AUTHOR=Chen Shao-hua , Wang Xu 

TITLE=A high preoperative serum IL-25 level is a negative prognosis predictor after liver resection for HBV-HCC

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Oncology

VOLUME=12

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/oncology/articles/10.3389/fonc.2022.858151

DOI=10.3389/fonc.2022.858151

ISSN=2234-943X

ABSTRACT=<sec><title>Objective</title><p>The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between preoperative IL-25 levels and HBV-HCC patient outcomes following liver surgery.</p></sec><sec><title>Methods</title><p>This study enrolled consecutive HCC patients that had undergone liver surgery from 2008 to 2015. Baseline patient clinical properties were assessed to establish predictors of postoperative overall survival and recurrence-free survival (OS and RFS, respectively) following liver resection. In addition, serum IL-25 levels were assessed <italic>via</italic> ELISA.</p></sec><sec><title>Results</title><p>Cox regression analyses revealed IL-25 levels to be independently related to the OS and RFS of 896 HBV-associated HCC patients. An optimal IL-25 cutoff level of 14.9 μg/ml was identified, with 206 patients in this cohort having IL-25 levels above this threshold. Both the OS and RFS of patients with an IL-25 level &lt;14.9 μg/ml were significantly better after liver resection as compared to those of patients with higher preoperative levels of this cytokine (<italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.05). Cox multivariate regression analyses revealed an IL-25 level ≥ 14.9 μg/L to be an independent predictor of poorer RFS and OS. A combination of IL-25 levels and tumor diameter may be an even more reliable predictor of OS.</p></sec><sec><title>Conclusions</title><p>IL-25 levels are independent predictors of postoperative survival within HCC patients undergoing liver resection.</p></sec>