Exploring the association between chemotherapy and prognosis among patients less than 50 years old with hepatocellular carcinoma: a retrospective cohort study based on the SEER database
Abstract Background/Aim Hepatic carcinoma, including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), is one of the most common malignant tumors globally, with an increasing incidence among younger populations. While chemotherapy is effective for advanced HCC, its impact on the prognosis of younger patients, who typ...
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Springer
2025-05-01
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| Series: | Discover Oncology |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1007/s12672-025-02490-7 |
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| author | Qiyu Zhang Qiongyu Liang Chi Xu |
| author_facet | Qiyu Zhang Qiongyu Liang Chi Xu |
| author_sort | Qiyu Zhang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background/Aim Hepatic carcinoma, including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), is one of the most common malignant tumors globally, with an increasing incidence among younger populations. While chemotherapy is effective for advanced HCC, its impact on the prognosis of younger patients, who typically have better physiological conditions, remains unclear. Younger patients may have different tumor biology and chemotherapy responses than older patients. This study aims to evaluate the impact of chemotherapy on the prognosis and survival rates of younger HCC patients. Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted using the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program (SEER) database, which provides information on cancer statistics among the US population. We selected patients diagnosed with primary HCC between 2010 and 2015. The patients were divided into two groups based on whether they received chemotherapy or not. Kaplan–Meier analyses were utilised to evaluate the impact of chemotherapy on prognosis by comparing the overall survival (OS) and cancer-specific survival (CSS) between the two groups. After performing 1:1 propensity score matching (PSM), the differences in OS and CSS were reassessed. Results Before PSM, there were 1662 participants with primary HCC. After PSM, the sample was reduced to 1154 participants, with 577 individuals in each chemotherapy and non-chemotherapy group. Before PSM, there was no statistically significant difference in OS and CSS between the chemotherapy and non-chemotherapy groups (P = 0.25 and P = 0.06). After PSM, although the survival time in the chemotherapy group was slightly extended, the difference remained statistically insignificant (P = 0.09 and P = 0.38). Kaplan–Meier curves indicated no significant difference between the chemotherapy and non-chemotherapy groups, both before and after PSM, further supporting the conclusion that chemotherapy did not significantly improve survival in young patients with HCC. Conclusion Chemotherapy did not significantly improve survival for young patients with HCC. Treatment decisions should be approached cautiously, especially in cases with complex tumor characteristics. Future studies should explore the mechanisms of chemotherapy in younger patients and develop personalized treatment strategies to improve long-term outcomes. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-745f013672f34a5eb6b231fd6e7dc1df |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2730-6011 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-05-01 |
| publisher | Springer |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Discover Oncology |
| spelling | doaj-art-745f013672f34a5eb6b231fd6e7dc1df2025-08-20T03:53:13ZengSpringerDiscover Oncology2730-60112025-05-0116111110.1007/s12672-025-02490-7Exploring the association between chemotherapy and prognosis among patients less than 50 years old with hepatocellular carcinoma: a retrospective cohort study based on the SEER databaseQiyu Zhang0Qiongyu Liang1Chi Xu2Department of Interventional Treatment, Beijing NO.6 HospitalDepartment of Interventional Treatment, Beijing NO.6 HospitalDepartment of Interventional Treatment, Beijing NO.6 HospitalAbstract Background/Aim Hepatic carcinoma, including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), is one of the most common malignant tumors globally, with an increasing incidence among younger populations. While chemotherapy is effective for advanced HCC, its impact on the prognosis of younger patients, who typically have better physiological conditions, remains unclear. Younger patients may have different tumor biology and chemotherapy responses than older patients. This study aims to evaluate the impact of chemotherapy on the prognosis and survival rates of younger HCC patients. Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted using the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program (SEER) database, which provides information on cancer statistics among the US population. We selected patients diagnosed with primary HCC between 2010 and 2015. The patients were divided into two groups based on whether they received chemotherapy or not. Kaplan–Meier analyses were utilised to evaluate the impact of chemotherapy on prognosis by comparing the overall survival (OS) and cancer-specific survival (CSS) between the two groups. After performing 1:1 propensity score matching (PSM), the differences in OS and CSS were reassessed. Results Before PSM, there were 1662 participants with primary HCC. After PSM, the sample was reduced to 1154 participants, with 577 individuals in each chemotherapy and non-chemotherapy group. Before PSM, there was no statistically significant difference in OS and CSS between the chemotherapy and non-chemotherapy groups (P = 0.25 and P = 0.06). After PSM, although the survival time in the chemotherapy group was slightly extended, the difference remained statistically insignificant (P = 0.09 and P = 0.38). Kaplan–Meier curves indicated no significant difference between the chemotherapy and non-chemotherapy groups, both before and after PSM, further supporting the conclusion that chemotherapy did not significantly improve survival in young patients with HCC. Conclusion Chemotherapy did not significantly improve survival for young patients with HCC. Treatment decisions should be approached cautiously, especially in cases with complex tumor characteristics. Future studies should explore the mechanisms of chemotherapy in younger patients and develop personalized treatment strategies to improve long-term outcomes.https://doi.org/10.1007/s12672-025-02490-7Hepatocellular carcinomaChemotherapyYoung patientsSurvivalSEER database |
| spellingShingle | Qiyu Zhang Qiongyu Liang Chi Xu Exploring the association between chemotherapy and prognosis among patients less than 50 years old with hepatocellular carcinoma: a retrospective cohort study based on the SEER database Discover Oncology Hepatocellular carcinoma Chemotherapy Young patients Survival SEER database |
| title | Exploring the association between chemotherapy and prognosis among patients less than 50 years old with hepatocellular carcinoma: a retrospective cohort study based on the SEER database |
| title_full | Exploring the association between chemotherapy and prognosis among patients less than 50 years old with hepatocellular carcinoma: a retrospective cohort study based on the SEER database |
| title_fullStr | Exploring the association between chemotherapy and prognosis among patients less than 50 years old with hepatocellular carcinoma: a retrospective cohort study based on the SEER database |
| title_full_unstemmed | Exploring the association between chemotherapy and prognosis among patients less than 50 years old with hepatocellular carcinoma: a retrospective cohort study based on the SEER database |
| title_short | Exploring the association between chemotherapy and prognosis among patients less than 50 years old with hepatocellular carcinoma: a retrospective cohort study based on the SEER database |
| title_sort | exploring the association between chemotherapy and prognosis among patients less than 50 years old with hepatocellular carcinoma a retrospective cohort study based on the seer database |
| topic | Hepatocellular carcinoma Chemotherapy Young patients Survival SEER database |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1007/s12672-025-02490-7 |
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