Hepatic malignancies remain a global challenge. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) accounts for around 90% of patients with liver cancer and is the sixth most common neoplasm worldwide and the fourth leading cause of cancer-related death. However, the long-term prognosis for HCC remains far from satisfactory, with a late diagnosis and limited treatment. DOX has served as conventional
Primary liver cancer (PLC) is currently the fourth most common malignancy and accounts for the second most cancer-related deaths in China. Since 2017, a great deal of high-level evidence, and particularly evidence based on Chinese studies and practice, has emerged in terms of diagnosis, staging, and treatment. A new version of the guidelines for the management of PLC specifying the diagnosis and treatment of PLC (2019 edition) has recently been published. The guidelines feature major changes in the techniques for early diagnosis, the combination of surgery, local therapy, and systemic treatment, and the use of traditional Chinese medicine. The guidelines need to be further implemented in clinical practice to demonstrate their validity.
Lipid metabolic reprogramming is one of the important metabolic characteristics of cancer cells. As major components of lipids, fatty acids provide energy and material basis for cancer cell survival. Abnormal fatty acid metabolism has been found in many cancers. Fatty acid uptake, transport, and synthesis are closely related to the pathogenesis of cancer. Meanwhile, fatty acid changes in the membrane structure of cancer cells and signal transduction mediated by signaling lipids are also helping cancer cells survive in the changing microenvironment. Some of these enzymes and metabolites involved in fatty acid metabolism are emerging as unique cancer biomarkers. Multiple studies have shown that disordered fatty acids can regulate tumor cell proliferation, metastasis, and drug resistance. Therefore, targeting fatty acid metabolism has become a promising treatment strategy. Here, we mainly present metabolic alterations of fatty acids, the basic components of lipids, in cancer. We discuss the cancer treatment based on fatty acid and fatty acid metabolism. These may provide a basis for a better understanding of lipid metabolic reprogramming in cancer, and also provide new ideas for cancer biomarker search, drug development, and combination therapy.
Background
Systemic inflammation and nutritional status are associated with tumor development and progression. This study investigated the prognostic value of fibrinogen/albumin ratio index (FARI) in predicting recurrence-free survival (RFS) in patients with intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) undergoing hepatectomy.
Methods
A retrospective cohort was conducted including patients who received curative hepatectomy for ICC at our hospital between May 2010 and December 2016. We collected the preoperative hematologic parameters and clinical data of all patients. Time-dependent receiver operating characteristic curve was used to identify the optimal cutoff value of FARI. The association between FARI-high and FARI-low group was investigated by using the Kaplan–Meier method. A nomogram based on the results of univariate and multivariate analysis was established.
Results
A total of 394 patients with ICC who underwent hepatectomy at our hospital were enrolled. K-M analysis revealed that increased FARI was related to reduced RFS (P < 0.001). The multivariate analysis indicated that tumor number, tumor–node–metastasis stage, lymph node metastasis, cirrhosis, serum carbohydrate antigen 19-9, and FARI were independent predictors of RFS, and the ROC curve analysis showed that the optimal cutoff value for FARI was 0.084 based on the Youden index. The nomogram for FARI showed satisfactory accuracy in predicting RFS for ICC patients undergoing hepatectomy (C index = 0.663; AIC = 3081.07).
Conclusion
Preoperative FARI is an independent predictor of RFS in patients undergoing hepatectomy for ICC, and the nomogram can be useful for clinical decision-making in the postoperative management of these patients.
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