Analysis of risk factors for angiolymphatic invasion and establishment of a predictive nomogram for hepatoblastomas.

BACKGROUND

Hepatoblastomas (HBs)are malignant liver tumors that most commonly develop in pediatric patients. Although lymph node metastasis is rare in HBs, angiolymphatic invasion (ALI) is a risk factor affecting the prognosis of HBs. This study aimed to evaluate the risk factors for angiolymphatic invasion in HBs.

METHODS

We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of 165 patients with HBs who underwent surgical resection at our institution between March 2016 and May 2021 and established binary logistic regression models to predict risk factors for ALI. The R software was used to construct the nomogram.

RESULTS

For the regression model based on the Children's Hepatic Tumors International Collaboration-Hepatoblastoma Stratification (CHIC-HS) system, tumor diameter, tumor response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT), and CHIC-HS were identified as independent risk factors for angiolymphatic invasion. For the regression model based on the pretreatment extent of the tumor (PRETEXT) stages with annotation factors, tumor diameter, multifocality, macrovascular involvement, tumor response to NACT, and PRETEXT stages were identified as independent risk factors for angiolymphatic invasion.

CONCLUSIONS

Using the CHIC-HS system/PRETEXT stages with annotation factors, tumor diameter and tumor response to NACT were identified as independent risk factors for angiolymphatic invasion. The distance between the tumor and portal vein was negatively correlated with the occurrence of multifocal tumors.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level III.