Evidence map›Paper›PMID 35565366›Full record

ArticleCancers2022

Limitations of Nerve Fiber Density as a Prognostic Marker in Predicting Oncological Outcomes in Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Jan Bednarsch, Xiuxiang Tan, Zoltan Czigany, Georg Wiltberger, Roman David Buelow, Peter Boor, Sven Arke Lang, Tom Florian Ulmer, Ulf Peter Neumann, Lara Rosaline Heij

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Cancers, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
6citing papers in PubMed
0.8field-weighted citation impact, top 30% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

6 citing papers in PubMed, 7 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Review
  2. Roles of Peripheral Nerves in Tumor Initiation and Progression.International journal of molecular sciences · 2025
    Review
  3. The Neuroimmune Axis and Its Therapeutic Potential for Primary Liver Cancer.International journal of molecular sciences · 2024
    Review
  4. Review
  5. Article
  6. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.

Jan BednarschDepartment of Surgery and Transplantation, University Hospital RWTH Aachen, 52074 Aachen, Germany.
Xiuxiang TanDepartment of Surgery and Transplantation, University Hospital RWTH Aachen, 52074 Aachen, Germany.
Zoltan CziganyDepartment of Surgery and Transplantation, University Hospital RWTH Aachen, 52074 Aachen, Germany.ORCID 0000-0003-0373-3210
Georg WiltbergerDepartment of Surgery and Transplantation, University Hospital RWTH Aachen, 52074 Aachen, Germany.
Roman David BuelowInstitute of Pathology, University Hospital RWTH Aachen, 52074 Aachen, Germany.
Peter BoorInstitute of Pathology, University Hospital RWTH Aachen, 52074 Aachen, Germany.ORCID 0000-0001-9921-4284
Sven Arke LangDepartment of Surgery and Transplantation, University Hospital RWTH Aachen, 52074 Aachen, Germany.
Tom Florian UlmerDepartment of Surgery and Transplantation, University Hospital RWTH Aachen, 52074 Aachen, Germany.
Ulf Peter NeumannDepartment of Surgery and Transplantation, University Hospital RWTH Aachen, 52074 Aachen, Germany.
Lara Rosaline HeijDepartment of Surgery and Transplantation, University Hospital RWTH Aachen, 52074 Aachen, Germany.ORCID 0000-0002-0602-3356
RWTH Aachen University · DEMaastricht University · NLMaastricht University Medical Centre · NL

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

It has been shown that the presence and density of nerve fibers (NFs; NFD) in the tumor microenvironment (TME) may play an important prognostic role in predicting long-term oncological outcomes in various malignancies. However, the role of NFD in the prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is yet to be explored. To this end, we aimed to investigate the impact of NFs on oncological outcomes in a large European single-center cohort of HCC patients. In total, 153 HCC patients who underwent partial hepatectomy in a curative-intent setting between 2010 and 2021 at our university hospital were included in this study. Group comparisons between patients with and without NFs were conducted and the association of recurrence-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS) with the presence of NFs and other clinico-pathological variables were determined by univariate and multivariable Cox regression models. Patients with NFs in the TME presented with a median OS of 66 months (95% CI: 30−102) compared to 42 months (95% CI: 20−63) for patients without NFs (p = 0.804 log-rank). Further, RFS was 26 months (95% CI: 12−40) for patients with NFs compared to 18 months (95% CI: 9−27) for patients without NFs (p = 0.666 log-rank). In a subgroup analysis, patients with NFD ≤ 5 showed a median OS of 54 months (95% CI: 11−97) compared to 48 months (95% CI: 0−106) for the group of patients with NFD > 5 (p = 0.787 log-rank). Correspondingly, the RFS was 26 months (95% CI: 10−42) in patients with NFD ≤ 5 and 29 months (95% CI: 14−44) for the subcohort with NFD > 5 (p = 0.421 log-rank). Further, group comparisons showed no clinico-pathological differences between patients with NFs (n = 76) and without NFs (n = 77) and NFs were not associated with OS (p = 0.806) and RFS (p = 0.322) in our Cox regression models. In contrast to observations in various malignancies, NFs in the TME and NFD are not associated with long-term oncological outcomes in HCC patients undergoing surgery.

Indexed as

biomarkerhepatocellular carcinomanerve fibersoncological outcometumor microenvironment

Identifiers

PMID35565366
PMCPMC9103173
OpenAlexW4225162897

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.