Tree-based classification system incorporating the HVTT-PVTT score for personalized management of hepatocellular carcinoma patients with macroscopic vascular invasion

The Prognostic Value of Preoperative Serum Markers and Risk Classification in Patients with Hepatocellular Carcinoma

BACKGROUND

Complex hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) prognostic biomarkers have been reported in various studies. We aimed to establish biomarkers that could predict prognosis, and formulate a simple classification using non-invasive preoperative blood test data.

METHODS

We retrospectively identified 305 patients for a discovery cohort who had undergone HCC-related hepatectomy at four Japanese university hospitals between January 1, 2011 and December 31, 2013. Preoperative blood test parameter optimal cut-off values were determined using receiver operating characteristic curve analysis. Cox uni- and multivariate analyses were used to determine independent prognostic factors. Risk classifications were established using classification and regression tree (CART) analysis. Validation was performed with 267 patients from three other hospitals.

RESULTS

In multivariate analysis, α-fetoprotein (AFP, p < 0.001), protein induced by vitamin K absence or antagonist-II (PIVKA-II, p = 0.006), and C-reactive protein (CRP, p < 0.001) were independent prognostic factors for overall survival (OS). AFP (p = 0.007), total bilirubin (p = 0.001), and CRP (p = 0.003) were independent recurrent risk factors for recurrence-free survival (RFS). CART analysis results formed OS (CRP, AFP, and albumin) and RFS (PIVKA-II, CRP, and total bilirubin) decision trees, based on machine learning using preoperative serum markers, with three risk classifications. Five-year OS (low risk, 80.0%; moderate risk, 56.3%; high risk, 25.2%; p < 0.001) and RFS (low risk, 43.4%; moderate risk, 30.8%; high risk, 16.6%; p < 0.001) risks differed significantly. These classifications also stratified OS and RFS risk in the validation cohort.

CONCLUSION

Three simple risk classifications using preoperative non-invasive prognostic factors could predict prognosis.

Identifying hepatocellular carcinoma patients with survival benefits from surgery combined with chemotherapy: based on machine learning model

BACKGROUND

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is still fatal even after surgical resection. The purpose of this study was to analyze the prognostic factors of 5-year survival rate and to establish a model to identify HCC patients with gain of surgery combined with chemotherapy.

METHODS

All patients with HCC after surgery from January 2010 to December 2015 were selected from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database. Univariate and multivariate logistic analysis were used to analyze the prognostic factors of patients, and the risk prediction model of 5-year survival rate of HCC patients was established by classical decision tree method. Propensity score matching was used to eliminate the confounding factors of whether to receive chemotherapy in high-risk group or low-risk group.

RESULTS

One-thousand six-hundred twenty-five eligible HCC patients were included in the study. Marital status, α-fetoprotein (AFP), vascular infiltration, tumor size, number of lesions, and grade were independent prognostic factors affecting the 5-year survival rate of HCC patients. The area under the curve of the 5-year survival risk prediction model constructed from the above variables was 0.76, and the classification accuracy, precision, recall, and F1 scores were 0.752, 0.83, 0.842, and 0.836, respectively. High-risk patients classified according to the prediction model had better 5-year survival rate after chemotherapy, while there was no difference in 5-year survival rate between patients receiving chemotherapy and patients not receiving chemotherapy in the low-risk group.

CONCLUSIONS

The 5-year survival risk prediction model constructed in this study provides accurate survival prediction information. The high-risk patients determined according to the prediction model may benefit from the 5-year survival rate after combined chemotherapy.

Preoperative Serum Markers and Risk Classification in Intrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma: A Multicenter Retrospective Study

Accurate risk stratification selects patients who are expected to benefit most from surgery. This retrospective study enrolled 225 Japanese patients with intrahepatic cholangiocellular carcinoma (ICC) who underwent hepatectomy between January 2009 and December 2020 and identified preoperative blood test biomarkers to formulate a classification system that predicted prognosis. The optimal cut-off values of blood test parameters were determined by ROC curve analysis, with Cox univariate and multivariate analyses identifying prognostic factors. Risk classifications were established using classification and regression tree (CART) analysis. CART analysis revealed decision trees for recurrence-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS) and created three risk classifications based on machine learning of preoperative serum markers. Five-year rates differed significantly (p < 0.001) between groups: 60.4% (low-risk), 22.8% (moderate-risk), and 4.1% (high-risk) for RFS and 69.2% (low-risk), 32.3% (moderate-risk), and 9.2% (high-risk) for OS. No difference in OS was observed between patients in the low-risk group with or without postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy, although OS improved in the moderate group and was prolonged significantly in the high-risk group receiving chemotherapy. Stratification of patients with ICC who underwent hepatectomy into three risk groups for RFS and OS identified preoperative prognostic factors that predicted prognosis and were easy to understand and apply clinically.

