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Liu Z, Wu Y, Khan AA, Lun LU, Wang J, Chen J, Jia N, Zheng S, Xu X. Deep learning-based radiomics allows for a more accurate assessment of sarcopenia as a prognostic factor in hepatocellular carcinoma. J Zhejiang Univ Sci B 2024; 25:83-90. [PMID: 38163668 PMCID: PMC10758209 DOI: 10.1631/jzus.b2300363] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2023] [Accepted: 08/25/2023] [Indexed: 01/03/2024]
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common malignancies and is a major cause of cancer-related mortalities worldwide (Forner et al., 2018; He et al., 2023). Sarcopenia is a syndrome characterized by an accelerated loss of skeletal muscle (SM) mass that may be age-related or the result of malnutrition in cancer patients (Cruz-Jentoft and Sayer, 2019). Preoperative sarcopenia in HCC patients treated with hepatectomy or liver transplantation is an independent risk factor for poor survival (Voron et al., 2015; van Vugt et al., 2016). Previous studies have used various criteria to define sarcopenia, including muscle area and density. However, the lack of standardized diagnostic methods for sarcopenia limits their clinical use. In 2018, the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People (EWGSOP) renewed a consensus on the definition of sarcopenia: low muscle strength, loss of muscle quantity, and poor physical performance (Cruz-Jentoft et al., 2019). Radiological imaging-based measurement of muscle quantity or mass is most commonly used to evaluate the degree of sarcopenia. The gold standard is to measure the SM and/or psoas muscle (PM) area using abdominal computed tomography (CT) at the third lumbar vertebra (L3), as it is linearly correlated to whole-body SM mass (van Vugt et al., 2016). According to a "North American Expert Opinion Statement on Sarcopenia," SM index (SMI) is the preferred measure of sarcopenia (Carey et al., 2019). The variability between morphometric muscle indexes revealed that they have different clinical relevance and are generally not applicable to broader populations (Esser et al., 2019).
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhikun Liu
- Key Laboratory of Integrated Oncology and Intelligent Medicine of Zhejiang Province, Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Affiliated Hangzhou First People's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310006, China
- NHC Key Laboratory of Combined Multi-organ Transplantation, Hangzhou 310003, China
| | - Yichao Wu
- Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310058, China
- NHC Key Laboratory of Combined Multi-organ Transplantation, Hangzhou 310003, China
| | - Abid Ali Khan
- Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310058, China
- NHC Key Laboratory of Combined Multi-organ Transplantation, Hangzhou 310003, China
| | - L U Lun
- Department of Radiology, Easter Hepatobiliary Surgery Hospital, Naval Medical University, Shanghai 200438, China
| | - Jianguo Wang
- Key Laboratory of Integrated Oncology and Intelligent Medicine of Zhejiang Province, Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Affiliated Hangzhou First People's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310006, China
- NHC Key Laboratory of Combined Multi-organ Transplantation, Hangzhou 310003, China
| | - Jun Chen
- Key Laboratory of Integrated Oncology and Intelligent Medicine of Zhejiang Province, Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Affiliated Hangzhou First People's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310006, China
- NHC Key Laboratory of Combined Multi-organ Transplantation, Hangzhou 310003, China
| | - Ningyang Jia
- Department of Radiology, Easter Hepatobiliary Surgery Hospital, Naval Medical University, Shanghai 200438, China.
| | - Shusen Zheng
- Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, the First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310003, China.
- NHC Key Laboratory of Combined Multi-organ Transplantation, Hangzhou 310003, China.
- Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Shulan (Hangzhou) Hospital, Hangzhou 310022, China.
| | - Xiao Xu
- Key Laboratory of Integrated Oncology and Intelligent Medicine of Zhejiang Province, Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Affiliated Hangzhou First People's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310006, China.
- Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310058, China.
- NHC Key Laboratory of Combined Multi-organ Transplantation, Hangzhou 310003, China.
