The Significance of the Rapid Turnover Protein Score as a Predictor of the Long-Term Outcomes in Hepatocellular Carcinoma After Hepatic Resection.

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Nutritional status assessment is essential in cancer patients because a poor nutritional status has been associated with poor outcomes; however, the impact of rapid turnover proteins (RTPs), such as prealbumin, transferrin, and retinol-binding protein, on the outcomes of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has not been well-investigated. We therefore examined the prognostic significance of RTPs in patients with HCC after curative resection. METHODS: This study included 150 patients who underwent elective hepatic resection for HCC between January 2011 and December 2018. The prealbumin, transferrin, and retinol-binding protein levels were classified into two groups (high vs. low); the RTP score (0-3) was calculated as the sum of each RTP measurement (high = 0; low = 1). We retrospectively investigated the relationship between the RTP score and disease-free and overall survival. RESULTS: Multivariate analysis showed that a high RTP score (P = 0.022), presence of sarcopenia (P = 0.001), and stage III or higher (P = 0.005) were independent predictors of disease-free survival, while a high RTP score (P < 0.001), presence of sarcopenia (P = 0.017), and stage III or higher (P = 0.012) were independent predictors of overall survival. In patients with high RTP scores, positive hepatitis B and C viral infection, high indocyanine green (ICG) at 15 min (ICGR15), Child-Pugh grade B, poorly differentiated carcinoma, and postoperative ascites were more common than in patients with low RTP scores. CONCLUSION: The preoperative RTP score may be a prognostic factor in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma after hepatic resection, suggesting an important role of RTP in the assessment of nutritional status in cancer patients.