23 December 2025 : Original article
Long-Term Prognostic Significance of TACE-Induced Complete Pathological Response in Patients with Hepatocellular Carcinoma Who Have Undergone Liver Transplantation
I-Ji Jeong
BCE 1, Shin Hwang ABCDEF 1*, Chul-Soo Ahn BCF 1, Deok-Bog Moon BCD 1, Tae-Yong Ha BCD 1, Gi-Won Song BCD 1, Dong-Hwan Jung BCD 1, Gil-Chun Park BCD 1, Woo-Hyoung Kang BCD 1, Young-In Yoon BCD 1, Sung-Gyu Lee ABD 1
DOI: 10.12659/AOT.950787
Ann Transplant 2025; 30:e950787
Table 1 Clinicopathological features of the 253 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma who achieved complete pathological response after TACE.
| Parameters | Values |
|---|---|
| Age (years) (mean±SD) | 55.5±7.1 |
| Sex (Male/Female) (n) | 200/53 |
| Background liver disease (n) | |
| HBV | 201 |
| HCV | 17 |
| ALD | 20 |
| Others | 15 |
| Preoperative blood laboratory findings (mean±SD) | |
| Albumin (g/dL) | 3.1±0.6 |
| AST (IU/L) | 65.7±59.5 |
| ALT (IU/L) | 41.5±37.8 |
| Total bilirubin (mg/dL) | 5.1±9.2 |
| Platelet count (10/μL) | 61.7±47.3 |
| Prothrombin time (INR) | 1.58±0.94 |
| AFP (ng/mL) shortly before transplantation | |
| Mean±SD | 60.5±302.7 |
| Median (range) | 5.3 (0.2–3630) |
| ≤7.5/>7.5 ng/mL (n) | 148/105 |
| PIVKA-II (mAU/mL) shortly before transplantation | |
| Mean±SD | 267.8±1830.3 |
| Median (range) | 23 (8–19 623) |
| ≤40/>40 mAU/mL (n) | 173/59 |
| MELD score (mean±SD) | 12.6±6.4 |
| Number of TACE sessions | |
| Mean | 2.2±2.3 |
| 1 (n) | 63 |
| ≥2 (n) | 190 |
| Maximal non-viable tumor diameter (cm) | |
| Mean±SD | 1.9±1.1 |
| Median (range) | 1.6 (0.3–6.8) |
| Non-viable tumor number (n) | |
| Single | 199 |
| Multiple | 54 |
| Type of transplantation (n) | |
| Living right liver graft | 234 |
| Living left liver graft | 4 |
| Living dual liver graft | 8 |
| Deceased split liver graft | 1 |
| Deceased whole liver graft | 6 |
| Graft-to-recipient weight ratio | |
| Partial liver graft | 1.07±0.26 |
| Whole liver graft | 2.19±0.63 |
| HBV – hepatitis B virus; HCV – hepatitis C virus; ALD – alcoholic liver disease; AST – aspartate aminotransferase; ALT – alanine aminotransferase; INR – international normalized ratio; AFP – α-fetoprotein; PIVKA-II – protein induced by vitamin K absence or antagonist-II; MELD – Model for End-stage Liver Disease; TACE – transcatheter arterial chemoembolization. | |