Management of hepatocellular carcinoma patients with portal vein tumor thrombosis: A narrative review

BACKGROUND

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the main reasons for malignancy-related death. Portal vein tumor thrombosis (PVTT) is the most common form of macrovascular invasion related to HCC occurring in 10%-60% of patients. HCC with PVTT is usually characterized by worsening liver function, vulnerability to blood metastasis, higher incidence of complications associated with portal hypertension, and intolerance to treatment when compared with that without PVTT. If only treated with supportive care, the median survival of HCC with PVTT is about 2.7 months. In the past, sorafenib was the only recommended therapy by guidelines with limited effectiveness. This narrative review aimed to describe the current management options for HCC with PVTT.

DATA SOURCES

We have reviewed literature from PubMed on the treatment of HCC with PVTT and compiled evidence-based facts on effective therapies available for different types of PVTT.

RESULTS

Sorafenib monotherapy is not much effective, but combining it with other methods can improve survival. Each type of PVTT can benefit from the combination of transarterial chemoembolization and sorafenib than sorafenib monotherapy. The tumor downstaging can be realized possibly after transarterial chemoembolization, but tumor invasion into the main trunk of the portal vein greatly impairs efficacy. Although surgery is a curative approach, it is often not recommended for Vp4 PVTT. Some new methods can broaden the indication, but further explorations are needed. Radiotherapy can decrease the possibility of Vp3 progression to Vp4, but building a forecast model of best radiation dose and response is necessary. Systemic chemotherapy, hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy, radiofrequency ablation, portal stenting, and traditional Chinese medicine are also beneficial in Vp3-4 PVTT. The accurate diagnosis of PVTT can be made by radiomics, and prognostic classification models can be used to design personalized treatments. The application of new treatment methods such as the atezolizumab plus bevacizumab scheme may increase survival.

CONCLUSIONS

HCC with PVTT is still a thorny problem, and effective therapeutics need to be explored.

Prognosis of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma and portal vein tumor thrombus treated with combination of transarterial chemoembolization and palliative thermal ablation

PURPOSE

Transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) was obtained acceptable benefit for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Here in this study, we compared the benefit of TACE combined palliative thermal ablation with TACE alone for HCC with portal vein tumor thrombus (PVTT).

METHODS

Patients with HCC and PVTT were retrospectively analyzed from January 2012 to December 2017, who accepted treatment of TACE alone (TACE group) or TACE plus palliative thermal ablation (TACE + P-ablation group). Propensity score matching (PSM) was applied to balance differences between the two groups. Overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) rates were compared between groups.

RESULTS

Median follow-up time was 7.4 (3.0-60.0) months. In the cohort, 142 patients were enrolled in TACE group and 86 patients were enrolled in TACE + P-ablation group. The pre-PSM estimated 6-, 12-, and 18-month OS rates for the TACE + P-ablation group were 70.9, 46.5, and 31%, respectively, whereas rates for the TACE group were 57, 23.1, and 10%, respectively. After PSM, OS and PFS rates remained coincident with the pre-PSM. Risk factors for poor OS included PVTT type III and type II relative to type I (HR = 1.76; 95% CI, 1.13-2.74; p = .01) and (HR = 1.86; 95% CI, 1.2-2.88; p = .006), TACE alone (HR = 1.40; 95% CI, 1.01-1.96; p = .04), a single TACE treatment (HR = 2.69; 95% CI, 1.79-4.03; p < .001), 2 or 3 TACE treatments (HR = 2.02; 95% CI, 1.32-3.09; p = .001).

CONCLUSIONS

The combination of TACE and palliative thermal ablation for HCC with PVTT could obtain delayed progression and longer survival.

