AUTHOR=Zhao Yu-Fei , Xiong Xiu , Chen Kai , Tang Wei , Yang Xu , Shi Zheng-Rong 

TITLE=Evaluation of the Therapeutic Effect of Adjuvant Transcatheter Arterial Chemoembolization Based on Ki67 After Hepatocellular Carcinoma Surgery

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Oncology

VOLUME=Volume 11 - 2021

YEAR=2021

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/oncology/articles/10.3389/fonc.2021.605234

DOI=10.3389/fonc.2021.605234

ISSN=2234-943X

ABSTRACT=background and aims: This study aimed to determine the relationship between Ki67 expression and the efficacy of postoperative adjuvant transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (PA-TACE) in patients with liver cancer.
Methods: the Kaplan-Meier method was used to analyze the recurrence-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS) rates between the sub-groups in the ki67 low expression group and the ki67 high expression group and analyze the relationship between the expression of Ki67 and the efficacy of TACE.
Results: After PSM, there was no significant difference in the RFS and OS between the surgery + TACE and surgery subgroups after 1, 2, or 3 years (RFS: 62.5%, 52.5%, and 45.0% vs. 80.0 %, 60.0%, and 52.5%, respectively, P=0.367; OS: 90%, 77.5%, and 70% vs. 92.5%, 87.5%, and 67.5%, respectively, P=0.887) in the Ki67 low-expression group. The RFS and OS were higher in the surgery + TACE subgroup than the surgery subgroup after 1, 2, and 3 years (RFS: 80%, 76.9%, and 69.2% vs. 52.3%, 38.6%, and 30.2%, respectively, P˂0.001; OS: 97.5%, 84.6%, and 79.5% vs. 77.3%, 47.7%, and 41.9%, respectively, P<0.001) in the Ki67 high expression group. 
Conclusions: For patients with liver cancer and high expression of Ki67 (Ki67≥20%), adjuvant hepatic artery chemoembolization after radical liver tumor resection effectively reduced the probability of tumor recurrence after surgery and prolonged the OS of patients. High Ki67 expression during the post-operative follow-up evaluation of liver cancer patients is an indicator for adjuvant TACE therapy.