CI: 1.54-1.87; P < .01) and disease-free survival/relapse-free survival (DFS/RFS) (HR = 1.56, 95% CI: 1.42-1.71; P < .01). Additionally, our results also revealed that there was a close correlation between GGT level and several clinicopathological features in HCC patients, including vascular invasion, tumor size, tumor number and Alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) level.

CONCLUSIONS

This meta-analysis shows that high pretreatment serum GGT level is significantly correlated with poor survival and unfavorable clinicopathological features in HCC patients, suggesting that pretreatment serum GGT may be an economical and effective prognostic biomarker for HCC patients. However, more high-quality studies are still warranted to further validate our findings, considering there are several limitations in this meta-analysis.

Independent risk factors for disease recurrence after surgery in patients with hepatitis B virus-related hepatocellular carcinoma ≤3 cm in diameter

Background

Post-operative recurrence rates are high for hepatitis B virus (HBV)-related hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). This study aimed to explore the factors associated with post-operative 1-year recurrence rate in patients with HBV-related HCC who had a single small primary tumor (≤3 cm in diameter).

Methods

This was a retrospective study of 203 (training cohort) and 64 (validation cohort) patients newly diagnosed with HBV-related HCC who had a single small primary tumor. The first year of post-operative follow-up was examined. Factors potentially associated with HCC recurrence were identified using Cox regression analyses. A model was constructed based on the factors identified and the prognostic value of the model was evaluated using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis and calculation of the area under the ROC curve (AUC).

Results

A history of alcoholism and serum levels of α-fetoprotein, total protein and γ-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT) were independently associated with 1-year recurrence rate after surgery. A predictive model based on these four factors had an AUC of 0.711 (95% confidence interval, 0.643-0.772) in the training cohort and 0.727 (95% confidence interval, 0.601-0.831) in the validation cohort. The 1-year recurrence rate was significantly lower in the low-risk group than in the high-risk group in both the training cohort (17.0% vs. 49.5%, P < 0.001) and the validation cohort (43.2% vs. 74.1%, P = 0.031).

Conclusion

A history of alcoholism and serum levels of α-fetoprotein, total protein and γ-glutamyl transpeptidase were independently associated with post-operative 1-year recurrence rate in patients with HBV-related HCC who had a single small primary tumor (≤3 cm in diameter).

Effects of various interventions on the occurrence of macrovascular invasion of hepatocellular carcinoma after the baseline serum γ-glutamyltransferase stratification

Background

Elevated serum γ-glutamyltransferase (γ-GT) levels are related to an increased cancer risk and worse prognosis in many cancers. We evaluated the effects of γ-GT stratification on the occurrence of macrovascular invasion (MVI) in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) who underwent hepatic resection (HR), transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE), or TACE combined with radiofrequency ablation (TACE-RFA).

Patients and methods

A total of 903 patients with HCC in Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer Stage A or B were included. Of these patients, 118 underwent HR, 445 underwent TACE-RFA, 256 underwent TACE, and 84 patients received conservative treatment only (control group). γ-GT, albumin, α-fetoprotein, and intervention were selected as significant predictive factors for MVI in 1 year by forward selection. The optimal cutoff value of γ-GT was 39 IU/L according to receiver operating characteristic analysis, with a sensitivity and specificity of 87.0% and 45.6%, respectively.

Results

The 1-year MVI incidence of patients with HCC in the group with γ-GT ≥39 IU/L was higher than that of the group with γ-GT <39 IU/L treated with HR, TACE-RFA, or TACE (P=0.0166, P=0.0041, and P<0.001, respectively). The MVI rates at 1 year were similar in the group with γ-GT ≥39 IU/L that underwent HR, TACE-RFA, or TACE and the control group (P=0.4402, P=0.2214, and P=0.4159, respectively). Different effects of various treatments with γ-GT <39 IU/L group on the occurrence of MVI are not significant (P=0.5167). However, the incidence of MVI after TACE was significantly higher than that after HR or TACE-RFA in γ-GT ≥39 IU/L group (P=0.0253).

Conclusion

Baseline serum γ-GT stratification may help select the appropriate treatment to reduce the MVI incidence.

