title: Prognostic factors in hepatitis C patients with a single small hepatocellular carcinoma after radiofrequency ablation.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Hepatitis C is a major cause of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) has been widely performed as a curative treatment for small HCC. The knowledge of prognostic factors in hepatitis C patients with small HCC after RFA is therefore important.
  
  
  METHODS
  One hundred consecutive hepatitis C patients with a single HCC3cm or less treated with RFA were enrolled. The cumulative recurrence and survival rates were calculated using Kaplan-Meier analysis. Prognostic factors were investigated using the Cox proportional hazard mod-el.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Five-year local and distant intra hepatic recurrence rates were 10.4% and 70.9%, respectively. Five-year overall survival and recurrence-free survival rates were 60.3% and 15.9%, respectively. Multivarlate analysis revealed that an age of 75 years or more[relative hazard (RH) 1.61, p=0.019] and a serum al-bumin level less than 3.5g/dL (RH 1.61, p=0.016)were significant factors for decreased overall survival. Furthermore, a serum albumin level less than 3.5g/dL (RH 1.50, p=0.003) was the only significant factor for decreased recurrence-free survival.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study suggests that host-related factors (age and serum albumin level) are important in predicting survival in hepatitis C patients with a single small HCC af-ter RFA.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Kurashiki Central Hospital, Kurashiki, Japan. n.toshikuni@gmail.com
authors.forename: Nobuyuki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Toshikuni
authors.forename: Yoshitaka
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Takuma
authors.forename: Tomoyuki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Goto
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yamamoto
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000097:blood / Q000401:mortality / Q000556:secondary / Q000601:surgery* / Q000821:virology; D017115:Catheter Ablation / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000401:mortality; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005260:Female; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000401:mortality; D006801:Humans; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000097:blood / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery* / Q000821:virology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D012709:Serum Albumin / Q000032:analysis; D015996:Survival Rate; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D047368:Tumor Burden
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D012709:Serum Albumin