Predictors of Recurrence of Hepatocellular Carcinoma after Transarterial Chemoembolization: Role of Hepatocyte Growth Factor

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma is the\r\nthird leading cause of tumor related mortality and develops mostly in patients with chronic liver\r\ndisease and liver cirrhosis.\r\nHuman hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) is produced in various organs of the body and is characterized as a\r\nmultifunctional factor with various biologic activities. Aim: Our\r\naim was to investigate the predictive factors of recurrence specially the role of HGF in patients with HCC treated with\r\nTACE. Patients and Methods: one hundred HCC patients treated by TACE who achieved\r\ncomplete response were included and divided into two groups according to disease free survival (DFS) status at\r\n1 year: the non-early recurrence (NER) group (1) and the early recurrence (ER) group (2). Univariate\r\nbinary logistic regression analysis for the possible risk factors of recurrence\r\nshowed that AFP, multinodularity and HGF level were significant. Conclusion: high AFP, multinodularity and high HGF were\r\ninter-related possible risk factors for 1-year\r\nrecurrence of HCC in patients with initial remission following TACE.