Table 2.

Association of EpCAM⁺ CTCs with clinical characteristics

Clinical characteristics		CTC (2-ΔΔCq)		P
		Low (<2.22)	High (≥2.22)
Age (y)	≤50	13	10	0.224
	>50	19	7
Sex	Female	9	4	0.729
	Male	23	13
HBsAg	Negative	7	2	0.384
	Postive	25	15
HBeAg	Negative	24	12	0.586
	Postive	8	5
HBVDNA	<5*102	21	10	0.703
	>5*102	11	7
Child-Pugh score	A	32	16	0.166
	B	0	1
Liver cirrhosis	No	8	4	0.909
	Yes	24	13
ALT (U/L)	≤40	19	14	0.103
	>40	13	3
AFP (ng/ml)	≤400	28	11	0.060
	>400	4	6
Tumor number	Single	30	4	0.210
	Multiple	2	3
Tumor size (cm)	≤5	18	11	0.566
	>5	14	6
Tumor encapsulation	Complete	15	6	0.436
	None	17	11
Satellite lesion	No	30	4	0.210
	Yes	2	3
Vascular invasion	No	20	5	0.027*
	Yes	12	12
Edmondson stage	I-II	20	11	0.879
	II-IV	12	6
BCLC stage	0 + A	30	14	0.210
	B + C	2	3
Treg/CD4+ (%)	<5.07	29	11	0.026*
	≥5.07	3	6
Early recurrence	No	28	7	0.001*
	Yes	4	10

p value of < 0.05 was considered statistically-significant