Table 1. Baseline characteristics of all patients.
| Characteristics | HAIC (n=70) | Systemic ICI (n=46) | HAIC and ICI (n=14) | P value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sex, n (%) | 0.683 | |||
| Female | 55 (78.57) | 33 (71.74) | 11 (78.57) | |
| Male | 15 (21.43) | 13 (28.26) | 3 (21.43) | |
| Age, years, median (IQR), n (%) | 62.0 (56.0, 71.0) | 64.0 (57.0, 69.0) | 61.5 (56.0, 67.0) | 0.904 |
| <55 | 14 (20.00) | 8 (17.39) | 3 (21.43) | 0.918 |
| ≥55 | 56 (80.00) | 38 (82.61) | 11 (78.57) | |
| ECOG PS, n (%) | 0.008* | |||
| 0 | 17 (24.29) | 24 (52.17) | 4 (28.57) | |
| ≥1 | 53 (75.71) | 22 (47.83) | 10 (71.43) | |
| Alpha-fetoprotein, ng/mL, n (%) | 0.339 | |||
| <400 | 35 (50.00) | 25 (54.35) | 10 (71.43) | |
| ≥400 | 35 (50.00) | 21 (45.65) | 4 (28.57) | |
| Etiology of liver disease | ||||
| No liver disease, n (%) | 6 (8.57) | 3 (6.52) | 2 (14.29) | 0.662 |
| Liver disease present, n (%) | 64 (91.43) | 43 (93.48) | 12 (85.71) | |
| Chronic hepatitis B, n (%) | 47 (73.44) | 29 (67.44) | 9 (75.00) | 0.765 |
| Undetectable HBV DNA, n (%) | 16 (34.04) | 13 (44.83) | 5 (55.56) | 0.398 |
| HBV DNA (IU/mL), mean ± SD | (1.41±4.71)×106 | (1.64±7.92)×104 | (1.04±2.85)×105 | 0.219 |
| Ongoing NUC therapy, n (%) | 38 (80.85) | 21 (72.41) | 6 (66.67) | 0.536 |
| ETV, n (%) | 32 (68.09) | 15 (51.72) | 6 (66.67) | 0.346 |
| TDF, n (%) | 3 (6.38) | 4 (13.79) | 0 (0) | 0.332 |
| TAF, n (%) | 1 (2.13) | 2 (6.90) | 0 (0) | 0.457 |
| ETV+TDF, n (%) | 1 (2.13) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0.664 |
| Efavirenz/Emtricitabine/Tenofovir, n (%) | 1 (2.13) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0.664 |
| Chronic hepatitis C, n (%) | 20 (31.25) | 16 (37.21) | 3 (25.00) | 0.677 |
| Alcoholic hepatitis, n (%) | 8 (12.50) | 2 (4.65) | 2 (16.67) | 0.296 |
| Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, n (%) | 0 (0.00) | 1 (2.33) | 0 (0.00) | 0.462 |
| Child-Pugh stage, n (%) | 0.073 | |||
| A | 56 (80.00) | 29 (63.04) | 12 (85.71) | |
| B | 14 (20.00) | 17 (36.96) | 2 (14.29) | |
| CLIP, n (%) | 0.097 | |||
| 0–1 | 6 (8.57) | 8 (17.39) | 4 (28.57) | |
| 2–5 | 64 (91.43) | 38 (82.61) | 10 (71.43) | |
| Distant metastases, n (%) | ||||
| No | 57 (81.43) | 28 (60.87) | 8 (57.14) | 0.025* |
| Yes | 13 (18.57) | 18 (39.13) | 6 (42.86) | |
| Lung | 9 (69.23) | 10 (55.56) | 3 (50.00) | 0.667 |
| Bone | 2 (15.38) | 2 (11.11) | 0 (0.00) | 1.000 |
| Lymph node | 6 (46.15) | 5 (27.78) | 3 (50.00) | 0.483 |
| Other | 3 (23.08) | 5 (27.78) | 2 (33.33) | 1.000 |
| Thrombus location, n (%) | 0.001* | |||
| IVC | 9 (12.86) | 6 (13.04) | 4 (28.57) | |
| IVC + main PV | 3 (4.29) | 2 (4.35) | 1 (7.14) | |
| IVC + 1st branch PV | 3 (4.29) | 3 (6.52) | 0 (0.00) | |
| Main PV | 26 (37.14) | 10 (21.74) | 7 (50.00) | |
| Main PV + bilateral 1st branch PV | 0 (0.00) | 11 (23.91) | 0 (0.00) | |
| Bilateral 1st branch PV | 3 (4.29) | 1 (2.17) | 0 (0.00) | |
| 1st branch PV | 26 (37.14) | 13 (28.26) | 2 (14.29) | |
| Prior treatment, n (%) | 0.020* | |||
| No | 37 (52.86) | 13 (28.26) | 8 (57.14) | |
| Yes | 33 (47.14) | 33 (71.74) | 6 (42.86) | |
| Line of ICI systemic therapy, n (%) | ||||
| First-line | 0 (0.00) | 20 (43.48) | 5 (35.71) | 0.837 |
| ≥ Second-line | 0 (0.00) | 26 (56.52) | 9 (64.28) | |
| Concomitant use of TKIs, n (%) | ||||
| No | 15 (21.43) | 24 (52.17) | 4 (28.57) | 0.003* |
| Yes | 55 (78.57) | 22 (47.83) | 10 (71.43) | |
| Sorafenib | 42 (76.36) | 14 (63.64) | 5 (50.00) | 0.183 |
| Regorafenib | 1 (1.82) | 2 (9.09) | 0 (0.00) | 0.304 |
| Lenvatinib | 12 (21.82) | 6 (27.27) | 5 (50.00) | 0.177 |
*, P<0.05. BCLC, Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer; CLIP, Cancer of the Liver Italian Program Scoring System; DNA, deoxyribonucleic acid; ECOG PS, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status; ETV, entecavir; HAIC, hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy; HBV, hepatitis B virus; ICI, immune checkpoint inhibitor; IQR, interquartile range; IVC, inferior vena cava; NUC, nucleotide analogue; PD-1, programmed cell death protein-1; PV, portal vein; SD, standard deviation; TAF, tenofovir alafenamide; TDF, tenofovir disoproxil fumarate; TKI, tyrosine kinase inhibitor.