Prognostic significance of inflammation-based score in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma after liver transplantation.

BACKGROUND Recent studies have revealed that combining of the platelet to lymphocyte ratio (PLR) and the neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) [(combination of neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio and platelet-lymphocyte ratio (CNP)] links with dismal prognosis in diverse cancers. Here, we elucidated the prognostic significance of CNP, acting as a novel inflammation-based score, for predicting the survival of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients following liver transplantation. METHOD We retrospectively recruited 100 patients with HCC who met the Hangzhou criteria for liver transplantation. The Kaplan-Meier approach, univariate, and multivariate assessments were employed to examine prognostic factors. We determined the optimal cutoff values for NLR, PLR, and haematological parameters using the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve evaluation. On the basis of the ROC curve, the optimal cutoff values for PLR and NLR were 3.4 and 114.6, discretely. Patients with increased NLR (>3.4) and high PLR (>114.6) scored 2, while one or none scored 1 or 0, respectively. RESULTS Distinct differences were reported between CNP and Fibrinogen (P = 0.002), White blood cell (P = 0.048), NLR (P < 0.001), and PLR (P < 0.001). Based on the findings of Kaplan-Meier assessments, the CNP score linked to dismal overall survival (OS; P < 0.0001), as well as recurrence-free survival (RFS; P < 0.0001) in HCC patients after liver transplantation. Furthermore, multivariate assessments indicated that the CNP score was an independent prediction factor for OS (P = 0.002) and RFS (P < 0.001) in HCC patients after liver transplantation. CONCLUSION The CNP score can be considered as an effective predictor of survival events in HCC patients after liver transplantation.