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Abstract Details
Skeletal Muscle Volume Is an Independent Predictor of Survival after Sorafenib Treatment Failure for Hepatocellular Carcinoma
Cancers (Basel). 2021 May 7;13(9):2247. doi: 10.3390/cancers13092247.
1Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Yamaguchi University Graduate School of Medicine, Yamaguchi 755-8505, Japan.
2Department of Oncology and Laboratory, Yamaguchi University Graduate School of Medicine, Yamaguchi 755-8505, Japan.
3Department of Gastroenterology and Metabolism, Graduate School of Biomedical and Health Sciences, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima 734-8551, Japan.
4Clinical Research Center in Hiroshima, Hiroshima University Hospital, Hiroshima 734-8551, Japan.
5Department of Gastroenterology, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, Chiba 260-8667, Japan.
6Translational Research and Development Center, Chiba University Hospital, Chiba 260-8667, Japan.
Abstract
Few studies exist on the relationship between post-progression survival (PPS) and skeletal muscle volume in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients receiving sorafenib. This study aimed to analyze the effects of muscle volume on clinical outcomes. We retrospectively enrolled 356 HCC patients. Various clinical parameters, including skeletal muscle index, were analyzed as predictors of overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), and PPS. Patients with high muscle volume showed longer survival or PPS than those with low muscle volume (median survival time: 12.8 vs. 9.5 months, p = 0.005; median PPS: 8.2 vs. 6.3 months, p = 0.015); however, no differences in PFS were found. Multivariate analysis indicated that muscle volume was an independent predictor of PPS and OS. Skeletal muscle volume was a PPS predictor in HCC patients receiving sorafenib. Therefore, survival can be prolonged by the upregulation of skeletal muscle volume, especially in HCC patients with skeletal muscle depletion.