The Influence of High Serum Testosterone Levels on the Long-term Prognosis in Male Patients Undergoing Hepatectomy for Early Stage Hepatocellular Carcinoma Without Vascular Invasion

Overview

Journal World J Surg

Publisher Wiley

Specialty General Surgery

Date 2007 May 31

PMID 17534543

Citations 2

Authors

Min-Che Lin

Cheng-Chung Wu

Shao-Bin Cheng

Tse-Jia Liu

Fang-Ku Peng

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Background: The influence of high serum testosterone levels on the long-term prognosis in male patients undergoing hepatectomy for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains to be fully elucidated. The aim of the present study was to conduct a retrospective investigation of the impact of high serum testosterone levels on the risk of tumor recurrence and long-term prognosis in male patients undergoing hepatectomy for early stage HCC without vascular invasion.

Methods: Between August 1995 and March 1999, 42 male patients undergoing curative hepatectomy for HCC of tumor-node-metastasis (TNM) stages I and II without vascular invasion were enrolled in the study. Preoperative serum testosterone concentration was measured. The clinicopathological features, tumor recurrence rates, and 5-year disease-free and actuarial survival after hepatectomy were compared between the patients with serum testosterone levels in the upper half (group I, n = 21) and the patients in the lower half (group II, n = 21).

Results: The background and clinicopathological features did not differ significantly between groups I and group II. All survivors were followed up for more than 5 years. Until March 2005, patients in group I, with serum testosterone levels in the upper half, had a significantly higher percentage of 5-year tumor recurrence than group II, with lower testosterone levels (76.2% versus 28.6%; p < 0.005). The patients in group I also had a significantly inferior 5-year disease-free (p < 0.01) and actuarial (p < 0.05) survival rates than patients in group II.

Conclusions: Male patients with high serum testosterone levels undergoing hepatectomy for early stage HCC without vascular invasion have significantly higher 5-year tumor recurrence rates and an inferior long-term prognosis than patients with low testosterone levels. These findings signal a strategy of adjuvant anti-androgen treatment selectively targeted for the male patients with high serum testosterone levels after hepatectomy for early stage HCC without vascular invasion to achieve better long-term outcome.

Citing Articles

Proteomic analysis revealed common, unique and systemic signatures in gender-dependent hepatocarcinogenesis.

Li H, Rong Z, Wang H, Zhang N, Pu C, Zhao Y Biol Sex Differ. 2020; 11(1):46.

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Testosterone-induced hypertrophy, fibrosis and apoptosis of cardiac cells--an ultrastructural and immunohistochemical study.

Papamitsou T, Barlagiannis D, Papaliagkas V, Kotanidou E, Dermentzopoulou-Theodoridou M Med Sci Monit. 2011; 17(9):BR266-73.

PMID: 21873939 PMC: 3560513. DOI: 10.12659/msm.881930.

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