Table 4. Liver function testing at M1 post-treatment.
| Parameters | DEB-TACE group (N=171) | cTACE group (N=164) | P value |
|---|---|---|---|
| ALT (μ/L) | 37.1 (21.7–57.0) | 31.0 (21.1–50.8) | 0.105 |
| ≥1 ULN (n/%) | 60/129 (46.5) | 42/128 (32.8) | 0.025 |
| ≥2 ULN (n/%) | 19/129 (14.7) | 11/128 (8.6) | 0.126 |
| ≥3 ULN (n/%) | 6/129 (4.7) | 4/128 (3.1) | 0.527 |
| AST (μ/L) | 53.5 (33.5–81.4) | 44.6 (30.9–70.3) | 0.110 |
| ≥1 ULN (n/%) | 84/128 (65.6) | 73/128 (57.0) | 0.158 |
| ≥2 ULN (n/%) | 33/128 (25.8) | 23/128 (18.0) | 0.131 |
| ≥3 ULN (n/%) | 16/128 (12.5) | 13/128 (10.2) | 0.554 |
| ALP (μ/L) | 144.0 (108.1–193.0) | 120.0 (84.0–160.0) | 0.005 |
| ≥1 ULN (n/%) | 59/101 (58.4) | 52/119 (43.7) | 0.030 |
| ≥2 ULN (n/%) | 13/101 (12.9) | 12/119 (10.1) | 0.516 |
| ≥3 ULN (n/%) | 3/101 (3.0) | 1/119 (0.8) | 0.502 |
| TBIL (μmol/L) | 17.4 (13.5–24.1) | 15.2 (11.0–22.2) | 0.031 |
| ≥1 ULN (n/%) | 56/129 (43.4) | 45/129 (34.9) | 0.161 |
| ≥2 ULN (n/%) | 13/129 (10.1) | 8/129 (6.2) | 0.255 |
| ≥3 ULN (n/%) | 6/129 (4.7) | 6/129 (4.7) | 1.000 |
| ALB (g/L) | 35.1 (30.0–38.6) | 35.8 (31.4–39.6) | 0.287 |
| ≥1 ULN (n/%) | 1/129 (0.8) | 0/129 (0.0) | 0.316 |
| ≥2 ULN (n/%) | 0/129 (0.0) | 0/129 (0.0) | – |
| ≥3 ULN (n/%) | 0/129 (0.0) | 0/129 (0.0) | – |
| TP (g/L) | 69.1 (63.4–73.5) | 67.4 (63.1–73.0) | 0.591 |
| ≥1 ULN (n/%) | 6/129 (4.7) | 8/128 (6.3) | 0.572 |
| ≥2 ULN (n/%) | 0/129 (0.0) | 2/128 (1.6) | 0.154 |
| ≥3 ULN (n/%) | 0/129 (0.0) | 1/128 (0.8) | 0.498 |
| TBA (I/L) | 10.7 (5.8–27.0) | 9.5 (5.2–22.6) | 0.474 |
| ≥1 ULN (n/%) | 66/125 (52.8) | 59/122 (48.4) | 0.485 |
| ≥2 ULN (n/%) | 41/125 (32.8) | 35/122 (28.7) | 0.484 |
| ≥3 ULN (n/%) | 27/125 (21.6) | 26/122 (21.3) | 0.956 |
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. “–” indicated that the data were unable to compare due to lack of events. M1, 1 month; 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.