Osteosarcopenia impacts treatment outcomes for Barcelona Cancer Liver Classification stage A hepatocellular carcinoma

Aim

To study the effect of preoperative osteosarcopenia (OSP) on the prognosis of treatment (surgery or radiofrequency ablation (RFA)) in patients with Barcelona Cancer Liver Classification stage A hepatocellular carcinoma (BCLC A HCC).

Methods

This study enrolled 102 patients with BCLC A HCC who underwent surgical resection (n = 45) and RFA (n = 57); the patients were divided into two groups: OSP (n = 33) and non-OSP (n = 69). Overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) curves for both the groups and treatment methods (surgery and RFA) were generated using the Kaplan–Meier method and compared using the log-rank test. Univariate analyses for OS and DFS were performed using log-rank test. Multivariate analyses were performed for factors that were significant at univariate analysis by Cox proportional hazard model.

Results

Multivariate analysis showed that OSP (HR 2.44; 95 % CI 1.30–4.55; p < 0.01) and treatment (HR 0.57; 95 % CI 0.31–0.99; p = 0.05) were significant independent predictors of DFS; and treatment (HR, 0.30; 95 % CI 0.10–0.85; p = 0.03) was a significant independent predictor of OS in the non-OSP group, in which the OS rate was significantly lower in patients treated with RFA than in those treated by resection (p = 0.01).

Conclusions

OSP is a prognostic factor for BCLC A HCC treatment. Surgical approach was associated with a significantly better prognosis in patients without OSP compared to those who underwent RFA.