Preoperative tumor abnormal protein is a promising biomarker for predicting hepatocellular carcinoma oncological outcome following curative resection

Introduction and Objectives: The objective of this study was to explore the potential relationship between tumor abnormal protein (TAP) and the prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) after a radical hepatectomy. Patients or Materials and Methods: This retrospective study included 168 HCC patients (tumor recurrence in 78 patients) who underwent a curative resection from January 2018 to June 2020. The whole population was categorized into a TAP high (>= 224.6 mu m(2)) or a TAP low group (<224.6 mu m(2)). Results: There was no correlation between maximum tumor size and TAP. In the whole population or subgroups stratified by maximum tumor size, the recurrence-free survival (RFS) rate of the TAP low group was significantly higher than TAP high group (P < 0.05 for all). The multivariate analysis revealed that TAP (hazard ratio [HR], 3.47; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.18-5.51; P < 0.001), large tumor size (HR, 2.18; 95% CI, 1.36-3.49; P < 0.001), poor tumor differentiation (HR, 0.53; 95% CI, 0.33-0.84; P = 0.007), and presence of microvascular invasion (MVI) (HR, 2.03; 95% CI, 1.28-3.22; P = 0.003) were independently associated with RFS. The prognostic implication of the nomogram incorporating TAP, maximum tumor diameter, tumor differentiation, and MVI was stronger than the model without TAP. Conclusion: The present study suggests that higher preoperative TAP is correlated with undesirable prognosis in HCC patients who underwent a radical hepatectomy. Our study provides a robust nomogram for RFS of postoperative HCC patients.

Automated summary

This study aimed to explore the potential relationship between tumor abnormal protein (TAP) and the prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) after a radical hepatectomy. The results showed that higher TAP was associated with poor prognosis. The study established a prognostic scoring system that can help assess the recurrence-free survival of postoperative HCC patients.