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Fares S, Wehrle CJ, Hong H, Sun K, Jiao C, Zhang M, Gross A, Allkushi E, Uysal M, Kamath S, Ma WW, Modaresi Esfeh J, Linganna MW, Khalil M, Pita A, Kim J, Walsh RM, Miller C, Hashimoto K, Schlegel A, Kwon DCH, Aucejo F. Emerging and Clinically Accepted Biomarkers for Hepatocellular Carcinoma. Cancers (Basel) 2024; 16:1453. [PMID: 38672535 PMCID: PMC11047909 DOI: 10.3390/cancers16081453] [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] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2024] [Revised: 04/03/2024] [Accepted: 04/08/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the third leading cause of cancer-related death and the sixth most diagnosed malignancy worldwide. Serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) is the traditional, ubiquitous biomarker for HCC. However, there has been an increasing call for the use of multiple biomarkers to optimize care for these patients. AFP, AFP-L3, and prothrombin induced by vitamin K absence II (DCP) have described clinical utility for HCC, but unfortunately, they also have well established and significant limitations. Circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA), genomic glycosylation, and even totally non-invasive salivary metabolomics and/or micro-RNAS demonstrate great promise for early detection and long-term surveillance, but still require large-scale prospective validation to definitively validate their clinical validity. This review aims to provide an update on clinically available and emerging biomarkers for HCC, focusing on their respective clinical strengths and weaknesses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sami Fares
- Department of Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary & Liver Transplant Surgery, Digestive Diseases and Surgery Institute, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, OH 44195, USA; (S.F.); (H.H.); (K.S.); (C.J.); (M.Z.); (A.G.); (E.A.); (M.U.); (M.K.); (A.P.); (J.K.); (R.M.W.); (K.H.); (A.S.); (D.C.H.K.)
| | - Chase J. Wehrle
- Department of Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary & Liver Transplant Surgery, Digestive Diseases and Surgery Institute, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, OH 44195, USA; (S.F.); (H.H.); (K.S.); (C.J.); (M.Z.); (A.G.); (E.A.); (M.U.); (M.K.); (A.P.); (J.K.); (R.M.W.); (K.H.); (A.S.); (D.C.H.K.)
| | - Hanna Hong
- Department of Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary & Liver Transplant Surgery, Digestive Diseases and Surgery Institute, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, OH 44195, USA; (S.F.); (H.H.); (K.S.); (C.J.); (M.Z.); (A.G.); (E.A.); (M.U.); (M.K.); (A.P.); (J.K.); (R.M.W.); (K.H.); (A.S.); (D.C.H.K.)
| | - Keyue Sun
- Department of Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary & Liver Transplant Surgery, Digestive Diseases and Surgery Institute, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, OH 44195, USA; (S.F.); (H.H.); (K.S.); (C.J.); (M.Z.); (A.G.); (E.A.); (M.U.); (M.K.); (A.P.); (J.K.); (R.M.W.); (K.H.); (A.S.); (D.C.H.K.)
| | - Chunbao Jiao
- Department of Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary & Liver Transplant Surgery, Digestive Diseases and Surgery Institute, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, OH 44195, USA; (S.F.); (H.H.); (K.S.); (C.J.); (M.Z.); (A.G.); (E.A.); (M.U.); (M.K.); (A.P.); (J.K.); (R.M.W.); (K.H.); (A.S.); (D.C.H.K.)
| | - Mingyi Zhang
- Department of Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary & Liver Transplant Surgery, Digestive Diseases and Surgery Institute, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, OH 44195, USA; (S.F.); (H.H.); (K.S.); (C.J.); (M.Z.); (A.G.); (E.A.); (M.U.); (M.K.); (A.P.); (J.K.); (R.M.W.); (K.H.); (A.S.); (D.C.H.K.)
| | - Abby Gross
- Department of Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary & Liver Transplant Surgery, Digestive Diseases and Surgery Institute, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, OH 44195, USA; (S.F.); (H.H.); (K.S.); (C.J.); (M.Z.); (A.G.); (E.A.); (M.U.); (M.K.); (A.P.); (J.K.); (R.M.W.); (K.H.); (A.S.); (D.C.H.K.)
