Aspartate aminotransferase-to-platelet ratio predicts response to transarterial chemoembolisation and prognosis in hepatocellular carcinoma patients

To evaluate the value of the aspartate aminotransferase-to-platelet ratio index (APRI) for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients who underwent transarterial chemoembolisation (TACE). A total of 315 patients were enrolled, who were randomly divided into the training cohort (n=158) and the validation cohort (n=157). The optimal cut-off value of the APRI was determined using the X-tile software in the training cohort, and was validated in the validation cohort. Several serum-based markers, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte (N/L) and aspartate aminotransferase-to-alanine aminotransferase (AST/ALT) ratios were included to compare with the APRI. To predict individual survival rate, independent predictors were included to build a nomogram. Using the X-tile, a cut-off value of the APRI as 0.40 was yielded to distinguish patients with distinct outcomes in the training cohort, but failed for the N/L and ALT/AST ratios. In the training cohort, 66 patients with high APRI had poorer survival (p