Table 1.
Baseline characteristics of the hepatocellular carcinoma patients
| Characteristic | TACE + RFA (n = 87) | TACE (n = 71) | RFA (n = 43) | p value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age, yr | 60.4 (29.1–78.0) | 60.0 (23.0–87.2) | 62.0 (35.0–88.0) | 0.452 |
| Sex | 0.534 | |||
| Male | 70 (80.5) | 53 (74.6) | 31 (72.1) | |
| Female | 17 (19.5) | 18 (25.4) | 12 (27.9) | |
| Etiology | 0.959 | |||
| Hepatitis B virus | 58 (66.7) | 49 (69.0) | 28 (65.1) | |
| Hepatitis C virus | 21 (24.1) | 14 (19.8) | 9 (20.9) | |
| Alcohol | 5 (5.7) | 4 (5.6) | 3 (7.0) | |
| Other | 3 (3.5) | 4 (5.6) | 3 (7.0) | |
| Laboratory test | 0.128 | |||
| Platelet count, × 103/mm3 | 136 ± 120 | 110 ± 50 | 114 ± 57 | |
| Total bilirubin, mg/dL | 1.2 ± 1.9 | 1.0 ± 0.6 | 1.27 ± 1.4 | |
| Albumin, g/dL | 3.8 ± 0.6 | 3.7 ± 0.5 | 3.5 ± 0.6 | |
| PT INR | 1.2 ± 0.4 | 1.2 ± 0.5 | 1.0 ± 0.2 | |
| Tumor maximal diameters, cm | 2.5 (1.0–4.6) | 2.5 (1.0–4.7) | 2.2 (1.3–4.7) | 0.223 |
| < 3.0 | 64 (73.6) | 44 (62.0) | 33 (76.7) | 0.162 |
| ≥ 3.0 | 23 (26.4) | 27 (38.0) | 10 (23.3) | |
| Tumor number | 0.083 | |||
| 1 | 64 (73.6) | 41 (57.7) | 35 (81.4) | |
| 2 | 17 (19.5) | 20 (28.2) | 6 (14.0) | |
| 3 | 6 (6.9) | 10 (14.1) | 2 (4.6) | |
| Child-Pugh Class | 0.165 | |||
| A | 80 (92.0) | 68 (95.8) | 37 (86.0) | |
| B | 7 (8.0) | 3 (4.2) | 6 (14.0) | |
| Serum AFP, ng/dL | 18.7 (1.5–4,190.0) | 24.9 (1.7–25,714.0) | 14.4 (1.9–1,210.0) | 0.264 |
| < 20 | 24 (55.8) | 32 (45.1) | 46 (52.9) | 0.469 |
| ≥ 20 | 19 (44.2) | 39 (54.9) | 41 (47.1) |
Values are presented as median (range) or number (%).
TACE, transarterial chemoembolization; RFA, radiofrequency ablation; PT, prothrombin time; INR, international normalized ratio; AFP, α-fetoprotein.