https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6875-2303
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Abstract
Background
The Apolipoprotein-related MORtality RISk (AMORIS) study in Sweden revealed that serum uric acid (SUA) was significantly associated with hepatobiliary cancer occurrence. However, the association with postoperative hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) recurrence has not been reported.
Methods
A total of 256 surgically resected HCC patients were included (from January 2003 to December 2017) in this study. Comparisons in terms of clinicopathologic factors and long-term outcomes were made between patients with high SUA (>6.1 mg/dl) at the time of hepatectomy and low SUA. Besides, SUA data at one postoperative year (1POY) of the same cohort were collected and analyzed in the same manner.
Results
About 88.8% of tumor relapse sites were the remnant liver. High SUA levels were associated with male and well-differentiated HCCs. Recurrence-free survival (RFS) of high SUA patients was significantly inferior to low SUA patients [median survival time (MST): 22.7 vs. 28.5 mo, P = 0.033], whereas no difference was observed in overall survival (MST: both not reached, P = 0.771). RFS of high SUA patients at 1POY also showed significantly poorer outcomes than low SUA patients (MST: 29.3 vs. 57.0 mo, P = 0.049).
Conclusions
High SUA implies a significant risk factor of activating hepatocarcinogenesis. Keeping the SUA level low may be recommended after HCC resections.
Acknowledgments
We would like to appreciate RJ Frampton from Edanz group (www.edanzediting.com/ac) for editing a draft of this manuscript.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.
Author Contributions
M.H. and S.Y. designed the project. M.H. and H.T. collected clinical data and blood examination data and analyzed them. M.H., S.Y., H.T., Y.I. and F.S. performed hepatectomy and followed up the patients. D.S., N.H., M.K., C.T., G.N, M.K. and M.F. reviewed the manuscript. S.Y. and Y.K. prepared the materials and analytic tools. M.H. S.Y and H.T. wrote the manuscript.
Data Availability Statement
The datasets generated during the current study are not publicly available due to containing patients` information but are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.