Table 1. Baseline characteristics of HCC patients.
| Parameters | DEB-TACE group (N=171) | cTACE group (N=164) | P value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age (years) | 54.9±11.8 | 55.4±13.2 | 0.742 |
| Gender (male/female) | 145/26 | 146/18 | 0.252 |
| History of drink (n/%) | 46 (26.9) | 37 (22.6) | 0.358 |
| History of HB (n/%) | 109 (63.7) | 109 (66.5) | 0.606 |
| History of HC (n/%) | 6 (3.5) | 3 (1.8) | 0.342 |
| History of cirrhosis (n/%) | 72 (42.1) | 86 (52.4) | 0.058 |
| Tumor location (n/%) | 0.795 | ||
| Unilobar | 118 (69.0) | 111 (67.7) | |
| Bilobar | 53 (31.0) | 53 (32.3) | |
| Tumor distribution (n/%) | 0.458 | ||
| Unifocal | 113 (66.1) | 102 (62.2) | |
| Multifocal | 58 (33.9) | 62 (37.8) | |
| Largest nodule size (cm) | 7.9 (4.8–12.1) | 6.5 (3.4–7.8) | 0.004 |
| Portal vein invasion (n/%) | 53 (31.0) | 38 (23.2) | 0.108 |
| Hepatic vein invasion (n/%) | 26 (15.2) | 22 (13.4) | 0.640 |
| ECOG performance status (n/%) | 0.087 | ||
| 0 | 50 (29.2) | 59 (36.0) | |
| 1 | 92 (53.8) | 87 (53.0) | |
| 2 | 29 (17.0) | 17 (10.4) | |
| 3 | 0 (0.0) | 1 (0.6) | |
| Child-Pugh stage (n/%) | 0.743 | ||
| A | 136 (79.5) | 133 (81.1) | |
| B | 34 (19.9) | 29 (17.7) | |
| C | 1 (0.6) | 2 (1.2) | |
| BCLC stage (n/%) | 0.379 | ||
| A | 36 (21.1) | 40 (24.4) | |
| B | 73 (42.7) | 73 (44.5) | |
| C | 54 (31.6) | 40 (24.4) | |
| D | 8 (4.7) | 11 (6.7) | |
| Blood routine | |||
| WBC (×109 cell/L) | 4.9 (3.9–6.5) | 5.1 (3.7–6.9) | 0.603 |
| RBC (×1012 cell/L) | 4.2 (3.7–4.8) | 4.3 (3.9–4.7) | 0.461 |
| ANC (%) | 48.1 (3.0–64.5) | 52.7 (3.2–63.4) | 0.650 |
| Hb (g/L) | 128.0 (112.0–145.0) | 132.0 (118.0–141.0) | 0.544 |
| PLT (×109 cell/L) | 143.0 (76.0–210.0) | 147.5 (93.8–221.5) | 0.539 |
| Kidney function | |||
| BCr (μmol/L) | 72.5 (61.0–85.4) | 73.0 (63.0–83.0) | 0.696 |
| BUN (mmol/L) | 4.7 (3.9–5.8) | 4.8 (3.9–6.0) | 0.398 |
| Tumor markers | |||
| AFP (μg/L) | 203.0 (8.6–1,210.0) | 82.6 (5.6–1,000.0) | 0.058 |
| CEA (μg/L) | 1.8 (1.0–2.9) | 2.1 (1.2–3.2) | 0.335 |
| CA199 (kμ/L) | 21.7 (7.9–35.2) | 20.1 (8.2–34.2) | 0.668 |
| Previous treatments (n/%) | |||
| cTACE | 62 (36.3) | 40 (24.4) | 0.018 |
| Surgery | 22 (12.9) | 31 (18.9) | 0.130 |
| Systematic chemotherapy | 3 (1.8) | 3 (1.8) | 0.959 |
| Radiofrequency ablation | 7 (4.1) | 7 (4.3) | 0.936 |
| Targeted therapy | 7 (4.1) | 2 (1.2) | 0.104 |
Data were presented as mean ± standard deviation, median (25th–75th quantiles) or count (%). Comparison between 2 groups was determined by t test, Wilcoxon rank sum test or Chi-square test. P value <0.05 was considered significant, and the significant results were shown in boldface. HCC, hepatocellular carcinoma; DEB-TACE, drug-eluting bead transarterial chemoembolization; cTACE, conventional transarterial chemo-embolization; HB, hepatitis b; HC, hepatitis c; ECOG, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group; BCLC, Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer; WBC, white blood cell; RBC, red blood cell; ANC, absolute neutrophil count; Hb, hemoglobin; PLT, platelet; BCr, blood creatinine; BUN, blood urea nitrogen; AFP, alpha fetoprotein; CEA, carcino-embryonic antigen; CA199, carbohydrate antigen 199.