| | - Erlind Allkushi
- Department of Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary & Liver Transplant Surgery, Digestive Diseases and Surgery Institute, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, OH 44195, USA; (S.F.); (H.H.); (K.S.); (C.J.); (M.Z.); (A.G.); (E.A.); (M.U.); (M.K.); (A.P.); (J.K.); (R.M.W.); (K.H.); (A.S.); (D.C.H.K.)
| | - Melis Uysal
- Department of Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary & Liver Transplant Surgery, Digestive Diseases and Surgery Institute, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, OH 44195, USA; (S.F.); (H.H.); (K.S.); (C.J.); (M.Z.); (A.G.); (E.A.); (M.U.); (M.K.); (A.P.); (J.K.); (R.M.W.); (K.H.); (A.S.); (D.C.H.K.)
| | - Suneel Kamath
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, Taussig Cancer Institute, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, OH 44195, USA; (S.K.); (W.W.M.)
| | - Wen Wee Ma
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, Taussig Cancer Institute, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, OH 44195, USA; (S.K.); (W.W.M.)
| | - Jamak Modaresi Esfeh
- Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition, Digestive Diseases and Surgery Institute, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, OH 44195, USA; (J.M.E.); (M.W.L.)
| | - Maureen Whitsett Linganna
- Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition, Digestive Diseases and Surgery Institute, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, OH 44195, USA; (J.M.E.); (M.W.L.)
| | - Mazhar Khalil
- Department of Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary & Liver Transplant Surgery, Digestive Diseases and Surgery Institute, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, OH 44195, USA; (S.F.); (H.H.); (K.S.); (C.J.); (M.Z.); (A.G.); (E.A.); (M.U.); (M.K.); (A.P.); (J.K.); (R.M.W.); (K.H.); (A.S.); (D.C.H.K.)
| | - Alejandro Pita
- Department of Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary & Liver Transplant Surgery, Digestive Diseases and Surgery Institute, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, OH 44195, USA; (S.F.); (H.H.); (K.S.); (C.J.); (M.Z.); (A.G.); (E.A.); (M.U.); (M.K.); (A.P.); (J.K.); (R.M.W.); (K.H.); (A.S.); (D.C.H.K.)
| | - Jaekeun Kim
- Department of Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary & Liver Transplant Surgery, Digestive Diseases and Surgery Institute, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, OH 44195, USA; (S.F.); (H.H.); (K.S.); (C.J.); (M.Z.); (A.G.); (E.A.); (M.U.); (M.K.); (A.P.); (J.K.); (R.M.W.); (K.H.); (A.S.); (D.C.H.K.)
| | - R. Matthew Walsh
- Department of Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary & Liver Transplant Surgery, Digestive Diseases and Surgery Institute, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, OH 44195, USA; (S.F.); (H.H.); (K.S.); (C.J.); (M.Z.); (A.G.); (E.A.); (M.U.); (M.K.); (A.P.); (J.K.); (R.M.W.); (K.H.); (A.S.); (D.C.H.K.)
| | - Charles Miller
- Department of Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary & Liver Transplant Surgery, Digestive Diseases and Surgery Institute, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, OH 44195, USA; (S.F.); (H.H.); (K.S.); (C.J.); (M.Z.); (A.G.); (E.A.); (M.U.); (M.K.); (A.P.); (J.K.); (R.M.W.); (K.H.); (A.S.); (D.C.H.K.)
| | - Koji Hashimoto
- Department of Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary & Liver Transplant Surgery, Digestive Diseases and Surgery Institute, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, OH 44195, USA; (S.F.); (H.H.); (K.S.); (C.J.); (M.Z.); (A.G.); (E.A.); (M.U.); (M.K.); (A.P.); (J.K.); (R.M.W.); (K.H.); (A.S.); (D.C.H.K.)
