Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40108574›Full record

ArticleBMC cancer2025

Construction and validation of a novel liver function-tumor burden-inflammation-nutrition (LTIN) score for HCC patients underwent hepatectomy.

Yuhao Su, Yuxin Liang, Deyuan Zhong, Hongtao Yan, Qinyan Yang, Jin Shang, Yahui Chen, Xiaolun Huang

Abstract readValidation Study
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in BMC cancer, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
6citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
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

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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, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
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  5. [The value of the nutritional assessment index or score in prognostic evaluation for patients with liver cancer].Zhonghua gan zang bing za zhi = Zhonghua ganzangbing zazhi = Chinese journal of hepatology · 2026
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Yuhao Su *Department of Liver Transplantation Center and HBP Surgery, Sichuan Cancer Hospital & Institute, Sichuan Cancer Center, School of Medicine, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China.
Yuxin Liang *Department of Liver Transplantation Center and HBP Surgery, Sichuan Cancer Hospital & Institute, Sichuan Cancer Center, School of Medicine, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China.
Deyuan ZhongDepartment of Liver Transplantation Center and HBP Surgery, Sichuan Cancer Hospital & Institute, Sichuan Cancer Center, School of Medicine, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China.
Hongtao YanDepartment of Liver Transplantation Center and HBP Surgery, Sichuan Cancer Hospital & Institute, Sichuan Cancer Center, School of Medicine, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China.
Qinyan YangDepartment of Liver Transplantation Center and HBP Surgery, Sichuan Cancer Hospital & Institute, Sichuan Cancer Center, School of Medicine, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China.
Jin ShangDepartment of Liver Transplantation Center and HBP Surgery, Sichuan Cancer Hospital & Institute, Sichuan Cancer Center, School of Medicine, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China.
Yahui ChenDepartment of Liver Transplantation Center and HBP Surgery, Sichuan Cancer Hospital & Institute, Sichuan Cancer Center, School of Medicine, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China.
Xiaolun HuangDepartment of Liver Transplantation Center and HBP Surgery, Sichuan Cancer Hospital & Institute, Sichuan Cancer Center, School of Medicine, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China. huangxiaolun@med.uestc.edu.cn.

Funding

Sichuan Provincial Science and Technology Support Program 2021YFH0187
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveLiver function, tumor burden, inflammation level, and nutritional status are critical factors influencing tumor onset, progression, and metastasis. This study sought to investigate the prognostic significance and clinical relevance of biomarkers associated with these factors to develop a novel liver function-tumor burden-inflammation-nutrition (LTIN) score for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) who received hepatectomy.

methodsA retrospective analysis was conducted on 285 patients with HCC undergoing hepatectomy at two medical centers between July 2019 and July 2023. The patients were divided into a training set (n = 200) and a validation set (n = 85). The study evaluated the prognostic significance of eight relevant clinical indicators and developed an LTIN score using Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (LASSO) regression. Kaplan-Meier survival curves and multivariate Cox regression analysis were utilized to determine the prognostic value of the LTIN score. Time-dependent receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analyses were used to compare the predictive performance of various prognostic factors.

resultsThe LTIN score, derived from the albumin-bilirubin (ALBI) grade, tumor burden score (TBS), prognostic nutritional index (PNI), and prognostic inflammatory index (PII), effectively classified patients into high- and low-risk groups based on the optimal cut-off value. Patients with low-risk scores exhibited significantly better overall survival (OS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS) than those with high-risk groups in both the training and validation sets (P < 0.001). Furthermore, the LTIN score was identified as a significant independent prognostic factor for both OS (P < 0.001) and RFS (P < 0.001). The LTIN score also exhibited superior prognostic capabilities compared to the other indicators, Tumor-Node-Metastasis (TNM) staging system, and Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) staging system.

conclusionOur findings indicated that the preoperative LTIN score has significant potential as a reliable predictor of OS and RFS for HCC patients underwent radical surgery. The LTIN score could further effectively guide treatment decisions and optimize follow-up strategies to enhance patients prognosis.

Indexed as

Carcinoma, HepatocellularHepatectomyInflammationLiver NeoplasmsNutritional StatusAdultAgedFemaleHumansKaplan-Meier EstimateLiverLiver Function TestsMaleMiddle AgedNutrition AssessmentPrognosisHepatocellular carcinomaInflammationLiver functionNutritionPrognosisTumor burden

Identifiers

PMID40108574
PMCPMC11921615

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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Registered trials

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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.