Objective: To evaluate correlation between contrast-enhanced ultrasonography Liver Imaging Reporting and Data System (CEUS LI-RADS; v. 2017) categories (LR 3-5 vs LR-M) and outcomes in patients with early-stage hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) after initial therapy.
Methods: In this retrospective study, 272 patients with high risks for HCC and solitary clinically or pathologically confirmed HCC were identified between January 2010 and December 2015. Patients were initially treated by resection and radiofrequency ablation (RFA) according to the Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer staging system and were followed up until December 31, 2018. Recurrence-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS) were compared between nodules assigned as LR 3-5 or LR M according to CEUS LI-RADS v. 2017 by using the Kaplan-Meier curve, log-rank test, and Cox proportional hazard model.
Results: Early washout is the key determinating whether a nodule is classed as LR-M. Treatment procedures and LI-RADS category showed an independent correlation with OS and RFS (p < 0.05). LR 3-5 category were more correlated with better OS (88.6 months and 74.2 months, respectively; p = 0.017) compared with LR-M. Surgical resection demonstrated longer OS and RFS than RFA in LR-M patients and longer OS in LR 3-5 patients (p < 0.05). Besides, there was no significantly difference in OS and RFS between two categories in resection (p > 0.05), while for patients treated with RFA, LR 3-5 patients showed significant longer OS and RFS than LR-M patients (p < 0.05).
Conclusion: Patients with HCC assigned as LR-M showed worse RFS and OS and surgical resection tended to be a more effective treatment for these patients.
Advances in knowledge: Putting forward a theory that CEUS LI-RADS categories could independently predict the outcome for patients with solitary HCC at early-stage after initial treatment.