Mac-2 Binding Protein Glycosylation Isomer as a Prognostic Marker for Hepatocellular Carcinoma with Sustained Virological Response

Background/Aim: Mac2-binding protein glycosylation isomer (M2BPGi) is a non-invasive marker for assessing liver fibrosis. This was a retrospective study investigating whether M2BPGi predicts recurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) after hepatectomy in patients with HCC who achieved a sustained virological response (SVR). Patients and Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the clinicopathological factors from 60 patients who underwent hepatectomy for HCC after achieving a SVR. We divided all patients into high M2BPGi and low M2BPGi groups and analyzed the clinicopathological and surgical outcomes. Results: High M2BPGi (>1.54, n=23) was significantly associated with lower serum albumin, higher ICGR15, higher Fib-4 index, large blood loss, and worse recurrence-free survival compared to low M2BPGi (≤1.54, n=37). Multivariate analysis identified high M2BPGi and large tumor size as being associated with reduced recurrence-free survival. Multivariate analysis identified lower serum albumin, larger tumor size and higher DCP as associated with reduced overall survival. There was no difference regarding recurrence pattern. Conclusion: Preoperative M2BPGi is a useful biomarker for HCC recurrence after hepatectomy for SVR-HCC.