A novel mitochondrial-targeting near-infrared fluorescent probe for imaging γ-glutamyl transpeptidase activity in living cells

γ-Glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT) plays an essential role in regulating cellular glutathione and cysteine homeostasis, and its abnormal elevation is associated with different diseases including cancers. Here a novel mitochondrial-targeting near-infrared fluorescent probe was designed for GGT by conjugating glutamate acid to a newly synthesized amine hemicyanine fluorophore. The fluorescent probe was initially non-emissive due to the formation of an amide bond which destroyed the electronic-donating ability of the amine moiety and disrupted the push-pull structure. GGT-mediated cleavage of the γ-glutamyl bond regenerated the initial fluorophore with distinct intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) and activated the fluorescence signal. The fluorescent probe displayed a linear relationship to the concentration of GGT in the range of 1.0-90 U L-1, with an estimated limit of detection (LOD) of 0.4 U L-1. Its ability to target and image mitochondrial GGT activity was demonstrated in living cells with high specificity and fast response. We believe our near-infrared fluorescent probe could have great potential in imaging mitochondrial GGT activity and elucidating GGT-associated pathological consequences in living cells and even small animal models.

Laparoscopic versus open mesohepatectomy for patients with centrally located hepatocellular carcinoma: a propensity score matched analysis

BACKGROUND

Although laparoscopic mesohepatectomy (LM) has been performed for patients with centrally located hepatocellular carcinoma (CL-HCC), its short- and long-term benefits compared with traditional open surgery remain unclear. The aim of the present study was to explore the independent role of LM in the prognosis of patients with CL-HCC.

METHODS

A retrospective analysis was undertaken of 348 patients who underwent mesohepatectomy for CL-HCC between January 2012 and October 2017 in our hospital. The impact of the surgical methods on long-term prognosis was evaluated by multivariable regression analysis. In addition, patients in the LM group were matched in a 1:3 ratio with open mesohepatectomy (OM) group.

RESULTS

Some 307 patients underwent OM and 41 had LM. In both adjusted and non-adjusted models, patients in LM group had similar overall survival (OS, both P > 0.05) and disease-free survival (DFS, both P > 0.05) compared to OM patients. The mean (s.d.) OS in LM and OM groups was 41.6 (7.2) and 46.4 (1.4) months, respectively. The mean (s.d.) DFS in LM and OM groups was 37.7 (5.9) and 33.4 (1.5) months, respectively. After propensity score-matched (PSM) analysis, 96 patients remained in OM group and 32 patients in LM group. In the PSM subset, patients in LM group still had comparable OS (P = 0.120) and DFS (P = 0.757) compared to patients in the OM group. After PSM, patients receiving LM had longer vascular exclusion time (P = 0.006) and shorter hospital stay (P = 0.004). In addition, LM was associated with reduced postoperative morbidity after PSM adjustment (P = 0.026).

CONCLUSIONS

LM is associated with fewer complications and does not compromise survival compared with OM. LM can be recommended as a safe and reasonable surgical option in selected patients with CL-HCC.

The prognostic significance of pretreatment serum γ-glutamyltranspeptidase in primary liver cancer: a meta-analysis and systematic review

Aim: To assess the prognostic value of the pretreatment serum γ-glutamyltranspeptidase (GGT) level in patients with primary liver cancer (PLC). Methods: Relevant studies were systematically searched online on Web of Science, PubMed, and Embase databases published until 9 October 2018. The end points were overall survival (OS), recurrence-free survival (RFS), and disease-free survival (DFS). Meta-analysis was conducted using hazard ratio (HR), and its 95% confidence interval (CI) as effect measure. Results: A total of 33 eligible studies with 9238 patients with PLC were included in this meta-analysis. The synthesized analysis showed that that higher serum GGT level was significantly related to poorer OS (HR: 1.79, 95% CI: 1.66–1.93, P<0.01), RFS (HR: 1.60, 95% CI: 1.46–1.77, P<0.01), and DFS (HR: 1.52, 95% CI: 1.33–1.73, P<0.01) of patients with PLC. Subgroup analyses demonstrated that the negative prognostic impact of higher serum GGT level on OS and RFS was still of significance regardless of ethnicity, pathological type, sample size, cut-off value, first-line treatment, and analysis type. Conclusion: The pretreatment serum GGT might be a predictive factor of poor prognosis for PLC patients.

