The prognosis of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma is closely related to the overall survival of patients. Factors that affect the prognosis of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma include underlying liver disease, tumor biology, choice and efficacy of treatment, immune status of the body, and patient factors.
Underlying liver disease
It is well known that most liver cancers develop in the context of chronic hepatitis and cirrhosis.
At the time of first detection of hepatocellular carcinoma, the better the functional status of the patient’s liver and the less severe cirrhosis means that the patient has more access to anti-tumor therapy and the longer he can receive treatment, which is also more beneficial to the patient’s prognosis.
Tumor biology
The biology of the tumor is not uniform for each patient.
- Some patients have a single-centered, low malignancy tumor that is eligible for “curative” treatment and has a better prognosis if the tumor does not recur or has a low recurrence rate after choosing the appropriate treatment.
- Patients with multicentric tumors that are highly malignant, aggressive, and prone to recurrence or metastasis have a poorer prognosis.
Treatment selection and efficacy
There are many treatment options for liver cancer, including “curative” methods such as liver transplantation, hepatectomy, radiofrequency ablation, and “palliative” methods such as intervention, intratumoral anhydrous alcohol injection, radiotherapy, systemic chemotherapy, targeted drugs, and immunotherapy.
Every approach has its own indications and contraindications, and the efficacy varies depending on the patient’s tumor status. The patient’s liver function is affected to varying degrees by different approaches, and the patient’s pre-treatment liver function status is closely related to the patient’s recovery after treatment.
Immune status of the body
The immune status of the patient’s body is closely related to the recurrence and metastasis of the tumor after treatment.
Patient factors
Some patients, for various reasons, are unable to follow up regularly for checkups as prescribed by their doctors, thus missing the best time for treatment, leading to disease progression and affecting prognosis.