Systemic Immune-Inflammation Index Predicts Prognosis of Patients after Curative Resection for Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Abstract

Purpose: We developed a novel systemic immune-inflammation index (SII) based on lymphocyte, neutrophil, and platelet counts and explored its prognostic value in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Experimental Design: The SII was developed based on a retrospective study of 133 patients with HCC undergoing resection between 2005 and 2006, and validated in a prospective study of 123 patients enrolled from 2010 to 2011. The circulating tumor cell (CTC) level in the validation cohort was measured using the CellSearch system. Prediction accuracy was evaluated with area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC). Results: An optimal cutoff point for the SII of 330 × 10⁹ stratified the patients with HCC into high (≥330) and low SII (P = 0.029). In patients with detectable CTCs, those with SII ≥ 330 had higher recurrence rates and shorter survival time than patients with SII < 330. Conclusion: The SII was a powerful prognostic indicator of poor outcome in patients with HCC and is a promising tool for HCC treatment strategy decisions. The dismal outcome in patients with high SII scores might be related to higher CTC levels. Clin Cancer Res; 20(23); 6212–22. ©2014 AACR.