Tumor enhancement ratio with unenhanced imaging is an independent prognostic factor for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma after transarterial chemoembolization

Objective To investigative whether the odds tumor enhancement ratio (OTER) on cross-sectional imaging is a prognostic factor for hepatocellular carcinoma after transarterial chemoembolization (TACE). Methods This study involved 126 patients who underwent TACE from May 2015 to March 2019. The signal intensity/Hounsfield units (HU) was measured by placing regions of interest on the tumor and surrounding liver in unenhanced and arterial-phase contrast-enhanced cross-sectional images. The OTER was calculated as follows: OTER = (HUTUMORart − HUTUMORun)/ (HULIVERart − HULIVERun). Univariate analysis was performed to determine the factors associated with overall survival (OS). Variables with a P value of