Abstract
Background: Sorafenib is the current standard of care for patients with advanced or metastatic hepatocellular carcinoma. Currently no universally agreed model exists correlating the Neutrophil Lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and non-secretion of AFP with the survival of HCC patients treated with sorafenib. Patients and Methods: We retrospectively analysed patient records with a confirmed diagnosis of HCC treated with sorafenib between April 2009 and March 2014. Survival analysis was performed using the Kaplan–Meier method and Cox regression. Results: Patients separated into groups based on NLR (≤3 or >3), or AFP secretion profile (<7 ng/ml or ≥7 ng/ml) derived diverging Kaplan–Meier curves for overall survival (OS). The median OS in those with NLR ≤3.0 was 9.0 months (95% CI: 7.7–11.1 months) and in those with NLR >3.0 it was 6.0 months (95% CI: 4.9–8.2 months) [HR 1.32 (95% CI: 0.96–1.80)]. The median overall survival post sorafenib was higher in the “non-secretor” AFP group. OS for AFP <7 ng/ml was 10.0 months (95% CI: 7.7–19.3 months) compared to AFP ≥7ng/ml: 6.6 months (95% CI: 5.3–8.4 months) [HR 1.64 (95% CI: 1.15–2.33)]. Conclusion: NLR and AFP non - secretion at diagnosis are potential significant prognosticators for overall survival from initiation of sorafenib.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 16988–16995 |
Number of pages | 8 |
Journal | OncoTarget |
Volume | 9 |
Issue number | 24 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 30 Mar 2018 |
Keywords
- Neutrophil lymphocyte ratio (NLR)
- Alpha-fetoprotein (AFP)
- Hepatocellular carcinoma
- Sorafenib
- Survival