Table 1. Clinical and Pathological Characteristics.
| Characteristic | Patients, No. (%) (N = 38) |
|---|---|
| Age, mean (SD), y | 55.6 (9.3) |
| Male sex | 35 (92.1) |
| Female sex | 3 (7.9) |
| Underlying hepatitis B | 31 (81.6) |
| Underlying hepatitis C | 1 (2.6) |
| No underlying hepatitis | 6 (15.8) |
| Liver cirrhosis | 30 (78.9) |
| Child-Pugh class Aa | 38 (100) |
| Maximal size of the lesion, median (range), cm | 6.1 (3.0-15.0) |
| >5 | 25 (65.8) |
| ≤5 | 13 (34.2) |
| BCLC stageb | |
| A | 29 (76.3) |
| B | 5 (13.2) |
| C | 4 (10.5) |
| AJCC stagec | |
| IB | 19 (50.0) |
| II | 12 (31.6) |
| IIIA | 3 (7.9) |
| IIIB | 4 (10.5) |
| No. of primary tumors | |
| 1 | 33 (86.8) |
| 2 | 5 (13.2) |
| Pretreatment distance to major vessels, mm | |
| <1 | 23 (60.5) |
| 1-10 | 15 (39.5) |
| Vascular adhesion | |
| PV | 8 (21.1) |
| HV | 7 (18.4) |
| PV + HV | 5 (13.2) |
| IVC + HV | 3 (7.9) |
| None | 15 (39.5) |
| Tumor differentiation | |
| Well | 1 (2.6) |
| Moderate | 25 (65.8) |
| Poor | 6 (15.8) |
| Not specified | 6 (15.8) |
| Microscopic vascular invasion | 12 (31.6) |
| Satellite nodules | 4 (10.5) |
| Resection margin, median (range), cm | 1.0 (0-1.9) |
| Invasion of liver surface | |
| Yes | 14 (36.8) |
| No | 20 (52.6) |
| Not specified | 4 (10.5) |
| Baseline AFP, ng/mL | |
| >400 | 18 (47.4) |
| 7-400 | 13 (34.2) |
| <7 | 7 (18.4) |
| Baseline ALBI grade | |
| 1 | 35 (92.1) |
| 2 | 3 (7.9) |
Abbreviations: AFP, α-fetoprotein; AJCC, American Joint Committee on Cancer staging system eighth edition; ALBI, albumin-bilirubin; BCLC, Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer staging classification; HV, hepatic vein; IVC, inferior vena cava; PV, portal vein.
SI conversion factor: To convert AFP to micrograms per liter, multiply by 1.
Child-Pugh classification ranges from class A to class C, with A indicating score of 5-6 points, B indicating score of 7-9 points, and C indicating score of 10-15 points.
BCLC staging classification ranges from 0 to D, with 0 indicating performance status 0, Child-Pugh A, single lesion smaller than 2 cm (all criteria should be fulfilled); A indicating performance status 0, Child-Pugh A-B, single tumor larger than 2 cm or 2-3 lesions smaller than 3 cm (all criteria should be fulfilled); B indicating performance status 0, Child-Pugh A-B, more than 1 lesion with at least 1 larger than 3 cm or more than 3 lesions, regardless of their size (all criteria should be fulfilled); C indicating performance status 1-2, Child-Pugh A-B, vascular invasion and/or nodal disease, and/or metastatic disease (at least 1 criterion should be fulfilled); and D indicating performance status 3-4, Child-Pugh C (at least 1 criterion should be fulfilled).
AJCC staging classification ranges from IA to IVB, with IA indicating lesion smaller than 2 cm in diameter, no regional lymph node metastasis, and no distant metastasis; IB indicating lesion larger than 2 cm without vascular invasion, no regional lymph node metastasis, and no distant metastasis; II indicating lesion larger than 2 cm with vascular invasion or multifocal lesions smaller than 5 cm, no regional lymph node metastasis, and no distant metastasis; IIIA indicating multifocal lesions with at least 1 larger than 5 cm, no regional lymph node metastasis, and no distant metastasis; IIIB indicating lesion(s) involving a major branch of the portal vein or hepatic vein or lesion(s) with direct invasion of adjacent organs other than the gallbladder or with perforation of visceral peritoneum, no regional lymph node metastasis, and no distant metastasis; IVA indicating regional lymph node metastasis regardless of lesions within the liver, and no distant metastasis; and IVB indicating distant metastasis regardless of lesions within the liver and regional lymph nodes.