Hepatocellular carcinoma treated by conventional transarterial chemoembolization in field-practice: serum sodium...

To assess the prognostic role of baseline clinical, biochemical and radiological characteristics of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) treated with the first transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) procedure.

Patients with HCC treated with conventional TACE in a tertiary care setting from 1997 to 2008 were retrospectively reviewed. Predictors of survival were identified using the Cox proportional regression model.

Two hundred and seventy patients were included. Median age was 66 years, 81% were male, 58% were HCV-positive, 18% hepatitis B surface antigen-positive, 64% had a Child A status, 40% patients had a largest nodule diameter ≥ 5 cm and 32% had more than 3 tumor nodules. Median overall survival of the whole cohort was 25 mo (95%CI: 21.8-28.2) and the 1-, 2- and 3-year probability of survival was 80%, 50% and 31%, respectively. Non-tumor segmental portal vein thrombosis (HR = 1.76, 95%CI: 1.22-2.54), serum sodium (HR = 1.65, 95%CI: 1.25-2.18), diameter of largest nodule (HR = 1.59, 95%CI: 1.22-2.091), number of nodules (HR = 1.41, 95%CI: 1.06-1.88), alpha-fetoprotein (HR = 1.35, 95%CI: 1.03-1.76) and alkaline phosphatase (HR = 1.33, 95%CI: 1.01-1.74) were independent prognostic factors for overall survival on multivariate analysis.

The inclusion of serum sodium alongside the already known prognostic factors may allow a better prognostic definition of patients with HCC as candidates for conventional TACE.