Abstract
BACKGROUND: Transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) is a primary treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in patients with liver cirrhosis. Prognostic markers that reliably predict outcomes in these patients post-TACE remain insufficiently defined. Systemic inflammatory markers such as the Pan-Immunological Value (PIV), Platelet-Lymphocyte Ratio (PLR), Lymphocyte-Monocyte Ratio (LMR), Neutrophil-Platelet Ratio (NPR), and Neutrophil-Lymphocyte Ratio (NLR) offer potential prognostic insights for various disease. This study aims to evaluate this markers to ascertain their predictive value in determining prognosis post-TACE. METHODS: This retrospective study involved 216 patients with HCC and cirrhosis treated with TACE at a single hospital from May 2017 to May 2023. Patients were stratified into good (n = 92) and poor prognosis groups (n = 124) based on one-year post-operative outcomes using the Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST). We evaluated preoperative inflammatory markers, biochemical and imaging data, and utilized univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses to determine predictive factors for prognosis. RESULTS: Patients in the poor prognosis group exhibited significantly higher PIV, PLR, NLR, and NPR, and lower LMR (P < 0.05). Multivariate analysis identified PIV and NPR as the strongest independent predictors of poor prognosis (OR: 1.021, P < 0.001 and OR: 2.909, P < 0.001, respectively). ROC analysis demonstrated that PIV had the greatest predictive accuracy (AUC = 0.803). CONCLUSION: PIV, PLR, LMR, NPR, and NLR serve as significant prognostic markers for patients with HCC undergoing TACE in the context of liver cirrhosis.