| | - Andrea Schlegel
- Department of Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary & Liver Transplant Surgery, Digestive Diseases and Surgery Institute, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, OH 44195, USA; (S.F.); (H.H.); (K.S.); (C.J.); (M.Z.); (A.G.); (E.A.); (M.U.); (M.K.); (A.P.); (J.K.); (R.M.W.); (K.H.); (A.S.); (D.C.H.K.)
| | - David Choon Hyuck Kwon
- Department of Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary & Liver Transplant Surgery, Digestive Diseases and Surgery Institute, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, OH 44195, USA; (S.F.); (H.H.); (K.S.); (C.J.); (M.Z.); (A.G.); (E.A.); (M.U.); (M.K.); (A.P.); (J.K.); (R.M.W.); (K.H.); (A.S.); (D.C.H.K.)
| | - Federico Aucejo
- Department of Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary & Liver Transplant Surgery, Digestive Diseases and Surgery Institute, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, OH 44195, USA; (S.F.); (H.H.); (K.S.); (C.J.); (M.Z.); (A.G.); (E.A.); (M.U.); (M.K.); (A.P.); (J.K.); (R.M.W.); (K.H.); (A.S.); (D.C.H.K.)
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Hong H, Wehrle CJ, Zhang M, Fares S, Stitzel H, Garib D, Estfan B, Kamath S, Krishnamurthi S, Ma WW, Kuzmanovic T, Azzato E, Yilmaz E, Modaresi Esfeh J, Linganna MW, Khalil M, Pita A, Schlegel A, Kim J, Walsh RM, Miller C, Hashimoto K, Kwon DCH, Aucejo F. Circulating Tumor DNA Profiling in Liver Transplant for Hepatocellular Carcinoma, Cholangiocarcinoma, and Colorectal Liver Metastases: A Programmatic Proof of Concept. Cancers (Basel) 2024; 16:927. [PMID: 38473290 DOI: 10.3390/cancers16050927] [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] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2024] [Revised: 02/15/2024] [Accepted: 02/22/2024] [Indexed: 03/14/2024] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) is emerging as a promising, non-invasive diagnostic and surveillance biomarker in solid organ malignancy. However, its utility before and after liver transplant (LT) for patients with primary and secondary liver cancers is still underexplored. METHODS Patients undergoing LT for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), cholangiocarcinoma (CCA), and colorectal liver metastases (CRLM) with ctDNA testing were included. CtDNA testing was conducted pre-transplant, post-transplant, or both (sequential) from 11/2019 to 09/2023 using Guardant360, Guardant Reveal, and Guardant360 CDx. RESULTS 21 patients with HCC (n = 9, 43%), CRLM (n = 8, 38%), CCA (n = 3, 14%), and mixed HCC/CCA (n = 1, 5%) were included in the study. The median follow-up time was 15 months (range: 1-124). The median time from pre-operative testing to surgery was 3 months (IQR: 1-4; range: 0-5), and from surgery to post-operative testing, it was 9 months (IQR: 2-22; range: 0.4-112). A total of 13 (62%) patients had pre-transplant testing, with 8 (62%) having ctDNA detected (ctDNA+) and 5 (32%) not having ctDNA detected (ctDNA-). A total of 18 (86%) patients had post-transplant testing, 11 (61%) of whom were ctDNA+ and 7 (33%) of whom were ctDNA-. The absolute recurrence rates were 50% (n = 5) in those who were ctDNA+ vs. 25% (n = 1) in those who were ctDNA- in the post-transplant setting, though this difference was not statistically significant (p = 0.367). Six (29%) patients (HCC = 3, CCA = 1, CRLM = 2) experienced recurrence with a median recurrence-free survival of 14 (IQR: 6-40) months. Four of these patients had positive post-transplant ctDNA collected following diagnosis of recurrence, while one patient had positive post-transplant ctDNA collected preceding recurrence. A total of 10 (48%) patients had sequential ctDNA testing, of whom n = 5 (50%) achieved ctDNA clearance (+/-). The remainder were ctDNA+/+ (n = 3, 30%), ctDNA-/- (n = 1, 10%), and ctDNA-/+ (n = 1, 11%). Three (30%) patients showed the acquisition of new genomic alterations following transplant, all without recurrence. Overall, the median tumor mutation burden (TMB) decreased from 1.23 mut/Mb pre-transplant to 0.00 mut/Mb post-transplant. CONCLUSIONS Patients with ctDNA positivity experienced recurrence at a higher rate than the ctDNA- patients, indicating the potential role of ctDNA in predicting recurrence after curative-intent transplant. Based on sequential testing, LT has the potential to clear ctDNA, demonstrating the capability of LT in the treatment of systemic disease. Transplant providers should be aware of the potential of donor-derived cell-free DNA and improved approaches are necessary to address such concerns.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hanna Hong
- Department of Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary & Liver Transplant Surgery, Digestive Diseases and Surgery Institute, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, OH 44195, USA
| | - Chase J Wehrle
- Department of Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary & Liver Transplant Surgery, Digestive Diseases and Surgery Institute, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, OH 44195, USA
| | - Mingyi Zhang
- Department of Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary & Liver Transplant Surgery, Digestive Diseases and Surgery Institute, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, OH 44195, USA
| | - Sami Fares
- Department of Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary & Liver Transplant Surgery, Digestive Diseases and Surgery Institute, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, OH 44195, USA
| | - Henry Stitzel
