TABLE 2.
Demographic and clinical characteristics of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma after the 1:2 propensity score analysis.
| Huaier group (n = 170) | Control group (n = 340) | p-Value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Patients background | |||
| Age, y | 54.0 (47.0–60.0) | 54.0 (48.2–60.0) | 0.617 |
| Sex, male | 137 (80.6) | 266 (78.2) | 0.538 |
| Family history of HCC | 20 (11.8) | 29 (8.5) | 0.243 |
| Smoking | 63 (37.1) | 141 (41.5) | 0.338 |
| Alcohol consumption | 64 (37.6) | 146 (42.9) | 0.252 |
| Hypertension | 42 (24.7) | 78 (22.9) | 0.658 |
| Diabetes | 36 (21.2) | 71 (20.9) | 0.939 |
| Cirrhosis | 147 (86.5) | 307 (90.3) | 0.193 |
| Etiology | 0.293 | ||
| HBV | 132 (77.6) | 242 (71.2) | |
| HCV | 15 (8.8) | 37 (10.9) | |
| Other | 23 (13.5) | 61 (17.9) | |
| Laboratory parameters | |||
| MELD score | 7.3 (4.4–10.3) | 7.4 (4.2–11.9) | 0.507 |
| ALT, U/L | 28.5 (19.9–43.9) | 28.9 (19.7–39.2) | 0.513 |
| AST, U/L | 31.3 (21.9–47.0) | 34.3 (24.4–49.5) | 0.135 |
| TBIL, µmol/L | 18.2 (11.8–32.0) | 18.6 (11.2–35.4) | 0.265 |
| ALB, g/L | 36.7 ± 6.7 | 35.5 ± 6.4 | 0.162 |
| γ–GGT, U/L | 40.8 (23.3–95.9) | 51.6 (24.9–101.7) | 0.221 |
| PLT, ×109/L | 88.5 (51.7–134.9) | 92.0 (53.0–142.5) | 0.120 |
| INR | 1.1 (1.0–1.2) | 1.2 (1.0–1.3) | 0.459 |
| Cr, µmol/L | 66.6 (57.0–77.0) | 67.6 (56.0–77.2) | 0.687 |
| AFP, ng/ml (≥400) | 31 (18.2) | 88 (25.9) | 0.070 |
| Tumor–related indicators | |||
| Tumor multiplicity (multiple) | 53 (31.2) | 86 (25.3) | 0.160 |
| Tumor size, cm (≥5) | 47 (27.6) | 81 (23.8) | 0.348 |
| BCLC stage | 0.320 | ||
| 0–A | 91 (53.5) | 173 (50.9) | |
| B | 44 (25.9) | 86 (25.3) | |
| C | 19 (11.2) | 49 (14.4) | |
| D | 16 (9.4) | 32 (9.4) | |
| Types of treatment | 0.383 | ||
| Resection | 17 (10.0) | 33 (9.7) | |
| Minimally invasive | 123 (72.3) | 229 (67.4) | |
| Palliative | 30 (17.6) | 78 (22.9) |
Abbreviations: HBV, hepatitis B virus; HCV, hepatitis C virus; MELD, Model for End-Stage Liver Disease; ALT, alanine aminotransferase; AST, aspartate aminotransferase; TBIL, total bilirubin; ALB, albumin; γ-GGT, γ-glutamyl transferase; Cr, creatinine; INR, international normalized ratio; AFP, alpha-fetoprotein; BCLC, barcelona clinic liver cancer.