Objective To research prognostic prediction value of serum γ-glutamyltransferase-to-prealbumin ratio (GPR) for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) after radical resection. Methods The clinical data of HCC patients undergoing radical resection from January 2013 to November 2021 were analyzed retrospectively. The optimal critical value of GPR was determined by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. The patients were allocated into the low GPR group (GPR was the optimal critical value or less) and the high GPR group (GPR was greater than the optimal critical value). The differences of clinicopathologic characteristics were compared between the two groups. The overall survival (OS) and relapse-free survival (RFS) were analyzed by the Kaplan-Meier survival curve and compared by the log-rank test between the two groups. The risk factors affecting the OS and RFS of patients with HCC were analyzed by univariate and multivariate Cox regression, and the predictive value of GPR on the OS was evaluated by ROC curve. Results A total of 216 eligible HCC patients were gathered. The optimal critical value of GPR was 0.29, 93 cases were in the low GPR group and 123 cases were in the high GPR group. Compared with the low GPR group, the proportions of the patients with preoperative alanine aminotransferase >50 U/L, albumin <40 g/L, total bilirubin ≥34.2 μmol/L, tumor size >5 cm, multiple tumor lesions, stage Ⅲ of China liver cancer staging (CNLC), and major hepatectomy (liver segment resection was 3 or more) were higher in the high GPR group (P<0.05). The Kaplan-Meier survival curve showed that the OS and RFS of the low GPR group were better than those of the high GPR group (χ²=14.356, P＜0.001; χ²=7.963, P=0.005). Cox regression multivariate analysis showed that the preoperative alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) ≥400 μg/L, GPR >0.29, stage Ⅲ of CNLC, and operation time (more than 3 h) were the risk factors for OS and RFS of HCC patients (P<0.05). The area under the ROC curve of GPR alone and it in combination with risk factors (preoperative AFP and CNLC stage, respectively) and in combination with the above three indicators to predict the OS of patients with HCC were 0.636, 0.712, 0.696, and 0.737, respectively. Conclusion From the results of this study, GPR is associated with the postoperative survival of patients with HCC after radical resection, and GPR in combination with preoperative AFP and CNLC stage has a certain predictive value for the OS.

Citation： MOU Zhiqiang, YANG Li, CHEN Shengdeng, LI Qiu. Prognostic prediction value of gamma-glutamyltransferase-to-prealbumin ratio for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma after radical resection: a historical cohort analysis. CHINESE JOURNAL OF BASES AND CLINICS IN GENERAL SURGERY, 2023, 30(3): 309-314. doi: 10.7507/1007-9424.202210038 Copy