Prognostic value of alkaline phosphatase, gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase and lactate dehydrogenase in hepatocellular carcinoma patients treated with liver resection

Abstract Background Alkaline phosphatase (ALP), gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) are routinely tested before surgery and are easily obtained. They are also the most widely used tumor markers, which have a certain reference value in the diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The prognostic values of ALP, GGT and LDH have not been explored deeply and few studies have investigated the prognosis value of them in surgically treated HCC patients. Our study was performed to verify the prognostic significance of preoperative ALP, GGT and LDH in hepatitis B virus (HBV)-related HCC patients receiving curative hepatectomy. Materials and methods 469 pathologically confirmed HCC patients who received curative hepatectomy were retrospectively analyzed. Significant clinicopathological factors were collected and analyzed. Independent prognostic factors were indentified by the multivariate analysis. Overall survival (OS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS) curves were analyzed and compared between different groups. Results Patients with low level of ALP, GGT and LDH have favorable OS and RFS, even in cirrhosis subgroup. ALP, GGT and LDH were also closely related to some important clinicopathological parameters. GGT and LDH were significant independent prognostic factors of both OS and RFS, while ALP was just a significant independent prognostic factor of OS, rather than RFS. Conclusions Preoperative ALP, GGT and LDH could predict prognosis in HBV-related HCC patients who received curative liver resection.