Changes of immune cells in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma treated by radiofrequency ablation and hepatectomy, a pilot study.

Zusheng Yu,Hang Yu,Guowei Li,Tetsuya Asakawa

doi:10.1515/biol-2021-0105

Abstract

In this pilot study, we compared the dynamic changes of circulating immune cells between patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) who underwent radiofrequency ablation (RFA) and hepatectomy. Seventy-three patients were enrolled in this study. Flow cytometry assay was performed to determine the immune cells in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) before treatment and on days 7, 14, and 28 after treatment. We found that in the RFA group, the circulating cluster of differentiation (CD)4+ cells, the CD4+/CD8+ ratio, and natural killer (NK) cells continued to increase, and the circulating CD8+ cells continued to decrease after the treatment. In contrast, in the surgery group, the circulating CD4+ cells and CD4+/CD8+ ratio decreased over the first seven postoperative days and then began to increase, and CD8+ cells decreased on the first 7 postoperative days and began to increase thereafter. The changes of immune cells in tumor tissues consisted of an increase in the number of CD4+ cells, CD8+ cells, CD3+ cells, and NK cells immediately after RFA. Our results show that postoperative immune function continued to improve after RFA, but after surgery, it decreased in the first week and started to improve thereafter. These findings are important for clinicians when selecting the appropriate therapy for HCC.

Highlights

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common malignant tumor of the liver
We compared the changes of circulating immune cells between patients who underwent radiofrequency ablation (RFA) and patients who underwent conventional hepatectomy
We found that RFA significantly increased circulating CD4+ cells, CD4+/CD8+, CD3+ cells, and natural killer (NK) cells compared to the preoperative levels, and cell levels were significantly higher in the RFA group than in the surgery group

Summary

Introduction

According to data in 2018, it is in the top six most frequent cancers and the fourth cause of tumor-related deaths [1]. HCC is not rare in China because of the high prevalence of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. In China, HCC is ranked fourth on the list of diagnosed cancers and the fourth cause of tumor-related deaths [3]. It is considered a global public health concern. Hepatectomy with liver transplantation (HLC) is the potentially effective treatment for HCC, less than 20% of patients with HCC have the possibility of undergoing HLC [4].

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