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Li J, Qin C, Wu Y, Cheng S, Wang Y, Chen H, Chen F, Chen B, Li J. Targeting LRRC41 as a potential therapeutic approach for hepatocellular carcinoma. Front Mol Biosci 2023; 10:1300294. [PMID: 38192337 PMCID: PMC10773795 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2023.1300294] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2023] [Accepted: 12/04/2023] [Indexed: 01/10/2024] Open
Abstract
Introduction: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common primary liver cancer, characterized by high mortality rate. In clinical practice, several makers of liver cancer, such as VEGFR1, FGFR1 and PDGFRα, were identified and their potentials as a therapeutic target were explored. However, the unsatisfied treatment results emphasized the needs of new therapeutic targets. Methods: 112 HCC patients samples were obtained to evaluate the expression of LRRC41, SOX9, CD44, and EPCAM in HCC, combined with prognosis analysis. A DEN-induced HCC rat model was constructed to verify the expression of LRRC41 and SOX9 in HCC and lung metastasis tissues. Immune score evaluation was analysized by bioinformatics methods. Network pharmacology was performed to explored the potential FDA-approved drugs targeting LRRC41. Results: Through analysis of the Timer database and tissue micro-array, we confirmed that LRRC41 was over-expressed in HCC and exhibited a significant positive correlation with recurrence and metastasis. Immunohistochemistry staining of human HCC tissue samples revealed significant upregulation of LRRC41, SOX9, CD44, and EPCAM, with LRRC41 showing a positive correlation with SOX9, CD44, and EPCAM expression. UALCAN database analysis indicated that LRRC41 and SOX9 contribute to poor prognosis whereas CD44 and EPCAM did not demonstrate the same significance. Furthermore, analysis of a DEN-induced HCC rat model confirmed the significantly elevated expression of LRRC41 and SOX9 in HCC and lung metastasis tissues. Drug sensitivity analysis and molecular docking targeting LRRC41 identified several FDA-approved drugs, which may have potential antitumor effects on HCC by targeting LRRC41. Conclusion: Our findings highlight the role of LRRC41 overexpression in promoting HCC progression and its association with a poor prognosis. Drug sensitivity analysis and molecular docking shows several FDA-approved drugs may be potential therapeutic targets for HCC. Targeting LRRC41 may hold promise as a potential therapeutic strategy for HCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jun Li
- The Institute for Biomedical Engineering and Nano Science, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Chenjie Qin
- State Key Laboratory of Systems Medicine for Cancer, Department of Oncology, Shanghai General Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Yicheng Wu
- Department of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery, Changzheng Hospital Affiliated to the Naval Medical University, Shanghai, China
| | - Sheng Cheng
- Hongqiao International Institute of Medicine, Tongren Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Yuanqing Wang
- Wuxi School of Medicine, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, Jiangsu, China
| | - Huijie Chen
- Tongren Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Fangli Chen
- Department of Hematology, Tongren Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Bingdi Chen
- The Institute for Biomedical Engineering and Nano Science, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Jutang Li
- Hongqiao International Institute of Medicine, Tongren Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
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Xu L, Zhao D, Tian P, Ding J, Jiang Z, Ni G, Hou Z, Ni C. Development and Validation of a Prognostic Model for Transarterial Chemoembolization in Unresectable Hepatocellular Carcinoma Based on Preoperative Serum Prealbumin. J Hepatocell Carcinoma 2023; 10:2239-2250. [PMID: 38107543 PMCID: PMC10725684 DOI: 10.2147/jhc.s433245] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2023] [Accepted: 12/02/2023] [Indexed: 12/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Purpose We aimed to develop a prognostic nomogram utilizing preoperative serum prealbumin levels to predict the overall survival (OS) in patients undergoing transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) for unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Patients and Methods A total of 768 individuals with unresectable HCC who underwent TACE at three medical facilities in Suzhou between January 2007 December 2018 were included. The patient cohort was assigned to a training set (n = 461) and a validation set (n = 307). Cox regression analysis identified independent prognostic factors, which were then used to construct a prognostic nomogram. Internal validation was performed in the testing group, and its effectiveness and capability were evaluated with reference to the concordance index (C-index), area under the curve (AUC), calibration curve, and decision curve analysis (DCA). Results Independent risk factors identified through Cox regression analyses included the BCLC stage, cirrhosis, invasion, tumor number, preoperative serum PALB, performance status (PS), and tumor size. The nomogram demonstrated a C-index of 0.734 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.710-0.758) in the training set and 0.717 (95% CI: 0.678-0.756) in the validation set, indicating strong discriminatory ability. The nomogram also demonstrated favorable discriminatory performance with AUC values of 0.873, 0.820, and 0.833 for 1-, 2-, and 3-year OS, respectively, in the training set, and 0.854, 0.765, and 0.724 in the validation set. The AUC value of the nomogram (0.843) was significantly higher than that of the four conventional staging systems. Moreover, calibration graphs confirmed a strong concordance between the predicted and observed results. Furthermore, DCA underscored the significant clinical utility of the nomogram. Additionally, the low-risk group exhibited considerably superior rates of survival compared to the high-risk group. Conclusion The developed nomogram demonstrated excellent prognostic capability, which served as a valuable tool for personalized clinical decision-making for patients with HCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lin Xu
