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Updated: Dec 22, 2025
Author Spotlight: Investigating Immune Cell Dynamics in the Tumor Microenvironment — Challenges and Innovations in Cancer Prognosis
Published on: April 12, 2024
Nine-factor-based immunohistochemistry classifier predicts recurrence for early-stage hepatocellular carcinoma after
Wei-Ren Liu1, Meng-Xin Tian1, Zheng Tang1
1Department of Liver Surgery and Transplantation, Liver Cancer Institute, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University; Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Cancer Invasion of Ministry of Education, Shanghai, China.
Background:
Immunoscore have shown a promising prognostic value in many cancers. We aimed to establish and validate an immune classifier to predict survival after curative resection of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients who have undergone curative resection.
Methods:
The immunohistochemistry (IHC) classifier assay was performed on 664 patients with Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) stage 0 or A HCC. A nine-feature-based HCC-IHC classifier was then constructed by the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator method. The associations between the HCC-IHC classifier and patient outcomes were assessed. Herein, a nomogram was generated from the Cox regression coefficients and evaluated by decision curve analysis.
Results:
We constructed an HCC-IHC classifier based on nine features; significant differences were found between the low-HCC-IHC classifier patients and high-HCC-IHC classifier patients in the training cohort in the 5-year relapse-free survival rates (46.7% vs. 26.7%, respectively; P < 0.001). The HCC-IHC classifier-based nomogram presented better accuracy than traditional staging systems.
Conclusions:
In conclusion, the HCC-IHC classifier could effectively predict recurrence in early-stage HCC patients and supplemented the prognostic value of the BCLC staging system. The HCC-IHC classifier may facilitate patient decision-making and individualise the management of postoperative patients with early-stage HCC.
