Table 3.
Predictive factors for PPS
| p valuea | Coefficientsb | SE | Wald χ2 | HR | 95% CI | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heterogeneous Type-4 CT enhancement pattern prior to introduction of lenvatinib | 0.039 | 1.070 | 0.519 | 4.26 | 2.92 | 1.06–8.05 |
| Tumor number +1 nodule | 0.001 | 0.016 | 0.005 | 10.97 | 1.02 | 1.01–1.03 |
| AFP +100 μg/L | 0.001 | 0.009 | 0.003 | 10.60 | 1.01 | 1.00–1.02 |
| Subsequent treatment after PD state | ||||||
| No subsequent treatment | ||||||
| Other subsequent treatment | 0.207 | −0.740 | 0.586 | 1.59 | 0.48 | 0.15–1.51 |
| Lenvatinib-TACE sequential therapy | 0.023 | −2.515 | 1.110 | 5.13 | 0.08 | 0.01–0.71 |
Multivariate Cox regression was applied using stepwise backward selection. Of the potential predictors, factors presenting marginal association (p < 0.15) with PPS after the introduction of lenvatinib in univariate analysis were included in the initial model. Then factors that showed no or limited statistically significant association (p > 0.1) adjusted for the remaining factors in the model were deleted from the model in a stepwise fashion. The 19 variables tested were as follows (p values in univariate analysis): age (0.323), gender (0.424), BMI (0.649), etiology (HCV vs. others) (0.384), serum albumin (0.010), serum total bilirubin (0.922), prothrombin activity (0.839), platelet count (0.007), serum aspartate aminotransferase (0.161), serum AFP (0.013), plasma des-gamma carboxyprothrombin (0.002), tumor diameter (<0.001), tumor number (<0.001), macrovascular invasion (0.006), extrahepatic metastasis (0.004), heterogeneous type-4 CT enhancement pattern prior to treatment (0.004), TACE failure/refractoriness (0.176), reduced starting dose of lenvatinib (0.977), and subsequent treatment after diagnosis of PD state (other subsequent treatment 0.001 and lenvatinib-TACE sequential therapy 0.001). PPS, post-progression survival; AFP, alpha-fetoprotein; 95% CI, 95% confidence interval; CT, computed tomography; HR, hazard ratio; PD, progressive disease; SE, standard error; TACE, transarterial chemoembolization.
Based on the likelihood test adjusted for the other factors in the final model.
Estimated coefficient for the variable and the associated standard error.