Table 1.
Baseline characteristics of study participants
| Variable | Study cohort (n = 25) |
| Age, yr, median (IQR) | 71 (68–75) |
| Male sex, n (%) | 21 (84.0) |
| BMI, kg/m2, median (IQR) | 26.20 (25.50–30.53) |
| ECOG, n (%) | |
| 0 | 8 (32.0) |
| 1 | 12 (48.0) |
| 2 | 5 (20.0) |
| Underlying etiology, n (%) | |
| Harmful alcohol use | 15 (60.0) |
| NAFLD | 2 (8.0) |
| HBV | 2 (8.0) |
| HCV | 1 (4.0) |
| AIH | 1 (4.0) |
| Other | 4 (16.0) |
| BCLC stage, n (%) | |
| A | 2 (8.0) |
| B | 23 (92.0) |
| Comorbidities, n (%) | |
| Diabetes mellitus | 13 (52.0) |
| Coronary artery disease | 4 (16.0) |
| No. of HCC nodules, n (%) | |
| 2 | 3 (12.0) |
| ≥ 3 | 22 (88.0) |
| Largest nodule, cm, median (IQR)a | 4.20 (2.60–5.80) |
| HCC treatment before TACE, n (%) | |
| No prior treatment | 19 (76.0) |
| Hemihepatectomy | 1 (4.0) |
| Partial liver resection | 5 (20.0) |
| Bilirubin, mg/dL, median (IQR) | 1.20 (0.75–2.07) |
| Albumin, g/L, median (IQR) | 35.00 (30.00–38.00) |
| INR, median (IQR) | 1.20 (1.10–1.30) |
| Creatinine, mg/dL, median (IQR) | 0.94 (0.78–1.33) |
| CRP, mg/L, median (IQR) | 8.60 (2.20–17.00) |
| AFP, ng/mL, median (IQR) | 33.00 (4.35–496.50) |
AFP, alpha-fetoprotein; AIH, autoimmune hepatitis; BCLC, Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer; BMI, body mass index; CRP, C-reactive protein; ECOG, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group; HBV, hepatitis B virus; HCC, hepatocellular carcinoma; HCV, hepatitis C virus; INR, international normalized ratio; IQR, interquartile range; NAFLD, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease; TACE, transarterial chemoembolization.
a
Values of 2 patients missing.