Table 1.
Demographic data and clinical correlations with VETC classification for HCC patients after partial hepatectomies.
| Variables | All (n = 174) | VETC Positive (n = 53) | VETC Negative (n = 121) | p Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age (yr) | 62.6 (53.9~68.9) | 60.6 (52.0~68.0) | 62.2 (54.5~69.3) | 0.371 |
| Sex (male) | 125 (71.8) | 39 (73.6) | 86 (71.1) | 0.735 |
| Comorbidity (yes) | 89 (51.1) | 31 (58.5) | 54 (44.6) | 0.092 |
| HBV positive | 85 (48.9) | 34 (64.2) | 51 (42.1) | 0.008 |
| HCV positive | 89 (51.1) | 19 (35.8) | 70 (57.9) | |
| ICG R15 | 8.3 (4.0~13.4) | 7.7 (3.8~11.0) | 8.4 (4.1~14.3) | 0.178 |
| Major hepatectomy | 32 (18.4) | 13 (24.5) | 19 (15.7) | 0.167 |
| Anatomic resection (n = 149) | 48 (32.2) | 12 (28.6) | 36 (33.6) | 0.551 |
| AST (IU/L) | 38.0 (26.8~63.3) | 37.0 (26.5~52.0) | 39.0 (27.0~70.0) | 0.497 |
| ALT (IU/L) | 40.5 (27.0~74.3) | 37.0 (27.0~53.0) | 43.0 (28.0~82.5) | 0.300 |
| ALP (IU/L) | 74.0 (59.0~94.0) | 72.0 (53.5~95.5) | 76.0 (60.0~94.0) | 0.783 |
| BIL (mg/dl) | 0.6 (0.5~0.8) | 0.6 (0.5~0.8) | 0.6 (0.4~0.8) | 0.677 |
| ALB (g/dl) | 4.2 (3.9~4.5) | 4.2 (3.9~4.5) | 4.2 (3.9~4.5) | 0.343 |
| AFP (ng/mL) | 11.7 (4.6~83.8) | 26.8 (5.9~149.4) | 10.5 (3.9~56.4) | 0.280 |
| AFP (>200 ng/mL) | 29 (16.7) | 10 (18.9) | 19 (15.7) | 0.606 |
| Cirrhosis | 72 (41.4) | 31 (58.5) | 71 (58.7) | 0.982 |
| OP time (min) | 250 (202~323) | 249 (215~319) | 255 (195~325) | 0.835 |
| Blood loss (mL) | 225 (100~537) | 300 (100~800) | 300 (100~500) | 0.159 |
| Encapsulation | 155 (89.1) | 49 (92.5) | 106 (87.6) | 0.435 |
| Satellite lesion | 22 (12.6) | 8 (15.1) | 14 (11.6) | 0.520 |
| Vascular invasion | ||||
| No | 135 (77.6) | 32 (60.4) | 103 (85.1) | 0.002 ** |
| Microvascular | 30 (17.2) | 16 (30.2) | 14 (11.6) | |
| Gross | 9 (5.2) | 5 (9.4) | 4 (3.3) | |
| Tumor size >5 cm | 29 (16.7) | 13 (24.5) | 16 (13.2) | 0.066 |
| Tumor size (cm) | 3.2 (2.2~4.5) | 3.7 (2.6~5.7) | 3.0 (2.2~4.0) | 0.025 * |
| Grade III, IV/II, I | 67 (38.5)/107 (61.5) | 20 (37.7)/33 (62.3) | 47 (38.8)/74 (61.2) | 0.890 |
| AJCC 8 staging IA/IB/II | 32 (18.4)/84(48.3)/58(33.3) | 5 (9.4)/22 (41.5)/26 (49.1) | 27 (22.3)/62 (51.2)/32 (26.4) | 0.008 ** |
| Microvessel density (anti-CD31 staining) | ||||
| Tumor | 49.0 (27.0~75.3) | 60.3 (42.8~94.0) | 43 (22.2~69.3) | <0.001 *** |
| Non-tumor part | 11.7 (7.0~21.0) | 14.7 (7.1~21.7) | 10.5 (7.0~21.0) | 0.096 |
| Recurrence (yes) | 93 (53.4) | 35 (66.0) | 58 (47.9) | 0.028 * |
Continuous variables are expressed as median (interquartile range) while categorical variables are expressed as number (%); HBV: hepatitis B virus; HCV: hepatitis C virus; AST: aspartate aminotransferase; ALT: alanine aminotransferase; ALP: alkaline phosphatase; BIL: bilirubin; ALB: albumin; AFP: alpha-fetoprotein; AJCC 8 staging: the 8th edition of American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) TNM staging system. * p < 0.05, ** p < 0.01, *** p < 0.001.