Preoperative neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio as a prognostic predictor after liver transplantation for hepatocellular carcinoma

Objective To analyze the negative impact of preoperative neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) on the tumor recurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) after orthotopic liver transplantation.Methods The clinical data of HBV (hepatitis B virus)-associated HCC patients undergoing liver transplantation were retrospectively analyzed. Their clinical and pathological risk factors for tumor-free survival were evaluated by univariate analysis. The analysis of Cox multiple regression was performed to determine the parameters of predicting the HCC recurrence. NLR≥2.5 was considered to be elevated.Results A total of 76 patients were identified. Among them, 37 had an elevated NLR. The 1, 3 and 5-year tumor-free survival rates were 69.2%, 52.7% and 50.9% respectively. The disease-free survival for patients with high NLR was significantly worse than that for those with normal NLR (1, 3, and 5 year survivals at 56.3%, 37.6% and 37.6% vs 81.1%, 66.9% and 63.3% respectively;P=0.011). Univariate analysis of factors revealed that tumor size＞5 cm, tumor number＞3, vascular invasion, serumα-fetoprotein level≥400 μg/L and NLR≥2.5 were preoperative predictors of disease-free survival. Cox regression analysis showed that the presence of vascular invasion, tumor number＞3 and NLR≥2.5 were independent prognostic factors of worse disease-free survival.Conclusion An elevated NLR significantly increases the risk for tumor recurrence in HCC patients undergoing liver transplantation. Key words: Liver transplantation; Carcinoma,hepatocellular; Prognosis; Recurrence; Disease-free survival