- Department of Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary & Liver Transplant Surgery, Digestive Diseases and Surgery Institute, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, OH 44195, USA
| | - David Garib
- Department of Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary & Liver Transplant Surgery, Digestive Diseases and Surgery Institute, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, OH 44195, USA
| | - Bassam Estfan
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, Taussig Cancer Institute, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, OH 44195, USA
| | - Suneel Kamath
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, Taussig Cancer Institute, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, OH 44195, USA
| | - Smitha Krishnamurthi
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, Taussig Cancer Institute, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, OH 44195, USA
| | - Wen Wee Ma
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, Taussig Cancer Institute, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, OH 44195, USA
| | - Teodora Kuzmanovic
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, Taussig Cancer Institute, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, OH 44195, USA
| | - Elizabeth Azzato
- Molecular Pathology and Cytogenomics, Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Institute, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, OH 44195, USA
| | - Emrullah Yilmaz
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, Taussig Cancer Institute, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, OH 44195, USA
| | - Jamak Modaresi Esfeh
- Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition, Digestive Diseases and Surgery Institute, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, OH 44195, USA
| | - Maureen Whitsett Linganna
- Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition, Digestive Diseases and Surgery Institute, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, OH 44195, USA
| | - Mazhar Khalil
- Department of Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary & Liver Transplant Surgery, Digestive Diseases and Surgery Institute, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, OH 44195, USA
| | - Alejandro Pita
- Department of Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary & Liver Transplant Surgery, Digestive Diseases and Surgery Institute, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, OH 44195, USA
| | - Andrea Schlegel
- Department of Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary & Liver Transplant Surgery, Digestive Diseases and Surgery Institute, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, OH 44195, USA
| | - Jaekeun Kim
- Department of Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary & Liver Transplant Surgery, Digestive Diseases and Surgery Institute, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, OH 44195, USA
| | - R Matthew Walsh
- Department of Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary & Liver Transplant Surgery, Digestive Diseases and Surgery Institute, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, OH 44195, USA
| | - Charles Miller
- Department of Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary & Liver Transplant Surgery, Digestive Diseases and Surgery Institute, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, OH 44195, USA
| | - Koji Hashimoto
- Department of Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary & Liver Transplant Surgery, Digestive Diseases and Surgery Institute, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, OH 44195, USA
| | - David Choon Hyuck Kwon
- Department of Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary & Liver Transplant Surgery, Digestive Diseases and Surgery Institute, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, OH 44195, USA
| | - Federico Aucejo
- Department of Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary & Liver Transplant Surgery, Digestive Diseases and Surgery Institute, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, OH 44195, USA
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Wehrle CJ, Fujiki M, Schlegel A, Whitsett Linganna M, Pita A, Kim JK, Kwon DCH, Miller C, Hashimoto K, Dueland S, Sasaki K, Sapisochin G, Line PD, Hernandez-Alejandro R, Aucejo F. Update to 'A Contemporary Systematic Review on Liver Transplantation for Unresectable Liver Metastasis of Colorectal Cancer'. Ann Surg Oncol 2024; 31:697-700. [PMID: 37996635 DOI: 10.1245/s10434-023-14611-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2023] [Accepted: 11/01/2023] [Indexed: 11/25/2023]
Abstract
Colorectal cancer is the second most common cause of cancer-related death worldwide, and half of patients present with colorectal liver metastasis (CRLM). Liver transplant (LT) has emerged as a treatment modality for otherwise unresectable CRLM. Since the publication of the Lebeck-Lee systematic review in 2022, additional evidence has come to light supporting LT for CRLM in highly selected patients. This includes reports of >10-year follow-up with over 80% survival rates in low-risk patients. As these updated reports have significantly changed our collective knowledge, this article is intended to serve as an update to the 2022 systematic review to include the most up-to-date evidence on the subject.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chase J Wehrle
- Department of Liver Transplantation, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, OH, USA.