The Progress in the Treatment of Hepatocellular Carcinoma With Portal Vein Tumor Thrombus

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of most prevalent cancer and is a serious healthcare issue worldwide. Portal vein tumor thrombus (PVTT) is a frequent complication and remains as the blockage in the treatment of HCC with high recurrence rate and poor prognosis. There is still no global consensus or standard guideline on the management of HCC with PVTT. In western countries, Sorafenib and Lenvatinib are recommended as the first-line treatment options for HCC patients with PVTT where this condition is now regarded as BCLC Stage C regardless of PVTT types. However, there is growing evidence that supports the close relationship of the extent of PVTT to the prognosis of HCC. Besides the targeted therapy, more aggressive treatment modalities have been proposed and practiced in the clinic which may improve the prognosis of HCC patients with PVTT and prolong the patients’ survival time, such as transarterial chemoembolization, radiotherapy, hepatic resection, liver transplantation, and various combination therapies. Herein, we aim to review and summarize the advances in the treatment of HCC with PVTT.

Complete Response of Hepatocellular Carcinoma with Macroscopic Vascular Invasion and Pulmonary Metastasis to the Combination of Drug-Eluting Beads Transarterial Chemoembolization and Huaier Granule: A Case Report

Background

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) associated with macroscopic vascular invasion and distant metastasis is an advanced-stage disease with an extremely poor prognosis and low survival rate. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop novel therapeutic strategies to extend the lives of patients with advanced HCC.

Case Presentation

We represent a case of HCC with macroscopic vascular invasion and pulmonary metastasis responding dramatically to the combination treatment with drug-eluting beads transarterial chemoembolization (DEB-TACE) and Huaier granule. A 64-year-old man with hepatitis B virus (HBV)-induced liver cirrhosis was diagnosed with advanced HCC involved renal vein and inferior vena cava accompanied by pulmonary metastasis. The patient received three cycles of on-demand DEB-TACE from 9th September 2016 to 22nd August 2017 and combined with Huaier granule 20 g three times a day orally. Eight months following the treatment, complete response occurred with regression of HCC and vascular thrombus and disappearance of pulmonary metastasis. The levels of AFP had decreased from 8165.8ng/mL to within the normal range (1.7 ng/mL). This is the first case report of complete response of HCC to the combination treatment with DEB-TACE and Huaier granule. At the most recent follow-up, he remained in remission 36 months after cessation of treatment without clinical or imaging evidence of disease recurrence. The current overall survival is 54 months since the initial treatment.

Conclusion

Data from this clinical case report suggest that the combination treatment with DEB-TACE and Huaier granule is a promising therapeutic option for advanced HCC with macroscopic vascular invasion and distant metastasis.

Postoperative adjuvant TACE-associated nomogram for predicting the prognosis of resectable Hepatocellular Carcinoma with portal vein Tumor Thrombus after Liver Resection

Background: To explore the effects of postoperative adjuvant transarterial chemoembolization (PA-TACE) on the prognosis of HCC patients with Portal Vein Tumor Thrombus (PVTT) undergoing resection, and to develop a PA-TACE-related nomogram for predicting survival individually. Patients and Methods: Two hundred and ninety-three consecutive HCC patients with PVTT under R0 hepatectomy were recruited. Forty-seven cases had recurrence within one month after surgery. The remaining 246 cases consisted of 90 PA-TACE and 156 non-PA-TACE cases. COX regression analysis was performed for overall survival (OS) or recurrence-free survival (RFS) of these 246 cases, allowing the derivation of independent factors that were integrated into the nomogram. C-index, calibration curves, and risk stratification were performed to evaluate the performance and discriminative power of the nomograms. Results: In 246 patients without recurrence within one month after surgery, the OS and RFS for the PA-TACE group were significantly better than those for the non-PA-TACE group (P<0.0001, P<0.0001, respectively). After Cox regression analysis of OS or RFS, PA-TACE-related nomogram models were constructed. The C-index of the PA-TACE-related nomogram for OS and RFS was 0.72 and 0.73, respectively. Calibration curves revealed a good agreement between predictions and observations for the nomograms. Based on the nomogram-related risk stratification, Kaplan-Meier curves showed powerful discriminative ability. Conclusions: PA-TACE therapy improved the survival of HCC patients with PVTT undergoing hepatectomy. Accurate nomogram models were developed for predicting the individual survival and recurrence of these patients.