A new prognostic model for hepatocellular carcinoma recurrence after curative hepatectomy

We previously reported the effectiveness of the product of tumor number and size (NxS factor) for the prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in patients following hepatectomy. The present study aimed to propose a new score based on the NxS factor to predict HCC recurrence following hepatectomy. A total of 406 patients who underwent hepatectomy for HCC at Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine were retrospectively analyzed to develop the new score. Among clinicopathological factors, including the NxS factor, the marker subset that achieved the best performance for prediction of early recurrence was assessed, and a prognostic model for HCC recurrence after curative hepatectomy (REACH) was developed. As the validation set, 425 patients who underwent hepatectomy for HCC at Yamaguchi University Graduate School of Medicine and Shimonoseki Medical Center were analyzed, and the prognostic ability of the REACH score was compared with that of well-known staging systems. Following analysis, the REACH score was constructed using six covariates (NxS factor, microscopic hepatic vein invasion, differentiation, serum albumin, platelet count and indocyanine green retention rate at 15 min). In the validation set, the REACH score predicted early recurrence in 73 of 81 samples, with a sensitivity of 89% and a specificity of 58%. The area under the curve (AUC) of the receiver operating characteristic curve of the REACH score was 0.78 and 0.74, respectively, for 1- and 2-year recurrence after hepatectomy; each AUC was higher than that of any of the other staging systems. Survival analysis indicated the REACH score had the best predictive value in disease-free and overall survival. The present findings demonstrated that the REACH score may be used to classify patients with HCC into high- and low-risk of recurrence, and to predict subsequent survival following hepatic resection.

Determination of candidate metabolite biomarkers associated with recurrence of HCV-related hepatocellular carcinoma

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is associated with a high risk of developing hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and HCC recurrence remains the primary threat to outcomes after curative therapy. In this study, we compared recurrent and non-recurrent HCC patients treated with radiofrequency ablation (RFA) in order to identify characteristic metabolic profile variations associated with HCC recurrence. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) -based metabolomic analyses were conducted on serum samples obtained before and after RFA therapy. Significant variations were observed in metabolites in the glycerolipid, tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle, fatty acid, and amino acid pathways between recurrent and non-recurrent patients. Observed differences in metabolites associated with recurrence did not coincide before and after treatment except for fatty acids. Based on the comparison of serum metabolomes between recurrent and non-recurrent patients, key discriminatory metabolites were defined by a random forest (RF) test. Two combinations of these metabolites before and after RFA treatment showed outstanding performance in predicting HCV-related HCC recurrence, they were further confirmed by an external validation set. Our study showed that the determined combination of metabolites may be potential biomarkers for the prediction of HCC recurrence before and after RFA treatment.

Serum liver enzymes serve as prognostic factors in patients with intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma

Objective

Liver functions, reflective of the overall status of the host, have been reported to be important factors affecting the prognosis in many types of cancers. In this study, we explored the influences of liver enzymes albumin (ALB), globulin (GELO), total protein (TP), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), total bilirubin (TBIL), direct bilirubin (DBIL), gamma glutamyltranspeptidase (GGT), and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) on the overall survival (OS) in a number of 173 patients with intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC).

Patients and methods

Between 2011 and 2015, we enrolled patients with pathologically proven locally advanced or metastatic ICC. The impact of ALB, GELO, TP, ALP, ALT, AST, TBIL, DBIL, GGT, and LDH on OS were analyzed using Kaplan–Meier analysis. Next, the associations between these liver enzymes and OS were evaluated by univariate and multivariate analyses. Finally, the role of these enzymes in OS was evaluated in the subgroups.

Results

Elevated liver enzymes were linked with OS. We revealed that independent prognostic factors of poor outcome were ALP, TBIL, DBIL, and GGT, whereas ALB is a protective factor in ICC patients.

Conclusion

Our results demonstrate that these liver enzymes may serve as valuable predictive markers in ICC patients.