| | - Masato Fujiki
- Department of Liver Transplantation, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, OH, USA
| | - Andrea Schlegel
- Department of Liver Transplantation, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, OH, USA
| | | | - Alejandro Pita
- Department of Liver Transplantation, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, OH, USA
| | - Jae-Keun Kim
- Department of Liver Transplantation, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, OH, USA
| | - David C H Kwon
- Department of Liver Transplantation, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, OH, USA
| | - Charles Miller
- Department of Liver Transplantation, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, OH, USA
| | - Koji Hashimoto
- Department of Liver Transplantation, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, OH, USA
| | - Svein Dueland
- Department of Transplantation, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
| | - Kazunari Sasaki
- Department of Abdominal Transplantation, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA, USA
| | - Gonzalo Sapisochin
- Department of Abdominal Transplant and HPB Surgical Oncology, Toronto General Hospital, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Pal-Dag Line
- Department of Transplantation, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
| | | | - Federico Aucejo
- Department of Liver Transplantation, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, OH, USA
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Wehrle CJ, Raj R, Maspero M, Satish S, Eghtesad B, Pita A, Kim J, Khalil M, Calderon E, Orabi D, Zervos B, Modaresi Esfeh J, Whitsett Linganna M, Diago-Uso T, Fujiki M, Quintini C, Kwon CD, Miller C, Pinna A, Aucejo F, Hashimoto K, Schlegel A. Risk assessment in liver transplantation for hepatocellular carcinoma: long-term follow-up of a two-center experience. Int J Surg 2024:01279778-990000000-01005. [PMID: 38241354 DOI: 10.1097/js9.0000000000001104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2023] [Accepted: 01/08/2024] [Indexed: 01/21/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Liver transplantation (LT) is a well-established treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), but there are ongoing debates regarding outcomes and selection. This study examines the experience of LT for HCC at a high-volume center. METHODS A prospectively maintained database was used to identify HCC patients undergoing LT from 2000-2020 with>3 years follow-up. Data was obtained from the center database and electronic medical records. The Metroticket 2.0 HCC-specific five-year survival scale was calculated for each patient. Kaplan-Meier and Cox-regression analyses were employed assessing survival between groups based on Metroticket score and individual donor and recipient risk factors. RESULTS 569 patients met criteria. Median follow-up was 96.2 months (8.12 y; IQR 59.9-147.8). Three-year recurrence-free (RFS) and overall survival (OS) were 88.6% (n=504) and 86.6% (n=493). Five-year RFS and OS were 78.9% (n=449) and 79.1% (n=450). Median Metroticket 2.0 score was 0.9 (IQR 0.9-0.95). Tumor size>3 cm (P=0.012), increasing tumor number on imaging (P=0.001) and explant pathology (P<0.001) was associated with recurrence. Transplant within Milan (P<0.001) or UCSF-criteria (P<0.001) had lower recurrence rates. Increasing AFP-values were associated with more HCC-recurrence (P<0.001) and reduced OS (P=0.008). Chemoembolization was predictive of recurrence in the overall population (P=0.043) and in those outside Milan criteria (P=0.038). A receiver-operator