The prognostic value of systemic immune-inflammation index in patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma treated with immune-based therapy
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Background
Predicting the efficacy of immune-based therapy in patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains a clinical challenge. This study aims to evaluate the prognostic value of the systemic immune-inflammation index (SII) in forecasting treatment response and survival outcomes for HCC patients undergoing immune-based therapy.
Methods
We analyzed a cohort of 268 HCC patients treated with immune-based therapy from January 2019 to March 2023. A training cohort of 93 patients received atezolizumab plus bevacizumab (T + A), while a validation cohort of 175 patients underwent treatment with tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) combined with anti-PD-(L)1 therapy. The SII cutoff value, determined using X-tile analysis based on overall survival (OS) in the training cohort, divided patients into high (> 752*10 9 ) and low (≤ 752*10 9 ) SII groups. Prognostic factors were identified through univariate and multivariate logistic and Cox regression analyses, and survival outcomes were assessed using Kaplan–Meier methods. The predictive accuracy of SII was evaluated using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves.
Results
An optimal SII cutoff of 752*10 9 stratified patients into high and low SII groups. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression indicated that SII was a significant predictor of the objective response rate (ORR), which was markedly different between the low and high SII subgroups (34.72% vs. 9.52%, P = 0.019). This finding was consistent in the validation cohort (34.09% vs. 16.28%, P = 0.026). SII also demonstrated prognostic value in Cox regression and Kaplan–Meier analyses. ROC curves confirmed that SII had superior predictive accuracy compared to common clinical indicators, with predictive relevance even in AFP-negative patients. Furthermore, a lower SII was associated with a higher T cell ratio and an increased number of CD8 + T cells and Granzyme B + CD8 + T cells in peripheral blood.
Conclusion
SII is a promising predictor of both therapeutic efficacy and prognosis in HCC patients undergoing immune-based treatments. Its application may enhance clinical decision-making, thereby improving patient outcomes from immune-based therapy.
