{"title":"Comprehensive Analysis of Radiologic Cancer-Free Status through Various Treatment Approaches in Advanced-Stage Hepatocellular Carcinoma.","authors":"Keisuke Koroki, Sadahisa Ogasawara, Ryo Izai, Takuya Yonemoto, Teppei Akatsuka, Chihiro Miwa, Sae Yumita, Masanori Inoue, Kazufumi Kobayashi, Soichiro Kiyono, Masato Nakamura, Naoya Kanogawa, Takayuki Kondo, Shingo Nakamoto, Shinichiro Nakada, Nozomu Sakai, Masayuki Yokoyama, Masayuki Ohtsuka, Naoya Kato","doi":"10.1159/000542577","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>In the realm of oncology, the pinnacle of therapeutic success is achieving a state where the patient is entirely free of cancer, i.e., \"cancer free.\" This benchmark should not only apply to early-stage malignancies but should also be the standard aim for advanced-stage diseases, including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, there is a glaring gap in the research landscape concerning the understanding of what cancer-free status truly means for advanced-stage HCC. Our study sheds light on the profound implications of reaching a cancer-free by radiologic assessments in patients with advanced-stage HCC.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We established a database tracking the full clinical course of all patients with HCC (from 2003 to 2022). We identified the initial instances of macrovascular invasion or extrahepatic spread. We defined radiologic cancer-free (rCF) as cases in which no recurrence was observed for at least 2 months following curative treatment or complete response to systemic therapies. The frequency of achieving rCF status was investigated, categorized by patients' background.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>We identified 795 patients with advanced-stage HCC. The rCF rate was 8.7%. Patients who achieved rCF status had significantly better prognoses compared to those who did not (<i>p</i> < 0.001). In the decision tree analysis, the number of tumors ≥8 was the strongest factor, making it difficult to achieve rCF status. Analysis of stage progression patterns revealed varying background characteristics at the time of advanced-stage diagnosis, with discrepancies in rCF rates.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Despite the low rate of achieving rCF status, the prognostic impact was significant. Patients with certain tumor characteristics had a higher likelihood of achieving rCF status. The distribution of tumor conditions varies based on the pattern of progression, which affects the likelihood of achieving an rCF status.</p>","PeriodicalId":18156,"journal":{"name":"Liver Cancer","volume":"14 3","pages":"286-301"},"PeriodicalIF":11.6000,"publicationDate":"2024-11-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12180894/pdf/","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Liver Cancer","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1159/000542577","RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"2025/6/1 0:00:00","PubModel":"eCollection","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"GASTROENTEROLOGY & HEPATOLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Introduction: In the realm of oncology, the pinnacle of therapeutic success is achieving a state where the patient is entirely free of cancer, i.e., "cancer free." This benchmark should not only apply to early-stage malignancies but should also be the standard aim for advanced-stage diseases, including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, there is a glaring gap in the research landscape concerning the understanding of what cancer-free status truly means for advanced-stage HCC. Our study sheds light on the profound implications of reaching a cancer-free by radiologic assessments in patients with advanced-stage HCC.
Methods: We established a database tracking the full clinical course of all patients with HCC (from 2003 to 2022). We identified the initial instances of macrovascular invasion or extrahepatic spread. We defined radiologic cancer-free (rCF) as cases in which no recurrence was observed for at least 2 months following curative treatment or complete response to systemic therapies. The frequency of achieving rCF status was investigated, categorized by patients' background.
Results: We identified 795 patients with advanced-stage HCC. The rCF rate was 8.7%. Patients who achieved rCF status had significantly better prognoses compared to those who did not (p < 0.001). In the decision tree analysis, the number of tumors ≥8 was the strongest factor, making it difficult to achieve rCF status. Analysis of stage progression patterns revealed varying background characteristics at the time of advanced-stage diagnosis, with discrepancies in rCF rates.
Conclusions: Despite the low rate of achieving rCF status, the prognostic impact was significant. Patients with certain tumor characteristics had a higher likelihood of achieving rCF status. The distribution of tumor conditions varies based on the pattern of progression, which affects the likelihood of achieving an rCF status.
期刊介绍：
Liver Cancer is a journal that serves the international community of researchers and clinicians by providing a platform for research results related to the causes, mechanisms, and therapy of liver cancer. It focuses on molecular carcinogenesis, prevention, surveillance, diagnosis, and treatment, including molecular targeted therapy. The journal publishes clinical and translational research in the field of liver cancer in both humans and experimental models. It publishes original and review articles and has an Impact Factor of 13.8. The journal is indexed and abstracted in various platforms including PubMed, PubMed Central, Web of Science, Science Citation Index, Science Citation Index Expanded, Google Scholar, DOAJ, Chemical Abstracts Service, Scopus, Embase, Pathway Studio, and WorldCat.
求助内容：
应助结果提醒方式：
京公网安备 11010802042870号
