Table 3.
Surrogate markers for local aggressiveness, de-differentiation, tumor-initiation, and invasiveness in patients with HCC, considering EpCAM classification groups. Group differences assessed by Fisher’s Exact test for categorical variables and Kruskal-Wallis-test for numerical variables
| Surrogate marker for CSC-features | EpCAM-negative n = 29 (42.1%) | EpCAM- heterogeneous n = 33 (47.8%) | EpCAM- homogeneous n = 7 (10.1%) | p-value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of HCC nodules | ||||
| 1 | 25 (89.29) | 19 (65.52) | 2 (33.33) | 0.006 |
| 2 | 2 (7.14) | 2 (6.9) | 1 (16.67) | |
| 3 | 0 (0) | 5 (17.24) | 0 (0) | |
| ≥ 4 | 1 (3.57) | 3 (10.34) | 3 (50) | |
| Serum AFP-levels | ||||
| < 400 | 23 (88.46) | 25 (86.21) | 3 (42.86) | 0.031 |
| ≥ 400 | 3 (11.54) | 4 (13.79) | 4 (57.14) | |