Table 2.
Clinicopathologic Differences Between the Low-PNI and the High-PNI Group
| Pre-LT Clinical Variables | Low-PNI (n = 45) | High-PNI (n = 78) | p-value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sex | 0.723 | ||
| Female | 17 (37.8%) | 32 (41.0%) | |
| Male | 28 (62.2%) | 46 (59.0%) | |
| Age recipients’ | 61 (38–69) | 59 (44–71) | 0.881 |
| Etiology of liver cirrhosis | 0.715 | ||
| Non-viral | 32 (71.1%) | 53 (67.9%) | |
| Viral | 13 (28.9%) | 25 (32.1%) | |
| Child Pugh classification | 0.002 | ||
| A | 11 (24.4%) | 41 (52.6%) | |
| B or C | 34 (75.6%) | 37 (47.4%) | |
| (lab)MELD score | 22 (12–34) | 18 (10–28) | < 0.001 |
| Tumor manifestation | 0.405 | ||
| Solitary | 19 (42.2%) | 39 (50%) | |
| Multiple | 26 (57.8%) | 39 (50%) | |
| Total tumor diameter in cm | 8 (1–20) | 6 (1–17) | 0.019 |
| Milan status | 0.221 | ||
| In | 22 (48.9%) | 47 (60.3%) | |
| Out | 23 (51.1%) | 31 (39.7%) | |
| TACE | 27 (60%) | 56 (71.8%) | 0.179 |
| Number of TACE applications | 0.351 | ||
| 1 | 12 (44.4%) | 31 (55.4%) | |
| > 1 | 15 (55.6%) | 25 (44.6%) | |
| AFP level in ng/mL | 100 (3.3–3500) | 57.5 (2.7–46,930) | 0.367 |
| CRP level in mg/dl | 1 (0.1–9.5) | 0.7 (0.1–4) | 0.040 |
| IL-6 level in ng/L | 24 (8–35) | 14 (6–35) | < 0.001 |
| BMI | 25 (18–34) | 24 (19–32) | 0.014 |
| Post-LT clinical variables | |||
| Immunosuppressive therapy | 0.734 | ||
| CsA | 7 (15.6%) | 14 (17.9%) | |
| Tac | 38 (84.4%) | 64 (82.1%) | |
| BPR | 6 (13.3%) | 13 (16.7%) | 0.622 |
| Liver re-transplants | 1 (2.2%) | 4 (5.1%) | 0.432 |
| Explant liver histopathology | |||
| Poor grading | 7 (35.6%) | 15 (19.2%) | 0.001 |
| MVI | 30 (66.7%) | 17 (21.8%) | < 0.001 |
| LVI | 16 (35.6%) | 10 (12.8%) | 0.003 |
| Post-TACE tumor necrosis ≤ 50% | 13 (48.1%) | 9 (16.1%) | 0.002 |
Abbreviations: AFP, alpha-fetoprotein; BMI, body mass index; BPR, biopsy-proven rejection; CRP, C-reactive protein; CsA, cyclosporine A; IL-6, interleukin-6; LVI, lymphovascular invasion; MELD, model of end-stage liver disease; MVI, microvascular invasion; PNI, prognostic nutritional index; Tac, tacrolimus; TACE, transarterial chemoembolization.