HLA-C*04 and hepatocellular carcinoma post-surgical survival in Hawaii
4 affiliations
- 1Cancer Biology Program, University of Hawai’i Cancer Center, Honolulu, HI, United States
- 2Department of Quantitative Health Sciences, John A. Burns School of Medicine, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, HI, United States
- 3Population Sciences in the Pacific, University of Hawai’i Cancer Center, Honolulu, HI, United States
- 4Department of Surgery, Queen’s Medical Center, Honolulu, HI, United States
Abstract
BackgroundThe role of human leukocyte antigen (HLA) allotype in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC)-specific outcomes is poorly understood.MethodsWe performed a retrospective analysis of patients with HCC treated surgically in Hawaii at a single, tertiary care institution. HLA allotyping was performed as clinically indicated for patients undergoing orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT), and commercial HLA genotyping was performed on PBMCs collected from patients who underwent partial hepatectomy (PH). The relationship of HLA with overall survival (OS) was evaluated by univariable and multivariable Cox proportional hazards models.ResultsFrom 2012 to 2024, 84 patients underwent OLT with HLA assessment (n = 43) or PH with banked PBMCs available for genotyping (n = 41). The median age was 62; there were 20% female patients; and 50% and 10% identified as Asian and Pacific Islander, respectively. Nearly 70% were BCLC 0 or A, and the median tumor size was 3 cm. HCC etiology was 19% NAFLD, 38% HBV, and 42% HCV. The multivariable model identified a history of non-HCC malignancies, tumor size, MELD score, and the presence of at least one germline allele of HLA-C*04 to be significantly correlated with worse postoperative OS (p < 0.05).ConclusionAmong an ethnically diverse population of mostly early-stage patients treated with OLT or PH in Hawaii, exploratory analysis showed that disease-specific factors and HLA-C*04 allotype were independently associated with worse postoperative OS. Based on this hypothesis-generating study, future studies should evaluate whether the unique properties of Hawaii’s HCC surgical population include an immuno-genomic mechanism affecting outcome.
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BibTeX
@article{abdulghani2026hlac04,
title = {{HLA-C*04 and hepatocellular carcinoma post-surgical survival in Hawaii}},
author = {Sarah Abdul-Ghani and Noa Brenner and Brenda Y. Hernandez and Linda Wong and Hyeong Jun Ahn and Benjamin L. Green},
journal = {Frontiers in Genetics},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3389/fgene.2026.1874308},
url = {https://doi.org/10.3389/fgene.2026.1874308},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - HLA-C*04 and hepatocellular carcinoma post-surgical survival in Hawaii
AU - Sarah Abdul-Ghani
AU - Noa Brenner
AU - Brenda Y. Hernandez
AU - Linda Wong
AU - Hyeong Jun Ahn
AU - Benjamin L. Green
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/26
JO - Frontiers in Genetics
DO - 10.3389/fgene.2026.1874308
UR - https://doi.org/10.3389/fgene.2026.1874308
AB - BackgroundThe role of human leukocyte antigen (HLA) allotype in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC)-specific outcomes is poorly understood.MethodsWe performed a retrospective analysis of patients with HCC treated surgically in Hawaii at a single, tertiary care institution. HLA allotyping was performed as clinically indicated for patients undergoing orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT), and commercial HLA genotyping was performed on PBMCs collected from patients who underwent partial hepatectomy (PH). The relationship of HLA with overall survival (OS) was evaluated by univariable and multivariable Cox proportional hazards models.ResultsFrom 2012 to 2024, 84 patients underwent OLT with HLA assessment (n = 43) or PH with banked PBMCs available for genotyping (n = 41). The median age was 62; there were 20% female patients; and 50% and 10% identified as Asian and Pacific Islander, respectively. Nearly 70% were BCLC 0 or A, and the median tumor size was 3 cm. HCC etiology was 19% NAFLD, 38% HBV, and 42% HCV. The multivariable model identified a history of non-HCC malignancies, tumor size, MELD score, and the presence of at least one germline allele of HLA-C*04 to be significantly correlated with worse postoperative OS (p < 0.05).ConclusionAmong an ethnically diverse population of mostly early-stage patients treated with OLT or PH in Hawaii, exploratory analysis showed that disease-specific factors and HLA-C*04 allotype were independently associated with worse postoperative OS. Based on this hypothesis-generating study, future studies should evaluate whether the unique properties of Hawaii’s HCC surgical population include an immuno-genomic mechanism affecting outcome.
SN - 1664-8021
ER -