Table 2. Correlation between the levels of MALAT1 and the clinicopathological characteristics of HCC.
| Characteristic | MALAT1 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| High (N = 15) | Low (N = 17) | P | |
| Age (years) | |||
| ≦ 50 | 7 | 9 | 0.500 |
| > 50 | 8 | 8 | |
| Gender | |||
| Male | 12 | 13 | 0.576 |
| Female | 3 | 4 | |
| HBsAga | |||
| Positive | 13 | 14 | 0.563 |
| Negative | 2 | 3 | |
| Serum AFPb (ng/ml) < 200 | 1 | 5 | 0.116 |
| > 200 11 15 | 11 | 15 | |
| Cirrhosis | |||
| Yes | 13 | 12 | 0.254 |
| No | 2 | 5 | |
| Tumor size | |||
| < 3 cm | 3 | 12 | 0.005* |
| ≥ 3 cm | 12 | 5 | |
| Multinodular tumor | |||
| Yes | 12 | 9 | 0.108 |
| No | 3 | 8 | |
| TNM stage | |||
| I–II | 1 | 9 | 0.006* |
| III–IV | 14 | 8 | |
a
HBsAg: surface antigen of the hepatitis B virus.
b
AFP: α-fetoprotein, a marker for liver cancer.
*
P < 0.05.