Premium
High serum des‐gamma‐carboxy prothrombin level predicts poor prognosis after radiofrequency ablation of hepatocellular carcinoma
Author(s) -
Kobayashi Masahiro,
Ikeda Kenji,
Kawamura Yusuke,
Yatsuji Hiromi,
Hosaka Tetsuya,
Sezaki Hitomi,
Akuta Norio,
Suzuki Fumitaka,
Suzuki Yoshiyuki,
Saitoh Satoshi,
Arase Yasuji,
Kumada Hiromitsu
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
cancer
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.052
H-Index - 304
eISSN - 1097-0142
pISSN - 0008-543X
DOI - 10.1002/cncr.24031
Subject(s) - medicine , hepatocellular carcinoma , radiofrequency ablation , hazard ratio , gastroenterology , cirrhosis , confidence interval , stage (stratigraphy) , prothrombin time , surgery , ablation , paleontology , biology
BACKGROUND: Currently, surgical resection is considered the first‐line treatment for early stage hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) has been an alternative choice for unresectable HCC. However, RFA is expected to have similar therapeutic efficacy for early stage HCC with fewer invasions. METHODS: The authors retrospectively analyzed 199 patients who underwent surgery and 209 patients who underwent RFA for HCC with a maximum diameter of ≤3 cm and tumors numbering ≤3. All patients were complicated with Child‐Pugh A cirrhosis. RESULTS: The 3‐ and 5‐year survival rates of the resection (90.3%, 79.0%, respectively) and RFA groups were similar (87.4%, 74.8). The 1‐ and 3‐year tumor recurrence‐free survival rates of the resection group (83.1%, 51.0%, respectively) were higher than in the RFA group (82.7%, 41.8%; P = .011). Multivariate analysis identified prothrombin time ≥80% (hazard ratio [HR], 2.72; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.56‐4.74; P < .001) as an independent prognostic factor for survival in the resection group. Des‐gamma‐carboxy prothrombin (DCP) <100 arbitrary units (AU)/L (HR, 5.49; CI, 2.23‐13.5; P < .001) and platelet count ≥1.0 × 10 5 (HR, 2.70; CI, 1.24‐5.88; P = .012) were significant markers in the RFA group. Among patients with DCP ≥100 AU/L, treatment procedure (HR, 1.26; CI, 1.04‐1.53; P = .020) was a significant prognostic factor for survival. CONCLUSIONS: High DCP levels reflect the biologic aggressiveness and progression of HCC tumors. In the aforementioned cases, we recommend surgical resection rather than RFA for such patients. Cancer 2009. © 2008 American Cancer Society.