Table 2. Univariate and multivariate analyses of factors associated with survival and recurrence.

	OS				RFS
	Univariate	Multivariate			Univariate	Multivariate
Variables	P	HR	95% CI	P	P	HR	95% CI	P
Age (>51 vs. ≤51 years)	0.413			NA	0.145			NA
Gender (male vs. female)	0.755			NA	0.261			NA
HBsAg (positive vs. negative)	0.533			NA	0.079			NA
Cirrhosis (present vs. absent)	0.321			NA	0.310			NA
ALT (>42 vs. ≤42 U/L)	0.250			NA	0.620			NA
AST (>42 vs. ≤42 U/L)	0.003	1.468	0.960–2.246	0.077	0.010	1.348	0.948–1.917	0.097
AFP (>25 vs. ≤25 ng/ml)	0.001	2.181	1.331–3.574	0.002	0.004	1.738	1.190–2.540	0.004
Tumor size (>5 vs. ≤5 cm)	0.005	1.367	0.841–2.224	0.208	0.008	1.215	0.818–1.803	0.334
Tumor differentiation (III–IV vs. I–II)	0.154			NA	0.354			NA
Vascular invasion (present vs. absent)	0.001	1.367	0.706–2.645	0.354	0.025	1.110	0.626–1.966	0.721
Tumor multiplicity (multiple vs. solitary)	≤0.001	1.269	0.647–2.490	0.488	≤0.001	1.515	0.859–2.670	0.151
Capsulation (present vs. absent)	0.107			NA	0.073			NA
TNM stage (III–IV vs. I–II)	≤0.001	1.031	0.593–1.794	0.914	0.001	1.025	0.646–1.627	0.915
BCLC stage (B–C vs. 0–A)	≤0.001	1.656	0.737–3.718	0.222	≤0.001	1.352	0.699–2.614	0.370
Nontumoral CXCL17 (high vs. low)	0.118			NA	0.003	1.289	0.868–1.916	0.208
Peritumoral CXCL17 (high vs. low)	0.002	2.066	1.296–3.292	0.002	≤0.001	1.844	1.218–2.793	0.004
Intratumoral CXCL17 (high vs. low)	0.017	1.344	0.845–2.137	0.212	0.005	1.223	0.836–1.788	0.299

Note: Cox proportional hazards regression model was used. Variables used in multivariate analysis were adopted by univariate analysis. Underlined terms indicate statistical significance. Abbreviations: AFP: alpha-fetoprotein; ALT: alanine aminotransferase; AST: aspartate aminotransferase; BCLC: Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer; CI: confidence interval; HBsAg: hepatitis B surface antigen; HR: hazard ratio; NA: not adopted; TNM: tumor-nodes-metastasis.