Table 4.

Spearman’s rank correlation analyses between QOL and continuous liver function variables

	mean ± SD	ln(Albumin)		ln(Bilirubin)		ln(INR)		ln(ALP)		ln(ALT)		ln(Alb/ALP)		ln(ALP/plt)
		rho	p	rho	p	rho	p	rho	p	rho	p	rho	p	rho	p
EORTC QLQ-C30
Physical functioning	72.27 ± 23.74	0.404	< 0.001	− 0.235	< 0.001	−0.202	< 0.001	− 0.271	< 0.001	− 0.030	0.514	0.337	< 0.001	− 0.145	0.002
Role functioning	74.61 ± 32.60	0.318	< 0.001	− 0.262	< 0.001	− 0.194	< 0.001	− 0.304	< 0.001	− 0.187	< 0.001	0.350	< 0.001	− 0.141	0.002
Emotional functioning	70.67 ± 25.48	− 0.023	0.612	− 0.055	0.232	− 0.018	0.693	− 0.076	0.099	− 0.054	0.239	0.066	0.154	−0.044	0.345
Cognitive functioning	76.80 ± 24.68	0.133	0.004	−0.115	0.013	−0.146	0.002	−0.072	0.120	−0.029	0.533	0.094	0.041	−0.071	0.121
Social functioning	68.46 ± 30.33	0.151	0.001	−0.147	0.001	−0.116	0.012	−0.235	< 0.001	− 0.069	0.135	0.241	< 0.001	−0.082	0.076
Global quality of life	52.22 ± 26.34	0.257	< 0.001	−0.232	< 0.001	−0.167	< 0.001	− 0.230	< 0.001	−0.025	0.595	0.265	< 0.001	−0.070	0.131
Fatigue	42.93 ± 30.23	−0.321	< 0.001	0.285	< 0.001	0.246	< 0.001	0.316	< 0.001	0.127	0.006	−0.354	< 0.001	0.163	< 0.001
Nausea & vomiting	11.26 ± 21.41	−0.114	0.013	0.180	< 0.001	0.1406	0.002	0.178	< 0.001	0.093	0.043	−0.183	< 0.001	0.017	0.721
Pain	32.87 ± 31.97	−0.106	0.022	0.066	0.152	0.084	0.069	0.238	< 0.001	0.050	0.278	−0.229	< 0.001	− 0.003	0.953
Dyspnoea	29.73 ± 31.46	−0.244	< 0.0001	0.171	< 0.001	0.153	0.001	0.166	< 0.001	0.020	0.661	−0.201	< 0.001	0.111	0.016
Insomnia	41.88 ± 36.41	−0.165	< 0.001	0.110	0.017	0.104	0.024	0.215	< 0.001	0.111	0.016	−0.228	< 0.001	0.077	0.095
Appetite loss	32.34 ± 35.88	−0.200	< 0.001	0.245	< 0.001	0.134	0.004	0.300	< 0.001	0.086	0.061	−0.304	< 0.001	0.071	0.121
Constipation	16.67 ± 27.13	−0.057	0.217	0.006	0.890	−0.007	0.885	−0.019	0.684	0.024	0.598	0.008	0.857	−0.048	0.297
Diarrhea	16.45 ± 26.87	−0.164	< 0.001	0.222	< 0.001	0.146	0.001	0.126	0.006	0.119	0.009	−0.158	< 0.001	0.143	0.002
Financial difficulties	51.20 ± 37.22	−0.093	0.044	0.085	0.066	0.086	0.061	0.159	< 0.001	0.062	0.178	−0.163	< 0.001	0.077	0.093
EORTC QLQ-HCC18
Fatigue	35.23 ± 25.86	−0.305	< 0.001	0.258	< 0.001	0.209	< 0.001	0.295	< 0.001	0.122	0.008	−0.329	< 0.001	0.148	0.001
Body Image	25.35 ± 22.98	−0.280	< 0.001	0.255	< 0.001	0.152	0.001	0.287	< 0.001	0.064	0.164	−0.320	< 0.001	0.106	0.021
Jaundice	23.41 ± 22.15	−0.094	0.041	0.226	< 0.001	0.110	0.017	0.096	0.038	0.082	0.074	−0.101	0.027	0.126	0.006
Nutrition	26.96 ± 21.35	−0.225	< 0.001	0.276	< 0.001	0.149	0.001	0.341	< 0.001	0.134	0.004	−0.343	< 0.001	0.136	0.003
Pain	23.34 ± 24.57	−0.077	0.096	0.144	0.002	0.094	0.042	0.182	< 0.001	0.057	0.217	−0.178	< 0.001	0.038	0.407
Fever	6.60 ± 14.39	−0.220	< 0.001	0.117	0.011	0.193	< 0.001	0.097	0.036	0.016	0.735	−0.131	0.004	0.041	0.378
Sex life	28.74 ± 34.76	−0.053	0.249	0.095	0.040	0.129	0.005	0.170	< 0.001	0.041	0.379	−0.157	< 0.001	0.166	< 0.001
Abdominal swelling	33.33 ± 35.43	−0.312	< 0.001	0.325	< 0.001	0.225	< 0.001	0.299	< 0.001	0.108	0.019	−0.343	< 0.001	0.175	0.001
Index-scores
C30 index-score	30.69 ± 19.61	−0.272	< 0.001	0.250	< 0.0001	0.1927	< 0.001	0.301	< 0.0001	0.1245	0.007	−0.329	< 0.001	0.116	0.011
HCC18 index-score	25.37 ± 17.21	−0.304	< 0.001	0.318	< 0.0001	0.2229	< 0.001	0.343	< 0.0001	0.1188	0.010	−0.371	< 0.001	0.187	< 0.001

ALP alkaline phosphatase, ALT alanine transaminase, EORTC European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer, INR international normalized ratio, ln natural logarithm, MELD Model for End-stage Liver Disease, Plt platelet, rho Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient