Table 1.
Group Comparability according to EASL Criteria
| Variable | R1 (n = 66) | N1 (n = 50) | P Value | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All (n = 50) | N1R2 (n = 22) | N1N2 (n = 28) | Groups R1 vs N1 | Subgroups N1R2 vs N1N2 | ||
| Age (y)* | 63 (51, 74) | 64 (51, 72) | 67 (55, 76) | 60 (49, 71) | .93 | .19 |
| M:F ratio | 54:12 | 41:9 | 17:5 | 25:3 | .81 | .28 |
| No. of tumors (%) | .57 | .03 | ||||
| One | 48 | 46 | 27 | 61 | ||
| Two | 11 | 14 | 23 | 7 | ||
| Three | 11 | 4 | 0 | 7 | ||
| More than three | 30 | 36 | 50 | 25 | ||
| Tumor morphology (%) | .99 | .17 | ||||
| Single | 39 | 38 | 27 | 47 | ||
| Multifocal | 44 | 44 | 59 | 32 | ||
| Infiltrative | 17 | 18 | 14 | 21 | ||
| Child-Pugh class (%) | .65 | .93 | ||||
| A | 73 | 67 | 68 | 67 | ||
| B | 25 | 33 | 32 | 33 | ||
| C | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Total bilirubin level (mg/dL)* | 0.8 (0.4, 1.8) | 0.9 (0.5, 2.0) | 0.8 (0.4, 2.5) | 1.0 (0.5, 1.0) | .24 | .41 |
| Albumin level (g/dL)* | 3.8 (3.1, 4.3) | 3.8 (3.0, 4.2) | 3.8 (3.1, 4.2) | 3.7 (3.0, 4.2) | .92 | .72 |
| Creatinine level (mg/dL)* | 0.8 (0.6, 1.2) | 0.8 (0.7, 1.1) | 0.8 (0.6, 1.1) | 9 (0.7, 1.0) | .89 | .79 |
| INR* | 1.0 (0.9, 1.3) | 1.1 (1.1, 1.3) | 1.1 (1.0, 1.3) | 1.1 (1.0, 1.3) | .04 | .99 |
| MELD*† | 7 (6, 12) | 8 (6, 13) | 8 (6, 14) | 8 (6, 13) | .26 | .75 |
| AFP level (ng/mL)* | ||||||
| At baseline | 64 (4, 9958) | 88 (4, 29 896) | 563 (14, 30 892) | 21 (3, 18 548) | .48 | .07 |
| After first chemoembolization | 32 (5, 2423) | 95 (11, 24 666) | 93 (12, 24 019) | 491 (10, 22 237) | .09 | .96 |
| Follow-up duration (mo)* | 43 (27, 91) | 62 (24, 94) | 54 (26, 90) | 66 (24, 97) | .53 | .51 |
| Patients with a third chemoembolization (%) | 23 | 50 | 36 | 61 | <.01 | .15 |
Note.—The two main groups (N1 and R1) were matched in all tested variables shown except number of chemoembolizations and INR. The number of total chemoembolizations had no influence on the statistical calculations because they were based on data after the second chemoembolization for all groups. Despite differences in the INR, those values were within normal limits and are not expected to have made a difference. The two initial nonresponder subgroups (N1R2 and N1N2) were matched in all variables except number of tumors, with the group that did not respond to a second chemoembolization having more patients with a single tumor. N1 = patients who did not respond to the first chemoembolization, N1N2 = patients who did not respond to either chemoembolization, N1R2 = patients who did not respond to the first chemoembolization but did respond to the second chemoembolization, R1 = patients who responded to the first chemoembolization.
Data are medians, with 15% and 85% quantiles in parentheses.
MELD = Model for End-Stage Liver Disease.