Table 5.
Characteristics of and therapies for initial tumour recurrences.
| Variable | Overall population |
Propensity-score-matched cohort (2:1) |
Inverse-probability-of-treatment- weighted cohort |
||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RES (1183) | MWA (126) | p | RES (1183) | MWA (126) | p | RES (1201) | MWA (107) | p | |
| Relapse pattern (%) | |||||||||
| LTP | 39 (3.3) | 17 (13.5) | <0.001 | 9 (4.2) | 16 (13.8) | 0.004 | 43 (3.6) | 19 (17.8) | <0.001 |
| IDR | 309 (26.1) | 46 (36.5) | 0.017 | 57 (26.9) | 41 (35.3) | 0.141 | 316 (26.3) | 25 (23.4) | 0.582 |
| EDR | 33 (2.8) | 1 (0.8) | 0.245 | 5 (2.4) | 1 (0.9) | 0.429 | 33 (2.7) | 0 (0.0) | 0.104 |
| Number of intrahepatic recurrent HCCs (%) | |||||||||
| Solitary | 232 (19.6) | 19 (15.1) | 0.267 | 44 (20.8) | 18 (15.5) | 0.312 | 235 (19.6) | 20 (18.7) | 0.927 |
| Multiple | 116 (9.8) | 44 (34.9) | <0.001 | 22 (10.4) | 39 (33.6) | <0.001 | 124 (10.3) | 24 (22.4) | <0.001 |
| Size of intrahepatic recurrent HCCs (cm) | 1.6 (1.4) | 1.7 (1.5) | 0.900 | 1.6 (1.0) | 1.7 (1.4) | 0.696 | 1.6 (1.3) | 2 (1.7) | 0.512 |
| Therapy for initial intrahepatic relapse | |||||||||
| Ablation | 130 (11.0) | 34 (27.0) | <0.001 | 15 (7.0) | 32 (27.6) | <0.001 | 128 (10.7) | 29 (27.1) | <0.001 |
| Resection | 49 (4.1) | 3 (2.4) | 0.472 | 7 (3.3) | 3 (2.6) | 1 | 54 (4.5) | 3 (2.8) | 0.619 |
| Noncurative | 169 (14.3) | 26 (20.6) | 0.077 | 44 (20.8) | 22 (19.0) | 0.808 | 177 (14.7) | 12 (11.2) | 0.396 |
Continuous variables are reported as medians (interquartile range) and were compared using the Mann–Whitney test. Categorical variables are expressed as percentages and were compared using Pearson’s Chi-square or Fisher’s exact test, as appropriate.
EDR, extrahepatic distant recurrence; HCC, hepatocellular carcinoma; IDR, intrahepatic distant recurrence; LTP, Local tumour progression; MWA, microwave ablation; RES, resection.