Association Between Metabolic Health and Bone Mineral Density Using CT in Hepatocellular Carcinoma Patients Under 65: A Retrospective Chart Review.

Introduction: Metabolic conditions such as diabetes, and dyslipidemia are prevalent in the United States (US), serving as potential risk factors for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). This study aimed to examine the association between various metabolic markers and Hounsfield Units (HU) from L1 vertebral CT scans as indicators of bone mineral density (BMD) in HCC patients under age 65.

Methods: A cross-sectional analysis was conducted on HCC patients under 65. Correlational and regression analyses were used to assess the association of metabolic markers and other health variables with HU scores.

Results: Race and age were significantly associated with HU scores in multivariate analyses, indicating these factors play a crucial role in bone health among HCC patients. Race showed a positive association, and age showed a negative association with HU scores. Fasting blood glucose had a significant negative correlation with BMD, but this relationship was not significant in univariate regression analysis. No significant correlations were found between HU scores and triglycerides, cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL), high-density lipoprotein (HDL), cholesterol/HDL ratio, LDL/HDL ratio, and hemoglobin A1C (HbA1c) levels.

Conclusion: Traditional metabolic markers may not be strong predictors of osteoporosis in this specific population. Further research with larger, more diverse populations and longitudinal data is necessary to understand better the factors contributing to BMD variations in HCC patients.