Table 1. Comparisons of the characteristics between the ATB (-) and ATB (+) groups.
| Variable | ATB (-) | ATB (+) | p value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| n = 86 | n = 19 | |||
| Age, years | Median (range) | 76 (49 to 93) | 73 (54 to 89) | 0.066 |
| Sex, n (%) | Male | 72 (83.7) | 12 (63.2) | 0.058 |
| Female | 14 (16.3) | 7 (36.8) | ||
| ECOG PS, n (%) | 0 | 81 (94.2) | 18 (94.7) | 1.000 |
| 1 | 5 (5.8) | 1 (5.3) | ||
| Etiology, n (%) | Viral | 42 (48.8) | 8 (42.1) | 0.595 |
| HBV/HCV/HBV+HCV | 11 (12.8)/30 (34.9)/1 (1.2) | 2 (10.5)/6 (31.6)/0 (0.0) | ||
| Non-viral | 44 (51.2) | 11 (57.9) | ||
| Alcohol/Others | 24 (27.9)/20 (23.3) | 5 (26.3)/6 (31.6) | ||
| Child-Pugh score, n (%) | 5 | 46 (53.5) | 7 (36.8) | 0.189 |
| 6 or 7 | 40 (46.5) | 12 (63.2) | ||
| ALBI score | Median (range) | -2.36 (-3.43 to -1.49) | -2.02 (-3.28 to -1.34) | 0.080 |
| mALBI grade, n (%) | 1 or 2a | 51 (59.3) | 9 (47.4) | 0.341 |
| 2b or 3 | 35 (40.7) | 10 (52.6) | ||
| Platelet count, x 10 4 /μL | Median (range) | 13.9 (5.0 to 28.9) | 15.5 (4.8 to 34.1) | 0.236 |
| Maximum intrahepatic tumor size, mm | Median (range) | 24 (0 to 132) | 36 (0 to 170) | 0.082 |
| Intrahepatic tumor number, n (%) | ≤ 4 | 51 (59.3) | 10 (52.6) | 0.594 |
| ≥ 5 | 35 (40.7) | 9 (47.4) | ||
| Macrovascular invasion, n (%) | Absent | 72 (83.7) | 13 (68.4) | 0.192 |
| Present | 14 (16.3) | 6 (31.6) | ||
| Extrahepatic metastasis, n (%) | Absent | 56 (65.1) | 10 (52.6) | 0.308 |
| Present | 30 (34.9) | 9 (47.4) | ||
| BCLC stage, n (%) | A or B | 43 (50.0) | 7 (36.8) | 0.299 |
| C | 43 (50.0) | 12 (63.2) | ||
| AFP, ng/mL | Median (range) | 15 (1 to 496493) | 24 (3 to 368469) | 0.552 |
| NLR | Median (range) | 2.54 (0.76 to 7.50) | 2.15 (0.77 to 4.90) | 0.265 |
| WBC, /μL | Median (range) | 4350 (1900 to 9860) | 4200 (2600 to 6680) | 0.963 |
| CRP, mg/dL | Median (range) | 0.20 (0.01 to 9.05) | 0.52 (0.03 to 2.83) | 0.002 |
Abbreviations: AFP, α-fetoprotein; ALBI, albumin-bilirubin; ATB, antibiotics; BCLC, Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer; CRP, C-reactive protein; ECOG PS, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status; HBV, hepatitis B virus; HCV, hepatitis C virus; mALBI, modified albumin-bilirubin; NLR, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio; WBC, white blood cell.