Association of the Number of Concurrent Metabolic Syndrome Risk Factors with Textbook Outcomes Following Liver Resection for Patients with Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Multicenter Study

There is little information regarding the impact of the number of concurrent metabolic syndrome (MetS) risk factors on the textbook outcomes (TO) in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) following liver resection.

Data from patients who underwent liver resection between 2015 and 2023 in a multicenter database were retrospectively reviewed (N = 3156). According to the guidelines, MetS risk factors include obesity, hypertension, diabetes, and dyslipidemia.

In this study, 2056 (65.1%) patients achieved TO. The incidence of TO was 63.1% in patients with ≥ 1 MetS risk factor, which was lower than that in patients without any MetS risk factors (67.5%, P = 0.011). As the number of MetS risk factors increased, the probability of not achieving TO gradually increased. The non-TO rates in patients with no, 1, 2, and ≥ 3 MetS risk factors were 32.5%, 35.9%, 37.6% and 40.2%, respectively (P_trend = 0.005). Multivariate logistic regression confirmed that the number of MetS risk factors (0 as a reference; 1, OR 1.220, 95% CI 1.029–1.447, P = 0.022; 2, OR 1.397, 95% CI 1.113–1.755, P = 0.004; ≥ 3, OR 1.647, 95% CI 1.197–2.264, P = 0.002) independently contributed to non-TO in patients with HCC after liver resection. Both the 5-year recurrence-free survival (TO: 50.7% versus non-TO: 43.9%, P < 0.001) and overall survival rates (TO: 71.0% versus non-TO: 58.7%, P < 0.001) of TO patients were significantly better than those of non-TO patients.

Concurrent MetS risk factors can adversely impact TO achievement in patients with HCC after liver resection. The more risk factors patients have, the less likely they are to achieve TO.