The prognostic value of serum LDH levels in patients with hepatocellualr carcinoma after hepatic resection.

Serum lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) is a prognostic marker in many tumor types. The present study is to determine the value of preoperative peripheral LDH in predicting the prognosis of patients with HCC after hepatectomy. Clinicopathological and follow-up data selected 323 HCC patients who underwent hepatectomy. These patients were categorized as high LDH（>240 U/I） and low LDH group (≤ 240 U/I). Significant differences in tumor size, capsulation, tumor number, vascular invasion and TNM stage were observed between these two groups (P 240 U/I group were poorer than those in the LDH ≤ 240 U/I group respectively. Multivariate analysis demonstrated that LDH > 240 U/I served as an independent prognostic indicator of worse disease-free survival [hazard ratio (HR) = 1.711; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.275-2.297; P < 0.001] and overall survival (HR = 1.568; 95% CI, 1.144-2.149; P = 0.005). Stratification analysis showed that LDH exhibited a greater predictive value for DFS and OS in HCC patients with with AFP < 200 ng/ml. Our results suggested that serum LDH level might be a potential and reliable prognostic biomarker in HCC patients after liver resection.