Evaluation of nutritional factors, cytokines, liver parameters and survival of patients with liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma: a cross-sectional study

Abstract Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the leading cause of mortality among cirrhotic patients, often linked to advanced liver disease. This cross-sectional study evaluated the nutritional factors, cytokine profiles, liver function parameters, and survival of patients with liver cirrhosis (LC) and HCC. Forty-seven patients were grouped as LC (n=21) or LC with HCC (n=26). Nutritional status was assessed through anthropometry, bioelectrical impedance analysis, and dietary recall, while cytokine levels (IL-6, IL-10, TNF-α) and biochemical markers (AST, ALT, albumin, prealbumin) were analyzed. Survival data were evaluated using Kaplan-Meier curves and Cox regression. HCC patients exhibited higher IL-6 levels, correlating with advanced disease stages (p=0.035). IL-10 levels were elevated in early-stage HCC (BCLC A) compared to BCLC B (p=0.006). AST and ALT levels were significantly higher in HCC patients, reflecting greater hepatocyte damage. Survival analysis revealed a median of 756 days, with shorter survival in HCC patients (p=0.0172). Nutritional parameters did not significantly correlate with survival outcomes, though most patients were eutrophic or overweight. This study highlights the roles of IL-6 and IL-10 as potential biomarkers in HCC progression and provides critical insights into the biochemical and nutritional profiles associated with LC and HCC. These findings may inform future therapeutic interventions. Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest. Funding Statement This study was funded by Coordenacao de Aperfeicoamento de Pessoal de Nivel Superior (CAPES). Author Declarations I confirm all relevant ethical guidelines have been followed, and any necessary IRB and/or ethics committee approvals have been obtained. Yes The details of the IRB/oversight body that provided approval or exemption for the research described are given below: This study was submitted to and approved by the Ethics Committee for Research at the State University of Campinas with the number 1006/2010, and written consent form was obtained from each patient. I confirm that all necessary patient/participant consent has been obtained and the appropriate institutional forms have been archived, and that any patient/participant/sample identifiers included were not known to anyone (e.g., hospital staff, patients or participants themselves) outside the research group so cannot be used to identify individuals. Yes I understand that all clinical trials and any other prospective interventional studies must be registered with an ICMJE-approved registry, such as ClinicalTrials.gov. I confirm that any such study reported in the manuscript has been registered and the trial registration ID is provided (note: if posting a prospective study registered retrospectively, please provide a statement in the trial ID field explaining why the study was not registered in advance). Yes I have followed all appropriate research reporting guidelines, such as any relevant EQUATOR Network research reporting checklist(s) and other pertinent material, if applicable. Yes Footnotes This study was performed at Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Campinas (Unicamp), Brazil Data Availability All data produced are available online at Harvard Dataverse https://dataverse.harvard.edu/dataset.xhtml?persistentId=doi:10.7910/DVN/A81UVO