TITLE:
Visceral Fat Accumulation Is Associated with Increased Mortality Rate after Transcatheter Arterial Chemoembolization in Patients with Hepatocellular Carcinoma
AUTHORS:
Masaya Saito, Yoshihiko Yano, Hirotaka Hirano, Kenji Momose, Yuki Kawano, Masaru Yoshida, Takeshi Azuma
KEYWORDS:
Glucose Metabolism, Liver Cirrhosis, Obesity, Overall Survival, Sarcopenia
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Cancer Therapy,
Vol.6 No.13,
December
3,
2015
ABSTRACT: Aim: Transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) is thought to be a
safe and effective treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, in
some HCC patients, it potentially shortens survival due to liver damage. We
aimed to identify independent factors to predict overall survival of HCC after
TACE. Methods: We included a total of 96
consecutive HCC patients who underwent TACE at Kobe University Hospital. Areas
of skeletal muscle and fat tissue were measured by computed tomography (CT)
scan before TACE. We divided the patients into two groups in terms of the
presence or absence of 1-year mortality after TACE. Factors associated with
1-year mortality after TACE were assessed by multivariate analyses, and the
optimal cut-off values were evaluated using a propensity score. Results:
Multivariate analyses showed that visceral fat accumulation on CT was an
independent factor associated with 1-year mortality after TACE (p = 0.033). There were no differences in
skeletal muscle area and subcutaneous and intermuscular fat area between the
two groups. Cut-off values for visceral fat area associated with 1-year
mortality after TACE were defined as 33.3 cm2/m2 for
males and 24.4 cm2/m2 for females. Conclusions: High
visceral fat area was a prognostic factor associated with increased mortality rate
in HCC patients undergoing TACE. Using this value, 1-year mortality risk after
TACE would be better estimated before the day TACE was performed.