Using serum α-fetoprotein for prognostic prediction in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma: what is the most optimal cutoff?

PloS One
Chia-Yang HsuTeh-Ia Huo

Abstract

The prognostic ability of α-fetoprotein (AFP) for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) was examined by using different cutoff values. The optimal AFP cutoff level is still unclear. A total of 2579 HCC patients were consecutively enrolled in Taiwan, where hepatitis B is the major etiology of chronic liver disease. Four frequently used AFP cutoff levels, 20, 200, 400, 1000 ng/mL, were investigated. One-to-one matched pairs between patients having AFP higher and lower than the cutoffs were selected by using the propensity model. The adjusted hazard ratios of survival difference were calculated with Cox proportional hazards model. Patients with a higher AFP level were associated with more severe cirrhosis, more frequent vascular invasion, higher tumor burden and poorer performance status (all p<0.0001). In the propensity model, 4 groups of paired patients were selected, and there was no difference found in the comparison of baseline characteristics (all p>0.05). Patients with AFP <20 ng/mL had significantly better long-term survival than patients with AFP ≧20 ng/mL (p<0.0001), and patients with AFP <400 ng/mL had significantly better overall outcome than patients with AFP ≧400 ng/mL (p = 0.0186). There was no difference of ...Continue Reading

References

Dec 29, 2000·Journal of Clinical Gastroenterology·P TangkijvanichY Poovorawan
Feb 6, 2004·Liver Transplantation : Official Publication of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases and the International Liver Transplantation Society·Thomas A GonwaGoran B Klintmalm
Oct 27, 2005·Hepatology : Official Journal of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases·Jordi BruixUNKNOWN Practice Guidelines Committee, American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases
Oct 30, 2007·Journal of the American College of Surgeons·Georgios C SotiropoulosMassimo Malagó
May 10, 2008·Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology·Noboru MitsuhashiMasaru Miyazaki
May 13, 2008·Gastroenterology·Hashem B El-SeragK Rajender Reddy
Aug 7, 2009·American Journal of Transplantation : Official Journal of the American Society of Transplantation and the American Society of Transplant Surgeons·M FujikiS Uemoto
Apr 14, 2012·Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology·Yun-Hsuan LeeShou-Dong Lee
Jul 19, 2012·Hepatology : Official Journal of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases·Chia-Yang HsuTeh-Ia Huo
Oct 15, 2013·Statistics in Medicine·Peter C Austin

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Citations

Jun 19, 2015·Expert Opinion on Drug Discovery·Yuan Lin, Yi Zheng
Jan 20, 2018·Hepatology : Official Journal of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases·Chia-Jui YenWenya Huang
Mar 7, 2019·Digestive Diseases and Sciences·Trevor W ReichmanNarendra R Battula
May 18, 2019·American Society of Clinical Oncology Educational Book·Brian C GriebCrystal S Denlinger
Sep 15, 2020·World Journal of Gastroenterology : WJG·Jae H YoonChung H Jun
May 18, 2016·World Journal of Hepatology·Peng-Sheng YiMing-Qing Xu

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Methods Mentioned

BETA
imaging technique
surgical resection
CLIP

Related Concepts

Trending Feeds

COVID-19

Coronaviruses encompass a large family of viruses that cause the common cold as well as more serious diseases, such as the ongoing outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19; formally known as 2019-nCoV). Coronaviruses can spread from animals to humans; symptoms include fever, cough, shortness of breath, and breathing difficulties; in more severe cases, infection can lead to death. This feed covers recent research on COVID-19.

Blastomycosis

Blastomycosis fungal infections spread through inhaling Blastomyces dermatitidis spores. Discover the latest research on blastomycosis fungal infections here.

Nuclear Pore Complex in ALS/FTD

Alterations in nucleocytoplasmic transport, controlled by the nuclear pore complex, may be involved in the pathomechanism underlying multiple neurodegenerative diseases including Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Frontotemporal Dementia. Here is the latest research on the nuclear pore complex in ALS and FTD.

Applications of Molecular Barcoding

The concept of molecular barcoding is that each original DNA or RNA molecule is attached to a unique sequence barcode. Sequence reads having different barcodes represent different original molecules, while sequence reads having the same barcode are results of PCR duplication from one original molecule. Discover the latest research on molecular barcoding here.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Chronic fatigue syndrome is a disease characterized by unexplained disabling fatigue; the pathology of which is incompletely understood. Discover the latest research on chronic fatigue syndrome here.

Evolution of Pluripotency

Pluripotency refers to the ability of a cell to develop into three primary germ cell layers of the embryo. This feed focuses on the mechanisms that underlie the evolution of pluripotency. Here is the latest research.

Position Effect Variegation

Position Effect Variagation occurs when a gene is inactivated due to its positioning near heterochromatic regions within a chromosome. Discover the latest research on Position Effect Variagation here.

STING Receptor Agonists

Stimulator of IFN genes (STING) are a group of transmembrane proteins that are involved in the induction of type I interferon that is important in the innate immune response. The stimulation of STING has been an active area of research in the treatment of cancer and infectious diseases. Here is the latest research on STING receptor agonists.

Microbicide

Microbicides are products that can be applied to vaginal or rectal mucosal surfaces with the goal of preventing, or at least significantly reducing, the transmission of sexually transmitted infections. Here is the latest research on microbicides.