Alpha 1-antitrypsin and survival in hepatocellular carcinoma.

The association between serum levels of alpha 1-antitrypsin (alpha 1 AT) at the time of diagnosis and survival was studied in a group of 78 patients with confirmed hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). All 78 patients were followed until the time of death, which occurred in all instances from HCC, with a median time of 6 months and a range of 1-117 months. Cox's proportional hazards model was utilised in the analysis controlling for sex, age, HBsAg status and logarithmically transformed values of alpha-fetoprotein (alpha-FP). Older patients and patients positive for HBsAg have suggestively higher fatality rates (0.05 less than P less than 0.10) whereas in these data sex and AFP levels were not important prognostic factors. Increased levels of serum at alpha 1AT at the time of diagnosis of HCC were statistically significantly (P less than 0.05) related with shorter survival, patients with higher serum alpha 1AT by 200 mg 100 ml-1 having an expected survival time shorter by about 25%.