curve using Metroticket 2.0 identified an optimal cut-off of projected survival>87.5% for predicting recurrence. This cut-off was able to predict RFS (P<0.001) in the total cohort and predict both, RFS (P=0.007) and OS (P=0.016) outside-Milan. Receipt of donation after brain death (DBD) grafts (55/478, 13%) or living-donor grafts (3/22, 13.6%) experienced better survival rates compared to donation after cardiac death (DCD) grafts (n=15/58, 25.6%, P=0.009). Donor age was associated with a higher HCC-recurrence (P=0.006). Both total ischemia time (TIT)>6hours (P=0.016) and increasing TIT correlated with higher HCC-recurrence (P=0.027). The use of DCD-grafts for outside-Milan candidates was associated with increased recurrence (P=0.039) and reduced survival (P=0.033). CONCLUSION This large two-center analysis confirms favorable outcomes after LT for HCC. Tumor size and number, pre-transplant AFP, and Milan criteria remain important recipient HCC-risk factors. A higher donor risk (i.e., donor age, DCD-grafts, ischemia time) was associated with poorer outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chase J Wehrle
- Transplantation Center, Department of Surgery, Digestive Disease Institute, Cleveland Clinic, OH
| | - Roma Raj
- Transplantation Center, Department of Surgery, Digestive Disease Institute, Cleveland Clinic, OH
| | - Marianna Maspero
- Transplantation Center, Department of Surgery, Digestive Disease Institute, Cleveland Clinic, OH
| | - Sangeeta Satish
- Transplantation Center, Department of Surgery, Digestive Disease Institute, Cleveland Clinic, OH
| | - Bijan Eghtesad
- Transplantation Center, Department of Surgery, Digestive Disease Institute, Cleveland Clinic, OH
| | - Alejandro Pita
- Transplantation Center, Department of Surgery, Digestive Disease Institute, Cleveland Clinic, OH
| | - Jaekeun Kim
- Transplantation Center, Department of Surgery, Digestive Disease Institute, Cleveland Clinic, OH
| | - Mazhar Khalil
- Transplantation Center, Department of Surgery, Digestive Disease Institute, Cleveland Clinic, OH
| | - Esteban Calderon
- Transplantation Center, Department of Surgery, Digestive Disease Institute, Cleveland Clinic, OH
| | - Danny Orabi
- Transplantation Center, Department of Surgery, Digestive Disease Institute, Cleveland Clinic, OH
| | - Bobby Zervos
- Cleveland Clinic Weston Hospital, Department of Liver Transplantation, Weston, FL
| | | | | | - Teresa Diago-Uso
- Transplantation Center, Department of Surgery, Digestive Disease Institute, Cleveland Clinic, OH
| | - Masato Fujiki
- Transplantation Center, Department of Surgery, Digestive Disease Institute, Cleveland Clinic, OH
| | - Cristiano Quintini
- Transplantation Center, Department of Surgery, Digestive Disease Institute, Cleveland Clinic, OH
| | - Choon David Kwon
- Transplantation Center, Department of Surgery, Digestive Disease Institute, Cleveland Clinic, OH
| | - Charles Miller
- Transplantation Center, Department of Surgery, Digestive Disease Institute, Cleveland Clinic, OH
| | - Antonio Pinna
- Cleveland Clinic Weston Hospital, Department of Liver Transplantation, Weston, FL
| | - Federico Aucejo
- Transplantation Center, Department of Surgery, Digestive Disease Institute, Cleveland Clinic, OH
| | - Koji Hashimoto
- Transplantation Center, Department of Surgery, Digestive Disease Institute, Cleveland Clinic, OH
| | - Andrea Schlegel
- Transplantation Center, Department of Surgery, Digestive Disease Institute, Cleveland Clinic, OH
- Department of Immunology, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, OH
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