- Department of Interventional Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, People’s Republic of China
| | - Dongxu Zhao
- Department of Interventional Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, People’s Republic of China
| | - Pengcheng Tian
- Department of Interventional Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, People’s Republic of China
| | - Jiaan Ding
- Department of Interventional Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, People’s Republic of China
| | - Zhengyu Jiang
- Department of Interventional Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, People’s Republic of China
| | - Guanyin Ni
- Department of Interventional Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, People’s Republic of China
| | - Zhongheng Hou
- Department of Interventional Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, People’s Republic of China
| | - Caifang Ni
- Department of Interventional Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, People’s Republic of China
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Lin Q, Jiang Z, Mo D, Liu F, Qin Y, Liang Y, Cheng Y, Huang H, Fang M. Beta2-Microglobulin as Predictive Biomarkers in the Prognosis of Hepatocellular Carcinoma and Development of a New Nomogram. J Hepatocell Carcinoma 2023; 10:1813-1825. [PMID: 37850078 PMCID: PMC10577246 DOI: 10.2147/jhc.s425344] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2023] [Accepted: 10/04/2023] [Indexed: 10/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Accurate prognosis is crucial for improving hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients, clinical management, and outcomes post-liver resection. However, the lack of reliable prognostic indicators poses a significant challenge. This study aimed to develop a user-friendly nomogram to predict HCC patients' post-resection prognosis. Methods We retrospectively analyzed the data from 1091 HCC patients, randomly split into training (n=767) and validation (n=324) cohorts. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves determined the optimal cut-off value for alpha1-microglobulin (α1MG) and Beta2-microglobulin (β2MG). Kaplan-Meier analysis assessed microglobulin's impact on survival, followed by Cox regression to identify prognostic factors and construct a nomogram. The predictive accuracy and discriminative ability of the nomogram were measured by the concordance index (C-index), calibration curves, area under the ROC curve (AUC), and decision curve analysis (DCA), and were compared with the BCLC staging system, Edmondson grade, or BCLC stage plus Edmondson grade. Results Patients with high β2MG (≥2.395mg/L) had worse overall survival (OS). The nomogram integrated β2MG, BCLC stage, Edmondson grade, microvascular invasion (MVI), and serum carbohydrate antigen 199 (CA199) levels. C-index for training and validation cohorts (0.712 and 0.709) outperformed the BCLC stage (0.660 and 0.657), Edmondson grade (0.579 and 0.564), and the combination of BCLC stage with Edmondson grade (0.681 and 0.668), improving prognosis prediction. Calibration curves demonstrated good agreement between predicted and observed survival. AUC values exceeded 0.700 over time, highlighting the nomogram's discriminative ability. DCA revealed superior overall net income compared to other systems, emphasizing its clinical utility. Conclusion Our β2MG-based nomogram accurately predicts HCC patients' post-resection prognosis, aiding intervention and follow-up planning. Significantly, our nomogram surpasses existing prognostic indicators, including BCLC stage, Edmondson grade, and the combination of BCLC stage with Edmondson grade, by demonstrating superior predictive performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiumei Lin
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Guangxi Medical University Cancer Hospital, Nanning, People’s Republic of China
| | - Zongwei Jiang
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Guangxi Medical University Cancer Hospital, Nanning, People’s Republic of China
| | - Dan Mo
- Department of Breast, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital, Nanning, 530025, People’s Republic of China
| | - Fengfei Liu
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Guangxi Medical University Cancer Hospital, Nanning, People’s Republic of China
| | - Yuling Qin
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Guangxi Medical University Cancer Hospital, Nanning, People’s Republic of China
| | - Yihua Liang
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Guangxi Medical University Cancer Hospital, Nanning, People’s Republic of China
| | - Yuchen Cheng
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Wuzhou Maternal and Child Health-Care Hospital, Wuzhou, People’s Republic of China
| | - Hao Huang
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Guangxi Medical University Cancer Hospital, Nanning, People’s Republic of China
| | - Min Fang
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Guangxi Medical University Cancer Hospital, Nanning, People’s Republic of China
- Engineering Research Center for Tissue & Organ Injury and Repair Medicine, Guangxi Medical University Cancer Hospital, Nanning, People’s Republic of China
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