Table 2. Baseline laboratory testing of liver function.
| Parameters | DEB-TACE group (N=171) | cTACE group (N=164) | P value |
|---|---|---|---|
| ALT (μ/L) | 37.0 (23.2–59.0) | 35.0 (22.0–52.2) | 0.453 |
| ≥1 ULN (n/%) | 72/170 (42.4) | 65/162 (40.1) | 0.680 |
| ≥2 ULN (n/%) | 21/170 (12.4) | 18/162 (11.1) | 0.725 |
| ≥3 ULN (n/%) | 7/170 (4.1) | 9/162 (5.6) | 0.541 |
| AST (μ/L) | 52.1 (35.0–79.4) | 44.3 (30.3–75.0) | 0.066 |
| ≥1 ULN (n/%) | 112/170 (65.9) | 97/162 (59.9) | 0.257 |
| ≥2 ULN (n/%) | 42/170 (24.7) | 36/162 (22.2) | 0.594 |
| ≥3 ULN (n/%) | 23/170 (13.5) | 16/162 (9.9) | 0.301 |
| ALP (μ/L) | 133.0 (87.5–179.0) | 112.0 (81.0–163.0) | 0.083 |
| ≥1 ULN (n/%) | 67/133 (50.4) | 56/137 (40.9) | 0.117 |
| ≥2 ULN (n/%) | 18/133 (13.5) | 9/137 (6.6) | 0.057 |
| ≥3 ULN (n/%) | 4/133 (3.0) | 2/137 (1.5) | 0.653 |
| TBIL (μmol/L) | 18.1 (12.7–24.6) | 14.9 (10.9–20.4) | 0.001 |
| ≥1 ULN (n/%) | 78/170 (45.9) | 48/161 (29.8) | 0.003 |
| ≥2 ULN (n/%) | 14/170 (8.2) | 10/161 (6.2) | 0.478 |
| ≥3 ULN (n/%) | 4/170 (2.4) | 3/161 (1.9) | 0.757 |
| ALB (g/L) | 36.8 (36.4–40.1) | 36.5 (32.9–39.6) | 0.917 |
| ≥1 ULN (n/%) | 0/170 (0.0) | 2/161 (1.2) | 0.145 |
| ≥2 ULN (n/%) | 0/170 (0.0) | 1/161 (0.6) | 0.303 |
| ≥3 ULN (n/%) | 0/170 (0.0) | 1/161 (0.6) | 0.486 |
| TP (g/L) | 67.4 (63.6–71.3) | 65.4 (61.2–70.1) | 0.024 |
| ≥1 ULN (n/%) | 10/170 (5.9) | 4/159 (2.5) | 0.131 |
| ≥2 ULN (n/%) | 0/170 (0.0) | 1/159 (0.6) | 0.300 |
| ≥3 ULN (n/%) | 0/170 (0.0) | 0/159 (0.0) | – |
| TBA (I/L) | 10.5 (5.1–24.6) | 9.3 (4.4–20.3) | 0.235 |
| ≥1 ULN (n/%) | 84/167 (50.3) | 70/152 (46.1) | 0.448 |
| ≥2 ULN (n/%) | 50/167 (29.9) | 38/152 (25.0) | 0.324 |
| ≥3 ULN (n/%) | 32/167 (19.2) | 24/152 (15.8) | 0.429 |
Data were presented as median (25th–75th quantiles) or count (%). Comparison between 2 groups was determined by Wilcoxon rank sum test or Chi-square test. P value <0.05 was considered significant, and the significant results were shown in boldface. DEB-TACE, drug-eluting bead transarterial chemoembolization; cTACE, conventional transarterial chemo-embolization; ALT, alanine aminotransferase; ULN, upper limit of normal; AST, aspartate aminotransferase; ALP, alkaline phosphatase; TBIL, total bilirubin; ALB, albumin; TP, total protein; TBA, total bile acid.