Browsing by Author "Popescu, Irinel"
Now showing 1 - 6 of 6
Results Per Page
Sort Options
- A Comprehensive Preoperative Predictive Score for Post-Hepatectomy Liver Failure After Hepatocellular Carcinoma Resection Based on Patient Comorbidities, Tumor Burden, and Liver Function: the CTF Score.Publication . Alaimo, Laura; Endo, Yutaka; Lima, Henrique A; Moazzam, Zorays; Shaikh, Chanza Fahim; Ruzzenente, Andrea; Guglielmi, Alfredo; Ratti, Francesca; Aldrighetti, Luca; Pinto Marques, Hugo; Cauchy, François; Lam, Vincent; Poultsides, George A; Popescu, Irinel; Alexandrescu, Sorin; Martel, Guillaume; Hugh, Tom; Endo, Itaru; Pawlik, Timothy MBackground: Post-hepatectomy liver failure (PHLF) is a dreaded complication following liver resection for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with a high mortality rate. We sought to develop a score based on preoperative factors to predict PHLF. Methods: Patients who underwent resection for HCC between 2000 and 2020 were identified from an international multi-institutional database. Factors associated with PHLF were identified and used to develop a preoperative comorbidity-tumor burden-liver function (CTF) predictive score. Results: Among 1785 patients, 106 (5.9%) experienced PHLF. On multivariate analysis, several factors were associated with PHLF including high Charlson comorbidity index (CCI ≥ 5) (OR 2.80, 95%CI, 1.08-7.26), albumin-bilirubin (ALBI) (OR 1.99, 95%CI, 1.10-3.56), and tumor burden score (TBS) (OR 1.06, 95%CI, 1.02-1.11) (all p < 0.05). Using the beta-coefficients of these variables, a weighted predictive score was developed and made available online ( https://alaimolaura.shinyapps.io/PHLFriskCalculator/ ). The CTF score (c-index = 0.67) performed better than Child-Pugh score (CPS) (c-index = 0.53) or Barcelona clinic liver cancer system (BCLC) (c-index = 0.57) to predict PHLF. A high CTF score was also an independent adverse prognostic factor for survival (HR 1.61, 95%CI, 1.12-2.30) and recurrence (HR 1.36, 95%CI, 1.08-1.71) (both p = 0.01). Conclusion: Roughly 1 in 20 patients experienced PHLF following resection of HCC. Patient (i.e., CCI), tumor (i.e., TBS), and liver function (i.e., ALBI) factors were associated with risk of PHLF. These preoperative factors were incorporated into a novel CTF tool that was made available online, which outperformed other previously proposed tools.
- Enhancing Recurrence-Free Survival Prediction in Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Time-Updated Model Incorporating Tumor Burden and AFP Dynamics.Publication . Akabane, Miho; Kawashima, Jun; Altaf, Abdullah; Woldesenbet, Selamawit; Cauchy, François; Aucejo, Federico; Popescu, Irinel; Kitago, Minoru; Martel, Guillaume; Ratti, Francesca; Aldrighetti, Luca; Poultsides, George A; Imaoka, Yuki; Ruzzenente, Andrea; Endo, Itaru; Gleisner, Ana; Pinto Marques, Hugo; Oliveira, Sara; Balaia, Jorge; Lam, Vincent; Hugh, Tom; Bhimani, Nazim; Shen, Feng; Pawlik, Timothy MBackground: Existing models to predict recurrence-free survival (RFS) after hepatectomy for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) rely on static preoperative factors such as alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) and tumor burden score (TBS). These models overlook dynamic postoperative AFP changes, which may reflect evolving recurrence risk. We sought to develop a dynamic, real-time model integrating time-updated AFP values with TBS for improved recurrence prediction. Patients and methods: Patients undergoing curative-intent hepatectomy for HCC (2000-2023) were identified from an international, multi-institutional database with RFS as the primary outcome. AFP trajectory was monitored from preoperative to 6- and 12-month postoperative values, using time-varying Cox regression with AFP as a time-dependent covariate. The predictive accuracy of this time-updated model was compared with a static preoperative Cox model excluding postoperative AFP. Results: Among 1911 patients, AFP trajectories differed between recurrent and nonrecurrent cases. While preoperative AFP values were similar, recurrent cases exhibited higher AFP at 6 and 12 months. Multivariable analysis identified TBS (hazard ratio (HR):1.043 [95% confidence interval (CI): 1.002-1.086]; p = 0.039) and postoperative log AFP dynamics (HR:1.216 [CI 1.132-1.305]; p < 0.001) as predictors. Contour plots depicted TBS's influence decreasing over time, while postoperative AFP became more predictive. The time-varying Cox model was created to update RFS predictions continuously on the basis of the latest AFP values. The preoperative Cox model, developed with age, AFP, TBS, and albumin-bilirubin score, had a baseline C-index of 0.61 [0.59-0.63]. At 6 months, the time-varying model's C-index was 0.70 [0.67-0.73] versus 0.59 [0.56-0.61] for the static model; at 12 months, it was 0.70 [0.66-0.73] versus 0.56 [0.53-0.59]. The model was made available online ( https://nm49jf-miho-akabane.shinyapps.io/AFPHCC/ ). Conclusions: Incorporating postoperative AFP dynamics into RFS prediction after HCC resection enhanced prediction accuracy over time, as TBS's influence decreased. This adaptive, time-varying model provides refined RFS predictions throughout follow-up.
