Survival after Locoregional Treatments for Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Cohort Study in Real-World Patients

Table 1

Baseline characteristics of the study patients by treatment. Data are reported as absolute numbers (percentages), but for age and AFP.

Variable	Total; (𝑁=425)	Surgery; (𝑁=34)	PEI°; (𝑁=256)	RFA°; (𝑁=50)	TAE/TACE; (𝑁=80)	Other^∧; (𝑁=8)
Year of diagnosis
1998	33 (8%)	4 (12%)	23 (9%)	2 (4%)	4 (5%)	0 (0%)
1999	83 (20%)	5 (15%)	55 (21%)	9 (18%)	14 (18%)	0 (0%)
2000	106 (25%)	12 (35%)	59 (23%)	9 (18%)	26 (32%)	1 (13%)
2001	112 (26%)	7 (21%)	68 (27%)	16 (32%)	21 (26%)	1 (13%)
2002	91 (21%)	6 (18%)	51 (20%)	14 (28%)	15 (19%)	6 (75%)
Male gender	327 (77%)	30 (88%)	188 (73%)	40 (80%)	65 (81%)	7 (88%)
Age yrs, mean (SD)	67 (8)	62 (7)	68 (7)	67 (8)	64 (8)	68 (7)
Diagnostic assessment
Histology	195 (46%)	23 (68%)	125 (49%)	13 (26%)	32 (40%)	3 (38%)
Instrumental + AFP > 200	51 (12%)	3 (9%)	28 (11%)	9 (18%)	12 (15%)	0 (0%)
Instrumental only	179 (42%)	8 (24%)	103 (40%)	28 (56%)	36 (45%)	5 (63%)
Instrumental appraisal
Ultrasonography	187 (44%)	11 (32%)	123 (48%)	21 (42%)	27 (34%)	6 (75%)
NMR	13 (3%)	4 (12%)	4 (2%)	5 (10%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)
CT	178 (42%)	14 (41%)	96 (38%)	20 (40%)	48 (60%)	2 (25%)
Missing	47 (11%)	5 (15%)	33 (13%)	4 (8%)	5 (6%)	0 (0%)
Underlying liver disease
Liver cirrhosis	414 (97%)	32 (94%)	250 (98%)	49 (98%)	78 (98%)	8 (100%)
Chronic Hepatitis	11 (3%)	2 (6%)	6 (2%)	1 (2%)	2 (2%)	0 (0%)
Etiology
Viral	366 (86%)	32 (94%)	214 (83%)	46 (92%)	71 (89%)	6 (75%)
Nonviral	10 (2%)	0 (0%)	8 (3%)	0 (0%)	2 (2%)	0 (0%)
Missing	49 (12%)	2 (6%)	34 (13%)	4 (8%)	7 (9%)	2 (25%)
Viral etiology
HCV	324 (76%)	24 (71%)	197 (77%)	43 (86%)	56 (70%)	7 (88%)
HBV	59 (14%)	9 (26%)	21 (8%)	11 (22%)	18 (22%)	1 (13%)
Child-Pugh score
A	200 (47%)	22 (65%)	105 (41%)	26 (52%)	42 (52%)	7 (88%)
B	137 (32%)	8 (24%)	79 (31%)	20 (40%)	31 (39%)	0 (0%)
Missing	88 (21%)	4 (12%)	72 (28%)	4 (8%)	7 (9%)	1 (12%)
AFP mg/dl, median (IQ range)	27 (7–156)	12 (3–146)	28 (8–127)	34 (9–183)	31 (7–334)	14 (5–27)
Number of nodules
<4	305 (72%)	25 (74%)	189 (74%)	38 (76%)	49 (61%)	5 (62%)
≥4	12 (3%)	0 (0%)	3 (1%)	1 (2%)	8 (10%)	0 (0%)
Missing	108 (25%)	9 (26%)	64 (25%)	11 (22%)	23 (29%)	3 (38%)
Tumour size (cm)
≤3	207 (49%)	13 (38%)	143 (56%)	24 (48%)	23 (29%)	5 (62%)
3–5	90 (21%)	9 (26%)	43 (17%)	11 (22%)	28 (35%)	0 (0%)
>5	39 (9%)	4 (12%)	12 (5%)	7 (14%)	15 (19%)	1 (12%)
Missing	89 (21%)	8 (24%)	58 (23%)	8 (16%)	14 (18%)	2 (25%)
Tumour morphology
Single nodule	204 (48%)	18 (53%)	132 (52%)	23 (46%)	26 (32%)	5 (62%)
Multiple nodules	175 (41%)	10 (29%)	93 (36%)	24 (48%)	48 (60%)	3 (38%)
Missing	46 (11%)	6 (18%)	31 (12%)	3 (6%)	6 (8%)	0 (0%)
CLIP score
0	76 (18%)	9 (26%)	43 (17%)	10 (20%)	12 (15%)	2 (25%)
1	111 (26%)	10 (29%)	65 (25%)	13 (26%)	23 (29%)	1 (12%)
2	59 (14%)	3 (9%)	29 (11%)	9 (18%)	19 (24%)	1 (12%)
3	14 (3%)	0 (0%)	6 (2%)	3 (6%)	5 (6%)	0 (0%)
>3	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)
Missing	165 (39%)	12 (35%)	113 (44%)	15 (30%)	21 (26%)	4 (50%)

°Including three subjects who received both RFA and PEI; ^∧Including 8 laser therapy; PEI: percutaneous ethanol injection, RFA: radiofrequency ablation, TACE/TAE transarterial embolization with (TACE) or without (TAE) chemotherapy, AFP: alphafetoprotein, NMR nuclear magnetic resonance.