A Proposal for a Simple Subclassification of Advanced Hepatocellular Carcinoma in Systemic Treatment

Overview

Journal Cancers (Basel)

Publisher MDPI

Specialty Oncology

Date 2024 Nov 27

PMID 39594752

Authors

Norihiro Imai

Takafumi Yamamoto

Kazuyuki Mizuno

Shinya Yokoyama

Kenta Yamamoto

Takanori Ito

Yoji Ishizu

Teiji Kuzuya

Takashi Honda

Tetsuya Ishikawa

Hiroki Kawashima

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Objectives: This study focused on the presence or absence of vascular invasion and extrahepatic metastasis in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and examined their impact on systemic treatment outcomes.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 362 patients with unresectable HCC who received first-line systemic therapy. The prognostic evaluation was based on the presence of vascular invasion and extrahepatic metastasis at the time of treatment initiation.

Results: Patients with vascular invasion or extrahepatic metastasis (advanced group) had significantly worse outcomes than those without these features (intermediate group), with median survival times of 434 and 658 days, respectively. Further subdivision of the advanced group into three categories-patients with only extrahepatic metastasis (m group, n = 77), patients with only vascular invasion (v group, n = 78), and patients with both vascular invasion and extrahepatic metastasis (vm group, n = 52)-revealed that the m group had significantly better outcomes than those in the other two groups, with median survival times of 649, 323, and 187 days, respectively. A comparison of the clinical backgrounds among the three groups demonstrated that the m group had significantly better liver function at the time of treatment initiation than that in the other two groups. Multivariable analysis, including performance status, Child-Pugh score, and the use of immune checkpoint inhibitors as first-line therapy, identified the m group as an independent and significant prognostic factor (hazard ratio, 0.50).

Conclusions: Unresectable HCC with extrahepatic metastasis and no vascular invasion represents a novel staging category for systemic treatment.

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