Abstract:
Objective The effect of thymosin alpha 1 (T α 1) on patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) after radical hepatectomy was assessed.
Methods A total of 558 HCC patients treated by radical hepatectomy were retrospectively collected. Patients in the treatment group (n=146) received postoperative Tα1 therapy, whereas patients in the control group (n=412) did not. Propensity scale matching was conducted to improve the balance between the two groups. Changes in liver function, recurrence-free survival rates, and overall survival rates were compared between the two groups.
Results Postoperative liver function (i.e., TBIL, ALB, ALT, and PT) in the treatment group was significantly better than that in the control group (P < 0.05). The one-, two-, and three-year recurrence-free survival rates and overall survival rates in the treatment group were significantly higher than those in the control group (P=0.019 and P=0.011, respectively).
Conclusion Postoperative Tα1 therapy can improve postoperative liver function, thus significantly prolonging recurrence-free survival and overall survival.