Recipient Hepatic Tumor-Associated Immunologic Infiltrates Predict Outcomes After Liver Transplantation for Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Background: Transplantation of the liver entails a state of altered recipient immunologic competence. There are only scarce data concerning the impact of host immunologic factors on the outcome of liver transplant recipients in the context of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Material/Methods: Our study focused on evaluating the presence of tumor necrosis and frequency levels of angiopoietins and monocytes/macrophages subtypes in the host liver prior to liver transplantation (LTX) and their association with recurrence, graft rejection, survival, and clinical prognosis after LTX. Formation of tumor necrosis and tissue densities of angiopoietins and cellular immunologic infiltrates – CD68+ and CD163+ macrophages (TAMs) and TIE2-expressing monocytes (TEMs) – were quantified in recipient HCC specimens. The densities were then matched with clinicopathologic variables and patient survival after LTX (n=88). Some patients were treated prior to LTX by neoadjuvant transarterial chemoembolization (TACE, n=55). Results: Recipient hepatic infiltration with TEMs and CD68+ TAMs was associated with decreased 1-, 3-, and 5-year survival, as well as metastatic and recurrent HCC after LTX (all p