738PSoluble programmed death-ligand 1 indicate poor prognosis in hepatocellular carcinoma patients undergoing transcatheter arterial chemoembolization

Abstract Background Soluble programmed death-ligand 1 (sPD-L1) is associated with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) prognosis after resection or radiotherapy. However, its value in patients who received transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) remains unclear. The present study aimed to determine the prognostic significance of sPD-L1 in TACE subgroup. Methods 114 HCC patients with hepatitis B virus (HBV)-background who received TACE from 2012 to 2013 were recruited. sPD-L1 levels were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. We evaluated prognoses according to mRESIST criteria and analyzed prognostic values by Cox regression and Kaplan-Meier analysis. We further evaluated correlations between sPD-L1 and systemic inflammation index (SII), soluble interleukin-2 receptor (sIL-2R), IL-10, hepatitis B virus (HBV)-DNA loads, and C-reactive protein. Results Significantly elevated sPD-L1 levels were found in patients who developed HCC progression (P = 0.002) and death (P  Conclusions sPD-L1 level is a prognostic indicator of poor outcomes after TACE. High sPD-L1 indicated increased immune activation in an immunosuppressive environment that hindered anti-tumor response activity. Lowering sPD-L1 levels may provide a novel avenue for preventing HCC progression post-TACE. Legal entity responsible for the study The authors. Funding The National Natural Science Foundation of China (87172263 and 81572064) and Key Developing Disciplines of Shanghai Municipal Commission of Health and Family Planning (2015ZB0201). Disclosure All authors have declared no conflicts of interest.