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Clinicopathological features of hepatocellular carcinoma in patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease

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Abstract

Purpose

The incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is increasing. However, the clinicopathological features of HCC in these patients are little known. Thus, we investigated the differences in the clinical and pathological characteristics of HCC between NAFLD patients and hepatitis-C virus (HCV) patients.

Methods

Data from 21 HCC patients with NAFLD and 645 HCC patients with HCV who underwent curative hepatectomy were collected and analyzed. To overcome bias due to differences in the distribution of covariates between the two groups, propensity score matching was performed, and clinicopathological features and outcomes were compared.

Results

In propensity score analysis, the rate of microscopic vascular invasion was significantly higher in the NAFLD group than in the HCV group (65 vs. 30 %; P = 0.027). However, overall survival and disease-free survival did not differ between the two matched groups.

Conclusions

NAFLD may have permissive microenvironment for HCC progression.

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Abbreviations

HCC:

Hepatocellular carcinoma

HCV:

Hepatitis C virus

NAFLD:

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease

NASH:

Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis

ICG-R15:

Indocyanine green retention rate at 15 min

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Conflicts of interest

The authors have no commercial associations (e.g., consultancies, stock ownership, equity interest, patent/licensing arrangements) that might pose a conflict of interest related to the submitted manuscript.

Authors’ contributions

Y. Mikuriya participated in acquisition of data, analysis and interpretation of data, statistical analysis, and drafting of the manuscript. H. Tashiro participated in study design, analysis and interpretation of data, and drafting of the manuscript. T. Kobayashi, S. Kuroda, T. Abe, and M. Hashimoto participated in acquisition of data. H. Ohdan participated in study supervision.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Gastroenterological and Transplant Surgery, Hiroshima University Hospital, 1-2-3, Kasumi, Hiroshima, 734-8551, Japan

    Yoshihiro Mikuriya, Hirotaka Tashiro, Tsuyoshi Kobayashi, Shintaro Kuroda, Tomoyuki Abe, Masakazu Hashimoto & Hideki Ohdan

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  1. Yoshihiro Mikuriya
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  2. Hirotaka Tashiro
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  3. Tsuyoshi Kobayashi
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Correspondence to Hirotaka Tashiro.

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Mikuriya, Y., Tashiro, H., Kobayashi, T. et al. Clinicopathological features of hepatocellular carcinoma in patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. Langenbecks Arch Surg 400, 471–476 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00423-015-1295-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00423-015-1295-x

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