Table 2. Baseline and histopathological characteristics in low and high aggressive groups.
| Variable | Overall (n=103) | Low aggressive group (n=30) | High aggressive group (n=73) | P value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baseline characteristics | ||||
| Age (years) | 50.90±11.93 | 52.03±10.83 | 50.44±12.39 | 0.540 |
| Sex (men/women) | 80/23 | 25/5 | 55/18 | 0.376 |
| Tumor size (cm) | 5.79±2.82 | 5.48±2.37 | 5.92±3.00 | 0.476 |
| ALT (IU/L)a | 36 [26] | 38 [35] | 36 [23] | 0.554 |
| AST (IU/L)a | 37 [25] | 32 [25] | 39 [27] | 0.336 |
| TBIL (umol/L)a | 13.7 [7.9] | 13.6 [10.3] | 13.8 [7.0] | 0.859 |
| ALB (g/L) | 42.88±3.88 | 43.78±3.79 | 42.5±3.89 | 0.129 |
| AFP (ng/mL) | 0.169 | |||
| <8 | 25 (24.3%) | 10 (33.3%) | 15 (20.5%) | |
| ≥8 | 78 (75.7%) | 20 (66.6%) | 58 (79.4%) | |
| Histopathological characteristics | ||||
| E-S grade | 0.001 | |||
| I | 19 (18.4%) | 15 (50.0%) | 4 (5.5%) | |
| II | 43 (41.7%) | 8 (26.7%) | 35 (47.9%) | |
| III | 21 (20.4%) | 5 (16.7%) | 16 (21.9%) | |
| IV | 20 (19.4%) | 2 (6.7%) | 18 (24.7%) | |
| MVI | 0.032 | |||
| Negative | 45 (43.7%) | 18 (60.0%) | 27 (37.0%) | |
| Positive | 58 (56.3%) | 12 (40.0%) | 46 (63.0%) | |
| CK19 | 0.002 | |||
| Negative | 70 (68.0%) | 27 (90.0%) | 43 (58.9%) | |
| Positive | 33 (32.0%) | 3 (10.0%) | 30 (41.1%) | |
| EpCAM | 0.001 | |||
| Negative | 73 (70.9%) | 28 (93.3%) | 45 (61.6%) | |
| Positive | 30 (29.1%) | 2 (6.7%) | 28 (38.4%) | |
a, data are median values and data in square parentheses are interquartile ranges. ALT, alanine aminotransferase; AST, aspartate aminotransferase; TBIL, total bilirubin; ALB, albumin; AFP, alpha-fetoprotein; E-S grade, Edmondson-Steiner grade; MVI, microvascular invasion; CK19, cytokeratin 19; EpCAM, epithelial cell adhesion molecule.