(P12-005-25) Metabolic Health and Bone Density in Hepatocellular Carcinoma Patients: A Case Series

Objectives: This case series aimed to examine the association between various metabolic markers (fasting blood glucose, HbA1c, Triglycerides, Cholesterol, LDL, and HDL) and Hounsfield Units (HU) as indicators of bone mineral density in hepatocellular carcinoma patients under age 65. We study 4 cases from a larger retrospective cohort analysis demonstrating hyperglycemia, dyslipidemia, and low bone mineral density (BMD), in hepatocellular carcinoma patients under 65.

Methods: A retrospective review of 170 HCC patients under 65 years treated at Tampa General Hospital (2019–2021) was conducted. This larger cohort provided metabolic panel data, lipid profiles, and HU-derived BMD measurements from CT L1 vertebral scans. Four representative cases were selected to highlight variations in metabolic markers and their relationship to BMD. HU thresholds below 160 indicated low BMD.

Results: The overall cohort revealed that 74.1% of patients had HU scores below 160. Multivariate analysis showed significant associations between race (positive) and age (negative) with HU scores. Fasting blood glucose had a significant negative correlation with BMD, but this relationship was not significant in univariate regression analysis. Lipid markers, including triglycerides and LDL, showed no significant associations. Representative cases further illustrated the impact of severe metabolic dysfunction on BMD, with HU scores ranging from 103.04 to 144.77.

Conclusions: While low BMD was prevalent, traditional metabolic markers alone did not reliably predict osteoporosis risk in HCC patients. The use of CT imaging and HU scores compared to DEXA are valuable tools for opportunistic osteoporosis screening in younger, at-risk populations.

Funding Sources: N/A