Background/purpose: This study aimed to evaluate the usefulness of serum autotaxin, a novel liver fibrosis marker, for predicting post hepatectomy liver failure (PHLF) in patients undergoing hepatectomy for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).
Methods: Autotaxin was measured in sera from 269 patients undergoing hepatectomy for HCC. Correlations between autotaxin level, liver fibrosis stage (METAVIR F0-F4), and PHLF, as assessed by the International Study Group of Liver Surgery criteria, were analyzed.
Results: Median autotaxin concentrations correlated significantly with fibrosis stage (F0, 0.93; F1, 0.96; F2, 1.18; F3, 1.40; and F4, 1.47 mg/l; P < .0001). Autotaxin levels were significantly higher in female patients and hepatitis C virus antibody-positive patients compared with male or antibody-negative patients (P < .0001). PHLF grade ≥ B occurred in 25 patients (9.3%). A PHLF prediction model was constructed from four variables (autotaxin, resection rate, sex, and hepatitis C virus antibody positivity) and gave an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.8 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.69-0.87), which was superior to models based on ALPlat and resection rate (0.75, 95% CI: 0.64-0.83) or indocyanine green retention test and resection rate (0.72, 95% CI: 0.61-0.81).
Conclusion: Serum autotaxin has utility for predicting liver fibrosis and PHLF in patients with HCC.
Keywords: autotaxin; liver failure; liver fibrosis; liver resection; prediction.
© 2022 Japanese Society of Hepato-Biliary-Pancreatic Surgery.