Table 1.
Baseline characteristics of 42 patients with thalassemia major and HCC.
| Total (N=42) | Dead (n=28) | Alive (n=14) | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
| |||
| Age, years | 45.5±5.8 | 46±5.8 | 44.5±6 |
|
| |||
| Gender (males), n (%) | 27 (64.5) | 19 (68) | 8 (57) |
|
| |||
| History of anti-HCV positivity, n(%) | 33 (78.5) | 21 (75) | 12 (86) |
| • History of HCV RNA positivity, n (%) | 25 (59.5) | 19 (90.5) | 6 (43) |
| • History of SVR, n (%) | 25 (100) | 19 (100) | 6 (100) |
|
| |||
| anti-HBc positivity, n (%) | 7 (16.5%) | 6 (21.5) | 1 (9) |
|
| |||
| Cirrhosis at diagnosis of HCC, n (%) | 33 (78.5%) | 24 (86) | 9 (64.5) |
| • C/P A | 33 (100) | 24 (100) | 9 (100) |
|
| |||
| LIC, μmolFe/g | 48.6±29.5 | 49.25±31.8 | 47.2±25.4 |
|
| |||
| Grade of siderosis at diagnosis of HCC, n (%) | |||
| • normal LIC (≤40 μmolFe/g) | 23 (55) | 15 (53.5) | 8 (57) |
| • mild (40<LIC≤100 μmolFe/g) | 18 (43) | 12 (43) | 6 (43) |
| • modereate (100<LIC≤200 μmolFe/g) | 1 (2) | 1 (3.5) | 0 |
| • severe (>200 μmolFe/g) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
|
| |||
| ALT, IU/L | 34±32.5 | 49.2±34.5 | 21±5 |
|
| |||
| AST, IU/L | 34±55.5 | 82.3±58 | 30±10 |
|
| |||
| Albumin levels, mg/dl | 3.6±0.6 | 3.4±0.6 | 4±0.6 |
|
| |||
| αFP, ng/ml (range) | 20 (1.7–215,100) | 28.35 (1.9–215,100) | 20 (1.7–20,300) |
|
| |||
| αFP classification (lower cut-off value of 20 ng/mL) | |||
| • ≤100 ng/ml, n (%) | 26 (62) | 16 (57) | 10 (71.5) |
| • >100 ng/ml, n (%) | 16 (38) | 12 (43) | 4 (28.5) |
|
| |||
| Number of HCC lesions, n (%) | |||
| • <3 | 17 (40.5) | 11 (39) | 6 (43) |
| • ≥3 | 25 (59.5) | 17 (61) | 8 (57) |
|
| |||
| Maximum diameter of HCC, n (%) | |||
| • <5 cm | 24 (57) | 14 (50) | 10 (71.5) |
| • ≥5 cm | 18 (43) | 14 (50) | 4 (28.5) |
|
| |||
| BCLC staging at diagnosis of HCC, n (%) | |||
| • 0-A | 12 (28.5) | 6 (21.5) | 6 (43) |
| • B | 24 (57) | 16 (57) | 8 (57) |
| • C–D | 6 (14.5) | 6 (21.5) | 0 |
|
| |||
| Treatment, n (%) | |||
| • TACE/RFA | 33 (78.5) | 21 (75) | 12 (85.5) |
| • Sorafenib | 9 (21.5) | 7 (25) | 2 (14.5) |
|
| |||
| Median Survival after HCC occurrence, months (range) | 12 (2–96) | 6 (2–60) | 60 (6–96) |
|
| |||
| Median Survival according to treatment, months (range) | |||
| • Sorafenib | 5 (3–12) | 3.5 (3–12) | 6 (6–6) |
| • TACE/RFA | 12 (2–96) | 11 (2–60) | 66 (12–96) |
HCC: Hepatocellular Carcinoma, HCV: Hepatitis C Virus, SVR: Sustained Virological Response, C/P: Child/Pugh, LIC: Liver iron overload, BCLC: Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer, TACE: transarterial chemoembolization, RFA: radiofrequency ablation.