Table 3.
Patients’ characteristics according to the plasma IL-6 levels.
| Characteristic | Unit | Value (Median, IQR) | p value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IL6 High (N=32) | IL6 Low (N = 32) | |||
| Age | Years Old | 75 (67–79) | 72 (61–81) | 0.819 |
| Sex | Male/Female | 21/11 | 29/3 | 0.032 |
| Etiology | Non-viral/Viral | 12/20 | 14/18 | 0.984 |
| Platelets | ×104/μL | 13.3 (9.0–17.8) | 14.5 (12.6–16.1) | 0.163 |
| Total Bilirubin | mg/dL | 0.7 (0.6–1.1) | 0.8 (0.5–0.9) | 0.995 |
| AST | U/L | 45 (29–57 ) | 29 (24–42) | 0.014 |
| ALT | U/L | 30 (19–47) | 22 (16–33) | 0.237 |
| PT | % | 93 (82–100) | 91 (82–103) | 0.767 |
| Albumin | g/dL | 3.6 (3.3–3.9) | 3.9 (3.5–4.1) | 0.077 |
| Child-Pugh Score | 5/6/7 | 14/14/4 | 20/12/0 | 0.041 |
| AFP | ng/mL | 57 (6.3–3718) | 6.6 (3–86) | 0.011 |
| DCP | mAU/mL | 440 (102–9982) | 108 (39–598) | 0.018 |
| Distant Metastasis | Present/Absent | 16/16 | 15/17 | 0.803 |
| Vascular Invasion | Present/Absent | 7/25 | 0/32 | 0.001 |
| BCLC Stage | A,B/C | 13/19 | 17/15 | 0.316 |
| Tratment Line | 1st/2nd/3rd/4th- | 16/9/4/3 | 20/8/2/2 | 0.709 |
| Observation Time | Days | 84 (49–160) | 130 (75–195) | 0.079 |
Abbreviations: AST, aspartate transaminase; ALT, alanine aminotransferase; PT, prothrombin time; AFP, alpha-fetoprotein; DCP, des-γ-carboxy prothrombin; BCLC, Barcelona clinic liver cancer.