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Introduction: Circulating inflammatory cytokines play critical roles in tumor-associated inflammation and immune responses. Recent data have suggested that several interleukins (ILs) mediate carcinogenesis in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, the predictive and prognostic value of circulating ILs is yet to be validated. Our study aimed to evaluate the association of the serum ILs with overall survival (OS) and clinicopathologic features in a large cohort of HCC patients. Methods: We prospectively collected data and serum samples from 767 HCC patients treated at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center between 2001 and 2014, with a median follow-up of 67.4 months (95% confidence interval [CI]: 52.5, 83.3). Biomarker association with OS was evaluated by the log-rank method. Results: The median OS in this cohort was 14.2 months (95% CI: 12, 16.1 months). Clinicopathologic features were more advanced, and OS was significantly inferior in patients with high circulating levels of IL1-R1, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, IL-15, IL-16, and IL-18. Conclusion: Our study shows that several serum IL levels are valid prognostic biomarker candidates and potential targets for therapy in HCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aims: Differences in combined hepatocellular‐cholangiocarcinomas (cHCC‐CCAs) arising in high‐risk patients with or without liver cirrhosis have not been elucidated. This study aimed to compare the clinicopathologic and imaging characteristics of cHCC‐CCAs in patients with or without cirrhosis and to determine the prognostic factors for recurrence‐free survival (RFS) after curative resections of single cHCC‐CCAs. Methods: This retrospective study included 113 patients with surgically resected single cHCC‐CCAs who underwent preoperative magnetic resonance imaging from January 2008 to December 2019 at two tertiary referral centres. Clinical, pathologic and imaging features of tumours were compared in high‐risk patients with or without cirrhosis. Imaging features were assessed using the Liver Imaging Reporting and Data System (LI‐RADS) version 2018. RFS and associated factors were evaluated using Cox proportional hazards regression analysis, Kaplan‐Meier analysis and log‐rank test. Results: cHCC‐CCAs arising from cirrhotic livers had a smaller mean tumour size (2.9 cm vs. 4.5 cm; P <.001) and were more frequently categorized as LR‐5 or 4 (41.2% vs. 20.0%; P =.024) than those arising from non‐cirrhotic livers. In multivariable analysis, a tumour size of > 3 cm (hazard ratio [HR], 2.081; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.180‐3.668; P =.011) and the LR‐M category (HR, 2.302; 95% CI, 1.198‐4.424; P =.012) were independent predictors associated with worse RFS. Conclusions: The tumour size and distribution of LI‐RADS categories of cHCC‐CCAs differed in high‐risk patients with or without cirrhosis. And LR‐M category was a worse prognosis predictor after curative resections than LR‐5 or 4 category. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The long-term outcomes after living donor liver transplantation (LDLT) vs deceased donor liver transplantation (DDLT) for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remain controversial. We compared the long-term outcomes between LDLT and DDLT in patients with HCCs within or beyond the Milan criteria. This retrospective study included 896 patients who underwent liver transplantation (829 LDLTs and 67 DDLTs) for HCC from June 2005 to May 2015. Recurrence-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS) were estimated using the Kaplan–Meier method with log-rank test. RFS at 1, 3, 5, and 10 years after LDLT was 89.6%, 84.6%, 82.4%, and 79.6%, respectively, and, after DDLT, was 92.4%, 86.2%, 82.4%, and 82.4%, respectively, and OS at 1, 3, 5, and 10 years after LDLT was 96.1%, 88.1%, 85.6%, and 82.7%, respectively, and, after DDLT, was 97.0%, 83.6%, 82.1%, and 77.3%, respectively, with no significant differences in RFS (P =. 838) or OS (P =. 293) between groups. No statistically significant differences after LDLT or DDLT were identified in RFS (89.8% vs 98.1%, respectively, at 5 years; P =. 053) or OS (90.4% vs 90.6% , respectively, at 5 years; P =. 583) for HCCs meeting the Milan criteria as well as for those beyond the Milan criteria (RFS, 37.8% vs 28.6%, respectively, at 5 years; P =. 560 and OS, 57.3% vs 50.0%, respectively, at 5 years; P =. 743). Patients who underwent LDLT for HCCs showed comparable long-term outcomes to patients who underwent DDLT. Patients with HCCs within the Milan criteria demonstrated acceptable long-term outcomes after both LDLT and DDLT. • No statistically significant differences were identified in recurrence-free survival (RFS) or overall survival (OS) rates after living donor liver transplantation (LDLT) or deceased donor liver transplantation (DDLT) in patients with hepatocellular carcinomas (HCCs) within the Milan criteria. • For patients with HCCs beyond the Milan criteria, LDLT and DDLT also demonstrated similar RFS and OS rates. • Patients with HCCs that met pretransplant Milan criteria showed acceptable long-term outcomes after both LDLT and DDLT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]