Table 1.
C/EBPα Independently Predicted Poorer Overall Survival in Primary HCC Patients
| Molecular and Clinical Variables | Number of Cases | Hazard Ratio(95% Confidence Interval) | P Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Univariate analysis (Cox: enter) | |||
| C/EBPα (no change vs. up-regulation) | 42/137 | 3.690 (1.131-12.038) | 0.030 |
| Serum AFP (<300 vs. ≥300 ng/mL) | 114/48 | 3.637 (1.866-7.013) | 0.0002 |
| Age (<50 vs. ≥50) | 47/135 | 0.739 (0.371-1.472) | 0.390 |
| Gender (male vs. female) | 150/37 | 0.456 (0.232-0.897) | 0.023 |
| Diabetes (no vs. yes) | 133/47 | 0.504 (0.210-1.213) | 0.126 |
| HBV (no vs. yes) | 60/117 | 1.062 (0.522-2.159) | 0.868 |
| HCV (no vs. yes) | 167/12 | 0.494 (0.068-3.603) | 0.486 |
| Cirrhosis (no vs. yes) | 87/100 | 1.056 (0.553-2.015) | 0.868 |
| Tumor size (<5 vs. ≥5 cm) | 89/95 | 2.581 (1.263-5.275) | 0.009 |
| Number of nodules (single vs. multiple) | 129/58 | 0.619 (0.314-1.222) | 0.167 |
| TNM staging (I vs. II, III, and IV) | 87/91 | 2.952 (1.477-5.897) | 0.002 |
| Microscopic lymphatic invasion (no vs. yes) | 76/14 | 1.410 (0.312-6.373) | 0.655 |
| Microscopic vascular invasion (no vs. yes) | 99/57 | 4.836 (2.252-10.386) | <0.0001 |
| Steatosis (< 5% vs. ≥5%) | 163/24 | 0.560 (0.172-1.825) | 0.336 |
| Fibrosis (no vs. yes) | 151/36 | 0.874 (0.399-1.916) | 0.874 |
| Tumor encapsulation (no vs. yes) | 40/68 | 0.576 (0.209-1.590) | 0.287 |
| Tumor necrosis (no vs. yes) | 93/93 | 1.028 (0.539-1.961) | 0.933 |
| Multivariate analysis (Cox: forward LR) | |||
| C/EBPα (no change vs. up-regulation) | 29/103 | 5.116 (1.188-22.026) | 0.028 |
| Serum AFP (≤300 vs. >300 ng/mL) | 94/38 | 4.238 (1.958-9.170) | 0.0002 |
| Microscopic vascular invasion (no vs. yes) | 82/50 | 5.577 (2.391-13.012) | <0.0001 |
Correlations of HCC patient overall survival with C/EBPα expression level and clinical factors were analyzed by univariate and multivariate Cox analyses. The factors significant in the univariate Cox model were included in the multivariate Cox model, and only three factors including C/EBPα were finally enrolled.
Abbreviations: HBV, hepatitis B virus; HCV, hepatitis C virus.