- Impact of Anatomical Resection on Non-transplantable Recurrence Among Patients with Hepatocellular Carcinoma: An International Multicenter Inverse Probability of Treatment Weighting Analysis.Publication . Kawashima, Jun; Endo, Yutaka; Khalil, Mujtaba; Woldesenbet, Selamawit; Akabane, Miho; Ruzzenente, Andrea; Ratti, Francesca; Marques, Hugo; Oliveira, Sara; Balaia, Jorge; Cauchy, François; Lam, Vincent; Poultsides, George; Kitago, Minoru; Popescu, Irinel; Martel, Guillaume; Gleisner, Ana; Hugh, Thomas J; Aldrighetti, Luca; Endo, Itaru; Pawlik, Timothy MBackground: Among patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the impact of anatomic resection (AR) versus non-anatomic resection (NAR) on non-transplantable recurrence (NTR) remains poorly defined. We sought to compare the risk of NTR among patients treated with AR versus NAR as the primary surgical strategy for HCC. Patients and methods: Patients with HCC within Milan criteria who underwent curative-intent resection between 2000 and 2020 were identified from an international multi-institutional database. The inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) method was utilized to compare short- and long-term outcomes among patients undergoing AR versus NAR. Results: Among 1038 patients, 747 (72.0%) patients underwent AR, while 291 (28.0%) patients underwent NAR. After IPTW adjustment, patients who underwent AR had better 5-year recurrence-free survival than individuals treated with NAR (63.9 vs. 52.0%; hazard ratio [HR] 0.78; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.62-0.99); however, there was no difference in 5-year overall survival (80.2 vs. 75.6%; HR 0.76; 95% CI 0.55-1.05). Notably, individuals who underwent AR were less likely to have a NTR versus individuals treated with NAR (3-year NTR 9.8 vs. 14.4%; HR 0.62; 95% CI 0.40-0.96). In particular, AR was associated with a lower risk of NTR among patients with a medium tumor burden score (TBS) (HR 0.53; 95% CI 0.28-0.99), while the benefit among patients with a low TBS was less pronounced (HR 0.73; 95% CI 0.40-1.32). Conclusions: AR was associated with a lower risk of NTR and improved recurrence-free survival (RFS) among patients with HCC, especially individuals with higher TBS. An anatomically defined surgical approach should be strongly considered in patients with a higher HCC tumor burden.
- Lymph Node Examination and Patterns of Nodal Metastasis Among Patients with Left- Versus Right-Sided Intrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma After Major Curative-Intent ResectionPublication . Zhang, XF; Xue, F; Weiss, M; Popescu, Irinel; Pinto Marques, H; Aldrighetti, L; Maithel, S; Pulitano, C; Bauer, T; Shen, F; Poultsides, G; Cauchy, F; Martel, G; Koerkamp, B; Itaru, E; Lv, Y; Pawlik, TBackground: We sought to investigate whether the unique lateral patterns of lymphatic drainage impacted lymphadenectomy (LND), lymph node metastasis (LNM), and long-term survival of patients after curative hemi-hepatectomy for left- versus right-sided intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC). Methods: Data on patients who underwent curative hemi-hepatectomy for left- or right-sided ICC were collected from 15 high-volume centers worldwide, as well as from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) registry. Primary outcomes included overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS). Results: Among 697 patients identified from the multi-institutional database, patients who underwent hemi-hepatectomy for left-sided ICC (n = 363, 52.1%) were more likely to have an increased number of LND versus patients with right-sided ICC (n = 334, 47.9%) (median, left 5 versus right 3, p = 0.012), although the frequency (left 66.4% versus right 63.8%, p = 0.469) and station (beyond station no. 12, left 25.3% versus right 21.1%, p = 0.293) were similar. Consequently, left-sided ICC was associated with higher incidence of LNM (left 33.3% versus right 25.7%, p = 0.036), whereas the station and number of LNM were not different (both p > 0.1). There was no difference in OS (median, left 34.9 versus right 29.6 months, p = 0.130) or DFS (median, left 14.5 versus right 15.2 months, p = 0.771) among patients who underwent hemi-hepatectomy for left- versus right-sided ICC, which were also verified in the SEER dataset. LNM beyond station no. 12 was associated with even worse long-term survival versus LNM within station no. 12 among patients with either left- or right-sided ICC after curative-intent resection (all p < 0.05). Conclusions: The unique lateral patterns of lymphatic drainage were closely related to utilization of LND, as well as LNM of left- versus right-sided ICC.
