Presence of esophageal varices is a risk factor for non-hemorrhagic death of hepatocellular carcinoma patients treated with radiofrequency ablation.
OBJECTIVE
The presence of esophageal varices (EVs) is believed to be a factor that affects the prognosis of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We examined whether the presence and severity of EVs affected either survival prognosis or the cause of death in HCC patients treated with radiofrequency ablation (RFA).


METHODS
The study included 89 HCC patients treated with RFA who were endoscopically evaluated for EVs before treatment. To determine factors associated with survival, we performed univariate and multivariate analyses of variables including demographics, tumor stage, Child-Pugh class and status of EVs. Furthermore, we investigated the association between the presence of EVs and causes of death.


RESULTS
Multivariate analyses showed both Child-Pugh class B (odds ratio: 2.654; p = 0.017) and EVs (odds ratio: 3.18; p = 0.004) to be independent factors of poor prognosis. Of 34 patients who died during the period of observation, one died because of an EV rupture.


CONCLUSIONS
The existence of EVs may affect survival prognosis of HCC patients treated with RFA independently of Child-Pugh status, but is not associated with hemorrhagic death.
Ario
Keisuke
K
Department of Internal Medicine, Saga Medical School, 5-1-1 Nabeshima, Saga 849-8501, Japan.
Mizuta
Toshihiko
T
Eguchi
Yuichiro
Y
Kawaguchi
Yasunori
Y
Oza
Noriko
N
Akiyama
Takumi
T
Iwane
Shinji
S
Takahashi
Hirokazu
H
Yasutake
Tsutomu
T
Ozaki
Iwata
I
Fujimoto
Kazuma
K
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000401:mortality* / Q000601:surgery*; D017115:Catheter Ablation; D004932:Esophageal and Gastric Varices / Q000150:complications*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality* / Q000601:surgery*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D015996:Survival Rate