Ductular reaction, cytokeratin 7 positivity, and gamma-glutamyl transferase in multistage hepatocarcinogenesis in rats

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common primary malignancy of the liver and is characterized by multistage formation. The presence of ductular reaction, cytokeratin 7 positivity (PCK7), and increased levels of gamma glutamyltransferase (γGT) has been observed during liver carcinogenesis and contribute to tumor progression. Our goal was to evaluate the ductular reaction in multistage carcinogenesis and to correlate PCK7 and γGT levels with tumor incidence, histological characteristics, liver DNA damage index, and the expression of oxidative stress proteins. HCC was induced in 24 male Wistar rats weighing 145-150 g by chronic and intermittent exposure to 50 or 100 mg/kg diethylnitrosamine (DEN). Six control animals received only vehicle. Blood was collected to determine hepatic enzyme levels. Animals were divided into three groups: control (CO), precancerous lesions (PL), and advanced HCC. Liver samples were obtained for immunohistochemical analyses and the measurement of protein expression. Statistical analyses included Tukey's test and Pearson's correlation analyses. We observed an extensive ductular reaction in advanced HCC and a strong correlation between PCK7 and levels of γGT and the poor prognosis and aggressiveness of HCC. The extent of PCK7 and high γGT levels were associated with overexpression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and heat shock factor protein 1 (HSF-1). However, PCK7 and γGT levels were negatively correlated with protein expression of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (NRF2) and inducible heat shock protein 70 (iHSP70). These findings suggest that ductular reaction is involved in the progression of multistage hepatocarcinogenesis.

Advances of diagnostic and mechanistic studies of γ-glutamyl transpeptidase in hepatocellular carcinoma

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the fifth most common cancer and the second major cause of cancerous deaths in the world, accounting for 80-90% of all cases of liver cancer with an assessed global incidence of 782,000 new cases and approximate 746,000 deaths in 2012. Preoperative laboratory data (des-γ carboxyprothrombin (DCP), α-fetoprotein (AFP), Indocyanine green retention 15 min (ICG-R15), and γ-glutamyl transferase (GGT)) should be completely assessed before deciding a treatment and predicting prognosis in order to improve the prognosis for patients with HCC. A few recent studies have suggested GGT as an independent prognostic indicator in cases with HCC. And the data of our and other research teams revealed that combination of GGT and ICG-R15 or other factors may improve the efficiency of GGT as a prognostic predictor. In addition of clinical studies, a few mechanistic studies had been performed and GGT was suggested to promote tumor progression and poor prognosis through inducing DNA damage and genome instability, releasing reactive oxygen species to activating invasion-related signaling pathway, blocking chemotherapy, regulating microRNAs, and managing CpG island methylation. Although there were a few mechanistic studies, further and accurate researches were still in need.

Preoperative γ-glutamyl transpeptidase to platelet ratio (GPR) is an independent prognostic factor for HBV-related hepatocellular carcinoma after curative hepatic resection

Liver fibrosis and cirrhosis is associated with the prognosis of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) after treatment. The γ-glutamyl transpeptidase to platelet ratio (GPR) is reported to predict significant liver fibrosis and cirrhosis. The aim of this study was to investigate the predictive value of preoperative GPR on the recurrence and survival of patients with HCC who underwent curative hepatectomy.A retrospective review of demographics, medical records, and prognosis of patients with hepatitis B virus (HBV)-related HCC was performed. Overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) were evaluated using Kaplan-Meier method, and the log-rank test was used to analyze differences in recurrence and survival. Univariate and multivariate analyses were used for significance of prognostic factor.A total of 357 patients with HBV-related HCC were included in this analysis. The preoperative GPR was associated with recurrence and survival rates, independent of HCC progression or tumor marker levels, in a multivariate analysis. OS was higher in patients with a GPR <0.84 versus ≥084 (5-year survival rates 58.6% vs. 38.5%; P < 0.001). DFS was also worse in patients with a GPR ≥0.84 than in those with GPR <0.84 (5-year recurrence rates 42.8% vs. 22.8%; P < 0.001).GPR score of ≥0.84 represents a major risk factor for the poor prognosis for HBV-related HCC after hepatic resection, and GPR served as an independent predictive factor for HBV-related HCC OS.

Mitochondria-targeting ratiometric fluorescent probe for γ-glutamyltranspeptidase and its application to colon cancer

An indocyanine-based probe for γ-glutamyltranspeptidase exhibited ratiometric fluorescence in mitochondria through an enzyme-mediated amide-to-amine transformation reaction applicable for colon cancer detection.