Table 1.
Baseline characteristics in the two groups
| Characteristic | Group A | Group B | P value |
| Gender, M/F | 115/97 | 76/60 | 0.526 |
| Age, mean ± SD, yr | 46.32 ± 12.43 | 44.79 ± 13.62 | 0.539 |
| Child–Pugh A/B/C | 54/129/34 | 33/83/20 | 0.462 |
| MELD score, mean ± SD | 10.21 ± 5.25 | 11.37 ± 4.17 | 0.645 |
| BCLC staging A/B/C/D | 18/107/53/34 | 12/67/34/23 | 0.518 |
| Viral hepatitis | 125 | 88 | 0.803 |
| Chronic ethanol consumption | 66 | 31 | 0.461 |
| Cryptogenic hepatitis | 26 | 17 | 0.724 |
| VB | 170 | 114 | 0.163 |
| RA | 47 | 22 | 0.217 |
| Both VB and RA | 69 | 35 | 0.167 |
| Laboratory tests | |||
| AFP, ng/mL | 468.53 ± 34.27 | 513.64 ± 25.19 | 0.625 |
| Alanine transaminase, U/L | 58.24 ± 14.32 | 61.14 ± 12.06 | 0.723 |
| Aspartate transaminase, U/L | 63.42 ± 16.21 | 59.34 ± 14.16 | 0.439 |
| Alkaline phosphatase, U/L | 196.23 ± 64.38 | 183.34 ± 84.64 | 0.376 |
| Total bilirubin, μmol/L | 29.13 ± 4.35 | 31.06 ± 5.24 | 0.634 |
| Albumin, g/L | 28.41 ± 4.37 | 27.13 ± 5.43 | 0.361 |
| Prothrombin time, s | 17.21 ± 5.34 | 19.42 ± 6.43 | 0.428 |
| Platelet count, × 109/L | 73.18 ± 21.43 | 67.46 ± 18.54 | 0.621 |
| Clinical presentation | |||
| Abdominal distention | 127 | 78 | 0.153 |
| Abdominal pain | 146 | 86 | 0.167 |
| Weakness | 153 | 89 | 0.184 |
| Poor appetite | 167 | 92 | 0.076 |
| Jaundice | 23 | 11 | 0.129 |
| Splenomegaly | 117 | 73 | 0.289 |
| Lower limbs edema | 25 | 14 | 0.141 |
No difference (P > 0.05) could be seen in terms of age, sex, Child–Pugh score, and MELD score, laboratory tests and clinical presentations. AFP: α-Fetoprotein; MELD score: Model for end-stage liver disease score, VB: Variceal bleeding; RA: Refractory ascites; BCLC staging: Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer staging; SD: Standard deviation.