Table 2.
Pre-operative plasma biomarkers in hepatocellular carcinoma patients who underwent liver resection (LR) and liver transplantation (LT). Data are shown as median values and interquartile ranges, with p values from the Wilcoxon/Fisher’s exact test.
| Biomarker | LR Patients (n) | LT Patients (n) | p Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| IFN-γ (pg/mL) | 7.5 (5.6, 13.3) (44) | 7.8 (4.9, 13.4) (58) | 0.91 |
| IL-6 (pg/mL) | 1.72 (1.60, 4.59) (44) | 4.8 (2.0, 30.7) (58) | 0.0001 |
| IL-8 (pg/mL) | 13.2 (7.4, 18.7) (44) | 22.6 (11.3, 51.3) (58) | 0.0017 |
| IL-10 (pg/mL) | 0.80 (0.57, 2.07) (45) | 1.23 (0.59, 4.49) (58) | 0.11 |
| TNF-α (pg/mL) | 3.5 (2.8, 4.1) (44) | 3.4 (2.6, 5.0) (58) | 0.84 |
| bFGF (pg/mL) | 4.3 (2.5, 8.6) (44) | 12.1 (6.2, 32.6) (58) | <0.0001 |
| PlGF (pg/mL) | 34.6 (28.8, 43.0) (44) | 27.2 (18.9, 35.1) (58) | 0.0007 |
| sVEGFR1 (pg/mL) | 116 (87, 230) (44) | 297 (134, 1166) (58) | 0.0002 |
| sTIE2 (pg/mL) | 5334 (4610, 7429) (44) | 6316 (5293, 8255) (58) | 0.046 |
| VEGF (pg/mL) | 82 (42, 152) (44) | 85 (39, 243) (58) | 0.97 |
| VEGF-C (pg/mL) | 102 (89, 193) (44) | 131 (89, 179) (58) | 0.26 |
| VEGF-D (pg/mL) | 697 (549, 987) (44) | 840 (681, 1162) (58) | 0.012 |
| AFP (ng/mL) | 12.8 (6.3, 20.0) (31) | 7.1 (3.3, 20.0) (53) | 0.13 |
AFP, alpha-fetoprotein; bFGF, basic fibroblast growth factor; IFN, interferon; IL, interleukin; LR liver resection; LT, liver transplantation; PlGF, placental growth factor; sTIE2, soluble angiopoietin receptor; VEGF, vascular endothelial growth factor; VEGFR, VEGF receptor; TNF, tumor necrosis factor.