Table 5.
Non-invasive predictors associated with the incidence of malignancies, except for liver cancer
| Factor | Category | Univariate | Multivariate | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hazard ratio | (95% CI) | P value* | Hazard ratio | (95% CI) | P value* | ||
| FIB-4 index | < 2.67 | 1 | 1 | ||||
| ≥ 2.67 | 2.51 | (1.10–5.74) | 0.029 | 25.2 | (2.81–226) | 0.004 | |
| Waist circumference** | Small | 1 | |||||
| Large** | 5.78 | (1.09–30.3) | 0.039 | ||||
| ALDH2 rs671 | GG | 1 | |||||
| AA, AG | 5.46 | (1.82–16.4) | 0.002 | ||||
| PNPLA3 rs738409 | CC, CG | 1 | |||||
| GG | 3.64 | (1.41–9.44) | 0.008 | ||||
| Previous or current liver-related events | Absence | 1 | |||||
| Presence | 3.42 | (1.14–10.3) | 0.028 | ||||
| Type 2 diabetes mellitus | Absence | 1 | |||||
| Presence | 2.49 | (1.19–5.21) | 0.015 | ||||
*Significance was determined using the Cox proportional hazard model. Variables that were statistically significant on univariate analysis were entered into multivariate analysis to identify significant independent factors
**Large waist circumference was defined as ≥ 85 cm in men and ≥ 90 cm in women. The characteristics of the 426 patients confirmed to have no previous or current malignancies except for liver cancer at NAFLD diagnosis were evaluated for the rate of development of malignancies except for liver cancer. During the follow-up period, 32 patients developed malignancies except for liver cancer. Liver-related events included liver cancer, hepatic encephalopathy, esophago-gastric varices with bleeding, ascites, and jaundice