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Updated: Jun 19, 2026

A Three-Dimensional Spheroid Model to Investigate the Tumor-Stromal Interaction in Hepatocellular Carcinoma
Published on: September 30, 2021
Evolution of prognostic factors in hepatocellular carcinoma in Japan
K Nouso1, Y Kobayashi, S Nakamura
1Department of Molecular Hepatology, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry, and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama 700-8558, Japan. nouso@cc.okayama-u.ac.jp
Background:
The surveillance of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has become prevalent, and the modalities for its treatment have improved.
Aim:
To understand the changes that occur in the characteristics and prognostic factors of HCC with time.
Methods:
Newly diagnosed HCC patients were divided into two groups; patients treated before 31 December 2000 (n = 504), and after 1 January 2001 (n = 746), and their clinical backgrounds and prognostic factors were analysed.
Results:
The number of patients negative for both Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and Hepatitis C virus antibody (HCVAb) increased with time (NBNC-HCC). The size of HCC decreased in patients who were positive for HBsAg (B-HCC) or HCVAb (C-HCC), whereas no difference was observed in NBNC-HCC. The patient survival of C-HCC improved; however, no difference was detected for NBNC-HCC. In multivariate analysis, low albumin, high aspartate aminotransferase (AST), ascites, large tumour size, multiple tumour number and high alpha-fetoprotein were risk factors for survival before 2000, whereas the presence of HBsAg was additionally selected as a good prognostic factor and AST was excluded after 2001.
Conclusions:
The prognostic factors as well as clinical background of HCC changed with time, and the presence of HBsAg was found to be an additional good prognostic factor after 2001.
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