Clinical significance of preoperative liver stiffness measurements in primary HBV-positive hepatocellular carcinoma

AIM: To analyze clinical significance of preoperative liver stiffness measurement (LSM) by FibroScan in postcurative resection hepatitis B virus (HBV) related hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). PATIENTS & METHODS: A total of 263 patients underwent preoperative LSM and curative operation for primary HBV-positive HCC were enrolled. The correlation between preoperative LSM and survival was analyzed. RESULTS: All patients were stratified into two groups using the optimal cut-off value (13.2 kPa) of LSM using the receiver-operating characteristic. Patients with an LSM ≥13.2 kPa had poorer overall survival (median, 61.3 vs 48.2 months, hazard ratio: 0.15; p = 0.009) and recurrence-free survival (median, 60.4 vs 47.0 months; hazard ratio: 0.32; p = 0.011) than patients with an LSM <13.2 kPa and LSM also have been confirmed as independent predictor for survival for HCC. DISCUSSION: This could potentially guide patient stratification and individualized treatment. CONCLUSION: Preoperative LSM can be considered as an independent prognostic factor for HBV-positive HCC after curative resection.