Table 1.
Baseline characteristics of cirrhotic and HCC patients.
| Variable | Cirrhotics (n = 28) | HCC (n = 54) | p † | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Males—n (%) | 20 (71.4) | 44 (81.5) | 0.40 | |
| Age (years) | 63.5 (49.3–72.0) | 67.0 (61.8–76.0) | 0.13 | |
| Cirrhosis—n (%) | 28 (100) | 48 (88.9) | 0.09 | |
| Etiology—n (%) | HBV | 3 (10.7) | 6 (11.1) | 0.07 |
| HCV | 4 (14.3) | 20 (37.1) | ||
| Alcohol | 16 (57.1) | 16 (29.6) | ||
| Other | 5 (17.9) | 12 (22.2) | ||
| CRPH—n (%) | 26 (92.9) | 33 (60.4) | 0.002 | |
| Child-Pugh A—n (%) | 13 (46.4) | 47 (87.0) | 0.0002 | |
| MELD score | 13 (10–19) | 8 (7–11) | <0.0001 | |
| Bilirubin (μmol/L) | 23.5 (13.4–68.6) | 15.0 (10.0–20.0) | 0.006 | |
| Albumin (g/dL) | 3.5 (2.9–4.0) | 4.0 (3.5–4.3) | 0.007 | |
| INR | 1.32 (1.15–1.60) | 1.12 (1.09–1.21) | 0.0003 | |
| Number of nodules | 2 (1–4) | |||
| Diameter (cm) | 2.2 (1.8–3.6) | |||
| MVI and/or EHS—n (%) | 4 (7.5) | |||
| BCLC stage—n (%) | 0/A | 30 (55.6) | ||
| B/C | 24 (44.4) | |||
| Previous treatments—n (%) | LR/ABL | 13 (24.0) | ||
| TACE | 9 (16.7) | |||
| ABL/LR + TACE | 21 (38.9) | |||
| No | 11 (20.4) | |||
| Radiological response | CR | 24 (44.5%) | ||
| PR | 16 (29.6%) | |||
| SD | 4 (7.4%) | |||
| PD | 10 (18.5%) | |||
† Mann–Whitney test, χ2 test and Fischer’s exact test, as appropriate. Continuous data are expressed as median (interquartile range), while categorical data are presented as absolute frequency (percentage). Abbreviations: HCC, hepatocellular carcinoma; CRPH, clinically relevant portal hypertension; MELD, Model of End Stage Liver Disease; INR, international normalized ratio; MVI, macrovascular invasion; EHS, extrahepatic spread; BCLC, Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer; ABL, ablation; LR, liver resection; TACE, transarterial chemoembolization; CR, complete response; PR, partial response; SD, stable disease; PD, progressive disease.