Table 1. Baseline characteristics of the study population.
| Variable | Electrode used with the switching RFA system | p-value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Separable cluster electrode (79 patients with 98 HCCs) | Multiple IC electrodes (74 patients with 88 HCCs) | ||
| Sex | .913 | ||
| Male | 53 (67.1) | 50 (67.6) | |
| Female | 26 (32.9) | 24 (32.4) | |
| Age, years† | 61.7 ± 9.1 | 62.4 ± 8.4 | .617 |
| Child-Pugh class | .747 | ||
| A | 73 (92.4) | 70 (94.6) | |
| B | 6 (7.6) | 4 (5.4) | |
| Tumor size, cm† | 1.9 ± 0.7 | 1.8 ± 0.7 | .253 |
| < 2 cm | 44 (44.9) | 62 (70.5) | |
| 2−5 cm | 54 (55.1) | 26 (29.5) | |
| Etiology of HCC | .538 | ||
| Viral | 68 (86.1) | 60 (81.1) | |
| Non-viral | 11 (13.9) | 14 (18.9) | |
| Number of HCC | .997 | ||
| Single | 63 (79.7) | 60 (81.1) | |
| Multiple | 16 (20.3) | 14 (18.9) | |
| Perivascular location | .432 | ||
| Yes | 25 (25.5) | 28 (31.8) | |
| No | 73 (74.5) | 60 (68.2) | |
| Subcapsular location | .106 | ||
| Yes | 40 (40.8) | 25 (28.4) | |
| No | 58 (59.2) | 63 (71.6) | |
| Alpha feto-protein, ng/mL† | 61.7 ± 9.7 | 153.5 ± 454.1 | .156 |
| Diagnosis of HCC | .160 | ||
| Biopsy | 8 (8.2) | 14 (15.9) | |
| Imaging | 90 (91.8) | 74 (84.1) | |
Note.− Numbers in parentheses are percentages. IC = internally cooled
† Data are mean ± standard deviation.