Sartans up outcomes in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma after radiofrequency ablation
MONDAY, Oct. 26, 2015 (HealthDay News) — For patients with hepatocellular carcinoma after radiofrequency ablation, angiotensin II receptor 1 blockers (sartans) correlate with significantly improved overall survival and time to recurrence, according to a study published in the November issue of the Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology.
Antonio Facciorusso, M.D., from the University of Foggia in Italy, and colleagues examined whether sartans delay time to recurrence and prolong overall survival using data from 153 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma after radiofrequency ablation. The study population was classified into patients who received neither angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors nor sartans (Group 1; 73 patients); patients treated with angiotensin converting enzymes (Group 2; 49 patients); and patients treated with sartans (Group 3; 31 patients).
Within the study population, 85.6 percent were in Child-Pugh A class and 89.6 percent were in Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer A stage. The researchers found that the median overall survival was 48, 72, and 84 months in Groups 1, 2, and 3, respectively (P = 0.02). In the three groups, the median time to recurrence was 26, 44, and 69 months, respectively (P = 0.02). In multivariate analysis, sartan therapy significantly predicted longer overall survival and delayed time to recurrence.
“Sartans significantly improved overall survival and time to recurrence after radiofrequency ablation in hepatocellular carcinoma patients,” the authors write.
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