- Preoperative Risk Score (PreopScore) to Predict Overall Survival After Resection for Hepatocellular Carcinoma.Publication . Endo, Yutaka; Lima, Henrique A; Alaimo, Laura; Moazzam, Zorays; Brown, Zachary; Shaikh, Chanza F; Ratti, Francesca; Pinto Marques, Hugo; Soubrane, Olivier; Lam, Vincent; Poultsides, George A; Popescu, Irinel; Alexandrescu, Sorin; Martel, Guillaume; Workneh, Aklile; Guglielmi, Alfredo; Hugh, Tom; Aldrighetti, Luca; Shen, Feng; Endo, Itaru; Pawlik, Timothy M; ElsevierBackground: This study aimed to develop a holistic risk score incorporating preoperative tumor, liver, nutritional, and inflammatory markers to predict overall survival (OS) after hepatectomy for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Methods: Patients who underwent curative-intent surgery for HCC between 2000 and 2020 were identified using an international multi-institutional database. Preoperative predictors associated with OS were selected and a prognostic risk score model (PreopScore) was developed and validated using cross-validation. Results: A total of 1676 patients were included. On multivariable analysis, preoperative parameters associated with OS included α-feto protein (hazard ratio [HR]1.17, 95%CI 1.03-1.34), neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (HR2.62, 95%CI 1.30-5.30), albumin (HR0.49, 95%CI 0.34-0.70), gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (HR1.00, 95%CI 1.00-1.00), as well as vascular involvement (HR3.52, 95%CI 2.10-5.89) and tumor burden score (medium, HR3.49, 95%CI 1.62-7.58; high, HR3.21, 95%CI 1.40-7.35) on preoperative imaging. A weighted PreopScore was devised and made available online (https://yutaka-endo.shinyapps.io/PrepoScore_Shiny/). Patients with a PreopScore 0-2, 2-3.5, and >3.5 had incrementally worse 5-year OS of 85.8%, 70.7%, and 52.4%, respectively (p < 0.001). The c-index of the test and validation cohort were 0.75 and 0.71, respectively. The PreopScore outperformed individual parameters and previous HCC staging systems. Discussion: The PreopScore can be used as a better guide to preoperatively identify patients and individualize pre-/post-operative strategies.
- Should Utilization of Lymphadenectomy Vary According to Morphologic Subtype of Intrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma?Publication . Zhang, Xu-Feng; Lv, Yi; Weiss, Matthew; Popescu, Irinel; Pinto Marques, Hugo; Aldrighetti, Luca; Maithel, Shishir K; Pulitano, Carlo; Bauer, Todd W; Shen, Feng; Poultsides, George A; Soubrane, Oliver; Martel, Guillaume; Koerkamp, B Groot; Itaru, Endo; Pawlik, Timothy MObjective: We sought to evaluate the utilization of lymphadenectomy (LND) and the incidence of lymph node metastasis (LNM) among different morphologic types of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC). Methods: Clinical data of patients undergoing curative-intent resection for ICC between 1990 and 2017 were collected and analyzed. The preoperative nodal status was evaluated by imaging studies, and the morphologic and lymph node (LN) status was collected on final pathology report. Results: Overall, 1032 patients had a mass-forming (MF) or intraductal growth (IG) ICC subtype, whereas 150 patients had a periductal infiltrating (PI) or MF + PI subtype. Among the 924 patients with MF/IG ICC subtype who had nodal assessment on preoperative imaging, 747 (80.8%) were node-negative, whereas 177 (19.2%) patients were suspicious for metastatic nodal disease. On final pathological analysis, 71 of 282 (25.2%) patients who had preoperative node-negative disease ultimately had LNM. In contrast, 79 of 135 (58.5%) patients with preoperative suspicious/metastatic LNs had pathologically confirmed LNM (odds ratio [OR] 4.2, p < 0.001). Among the 129 patients with PI/MF + PI ICC subtype and preoperative nodal information, 72 (55.8%) were node-negative on preoperative imaging. In contrast, 57 (44.2%) patients had suspicious/metastatic LNs. On final pathologic examination, 45.3% (n = 24) of patients believed to be node-negative on preoperative imaging had LNM; 68.0% (n = 34) of patients who had suspicious/positive nodal disease on imaging ultimately had LNM (OR 2.6, p = 0.009). Conclusion: Given the low accuracy of preoperative imaging evaluation of nodal status, routine LND should be performed at the time of resection for both MF/IG and PI/MF + PI ICC subtypes.