Table 1.
Clinical characteristics of early hepatocellular carcinoma patients treated with RFA-TACE or with SR before and after propensity score matching
| Variables | Before propensity score matching | After propensity score matching | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RFA-TACE (n = 176) |
SR (n = 125) |
P value | RFA-TACE (n = 66) |
SR (n = 66) |
P value | |
| No. (%) | No. (%) | No. (%) | No. (%) | |||
| Age (years) | ||||||
| < 65 | 90 (51.1) | 74 (59.2) | 0.17 | 35 (53.0) | 35 (53.0) | 1.0 |
| > 65 | 86 (48.9) | 51 (40.8) | 31 (47.0) | 31 (47.0) | ||
| Mean + SD | 64.0 + 10.4 | 62.2 + 10.7 | 63.7 + 12.6 | 64.0 + 10.3 | ||
| Gender | ||||||
| Male | 109 (61.9) | 87 (69.6) | 0.17 | 47 (68.1) | 47 (68.1) | 1.0 |
| Female | 67 (38.1) | 38 (30.4) | 22 (31.9) | 22 (31.9) | ||
| Child-Pugh | ||||||
| A | 162 (92.1) | 122 (97.6) | 0.04 | 61 (92.4) | 65( 98.5) | 0.10 |
| B | 14 (7.9) | 3 (2.4) | 5 (7.6) | 1 (1.5) | ||
| Etiology | ||||||
| Seronegative | 17 (9.7) | 21 (16.8) | 0.008 | 8 (12.1) | 7 (10.6) | 0.40 |
| HBV | 70 (39.8) | 65 (52.0) | 34 (51.5) | 28 (42.4) | ||
| HCV | 82 (46.6) | 36 (28.8) | 22 (33.3) | 29 (43.9) | ||
| HBV + HCV | 7 (4.0) | 3 (2.4) | 2 (3.03) | 2 (3.03) | ||
| Ishak score-fibrosis | ||||||
| 1–3 | 52 (29.6) | 29 (23.2) | 0.22 | 16 (24.2) | 14 (21.2) | 0.67 |
| 4–6 | 124 (70.4) | 96 (76.8) | 50 (75.8) | 52 (78.8) | ||
| Edmonson grading | ||||||
| I and II | 137 (90.7) | 103 (83.1) | 0.06 | 50 (89.3) | 48 (85.7) | 0.56 |
| III and IV | 14 (9.3) | 21 (16.9) | 6 (10.7) | 8 (14.3) | ||
| Diabetes | ||||||
| No | 123 (69.9) | 92 (73.6) | 0.48 | 47 (71.2) | 48 (72.7) | 0.85 |
| Yes | 53 (30.1) | 33 (26.4) | 19 (28.8) | 18 (27.3) | ||
| CSPH | ||||||
| No | 131 (74.4) | 99 (79.2) | 0.34 | 55 (79.7) | 53 (76.8) | 0.69 |
| Yes | 45 (25.6) | 26 (20.8) | 14 (20.3) | 16 (23.2) | ||
| No. of nodules | ||||||
| Single | 126 (71.6) | 104 (83.2) | 0.02 | 58 (87.9) | 56 (84.9) | 0.56 |
| > 2 nodules | 50 (28.4) | 21 (16.8) | 8 (12.1) | 10 (15.1) | ||
| Creatinine (mg/dL) | ||||||
| < 1.5 | 159 (90.3) | 120 (96.0) | 0.07 | 62 (93.9) | 64 (97.0) | 0.41 |
| > 1.5 | 17 (9.7) | 5 (4.00) | 4 (6.1) | 2 (3.0) | ||
| AFP level (ng/mL) | ||||||
| < 20 | 96 (54.6) | 85 (68.0) | 0.02 | 40 (60.6) | 42 (63.6) | 0.59 |
| > 20 | 80 (45.4) | 40 (32.0) | 26 (39.4) | 24 (36.4) | ||
| Albumin (mg/dL) | ||||||
| > 3.0 | 166 (94.3) | 123 (98.4) | 0.07 | 61 (92.4) | 65 (98.5) | 0.05 |
| < 3.0 | 10 (5.7) | 2 (1.6) | 5 (7.6) | 1 (1.5) | ||
| Total bilirubin (mg/dL) | ||||||
| < 1.5 | 161 (91.5) | 117 (95.1) | 0.22 | 60 (90.9) | 61 (92.4) | 0.74 |
| > 1.5 | 15 (8.5) | 6 (4.9) | 6 (9.1) | 5 (7.6) | ||
| Prothrombin time (INR) | ||||||
| < 1.3 | 164 (93.2) | 122 (97.6) | 0.11 | 62 (93.9) | 65 (98.5) | 0.18 |
| > 1.3 | 12 (6.8) | 3 (2.4) | 4 (6.1) | 1 (1.5) | ||
| AST (IU/L) | ||||||
| < 80 | 139 (79.0) | 106 (84.8) | 0.20 | 56 (84.9) | 55 (83.3) | 0.81 |
| > 80 | 37 (21.0) | 19 (15.2) | 10 (15.1) | 11 (16.7) | ||
| ALT (IU/L) | ||||||
| < 80 | 140 (79.6) | 99 (79.2) | 0.94 | 54 (81.8) | 53 (80.3) | 0.81 |
| > 80 | 36 (20.5) | 26 (20.8) | 12 (18.2) | 13 (19.7) | ||
| Size (cm) | ||||||
| < 3.0 | 129 (73.3) | 50 (40.0) | < 0.0001 | 38 (57.6) | 37 (56.1) | 0.76 |
| > 3.0 | 47 (26.7) | 75 (60.0) | 28 (42.4) | 29 (43.9) | ||
| Mean + SD | 24.9 + 9.0 | 32.6 + 11.5 | 27.5 + 10.2 | 28.3 + 10.8 | ||
| BCLC stage | ||||||
| 0 | 47 (26.7) | 18 (14.4) | 0.01 | 17 (25.8) | 16 (24.2) | 0.71 |
| A | 129 (73.3) | 109 (85.6) | 49 (74.2) | 50 (75.8) | ||
CSPH clinically significant portal hypertension, AFP Alpha-fetoprotein, ALT Alanine aminotransferase, AST Aspartate aminotransferase, HBV hepatitis B virus, HCV hepatitis C virus, INR International normalized ratio, BCLC Barcelona-Clınic Liver Cancer staging system, RFA-TACE Radiofrequency ablation with or without transcatheter arterial chemoembolization, SR surgical resection