Table 1.
Baseline characteristics of the 72 patients undergoing RFA for primary hepatocellular carcinoma
| Characteristic | Mean ± SD (range) or number (%) |
|---|---|
| Age (years) | 69.4±10.9 (38.1–91.7) |
| Gender (male, %) | 48 (66.7) |
| Virus/alcoholic/cryptogenic (%) | 62/4/6 (86.1/5.6/8.3) |
| Cirrhosis (%) | 58 (80.6) |
| Chronic hepatitis/Child A/B/C | 14/45/12/1 (19.4/62.5/16.7/1.4) |
| Treatment naive (%) | 59 (81.9) |
| Ascites (%) | 9 (12.5) |
| INR | 1.2±0.1 (0.9–1.6) |
| Bilirubin total (mg/dl) | 1.0±0.9 (0.2–6.7) |
| Albumin (g/dl) | 3.68±0.60 (2.38–4.69) |
| AFP (ng/ml) | 487.1±1562.5 (1.4–9587.2) |
| Creatinine (mg/dl) | 0.95±0.82 (0.40–7.13) |
| ALT (U/l) | 51±43 (7–203) |
| Platelet count (k) | 124±61 (38–322) |
| Tumor size (mm) | 23±10 (8–49) |
| Close to vessel (%) | 25 (34.7) |
| Close to organ/subcapsular (%) | 38 (52.8) |
| Use of artificial ascites/effusion (%) | 22 (30.6) |
| Pre-RFA tumor volume (cm3) | 7.6±9.8 (0.2–47.7) |
| Estimated ablation volume with safety margin of 5 mm (cm3) | 24.8±24.0 (3.1–107.5) |
| Post-RFA ablation volume (cm3) | 44.1±35.8 (6.2–223.5) |
| Follow up days | 221±83 (102–392) |
| Disease-free interval days | 153±69 (44–259) |
INR = international normalized ratio; AFP = alpha-fetoprotein; ALT = alanine aminotransferase; RFA = radiofrequency ablation.