Simultaneous transarterial chemoembolization and radiofrequency ablation for large hepatocellular carcinoma

Table 1 Baseline characteristics of patients before treatment

Characteristics	Before treatment
Sex, M/F	42/4
Age, yr, median (range)	53.5 (36-70)
BCLC stage B/C 1	42/4
Child–Pugh class A/B/C	45/1/0
ECOG performance status 0/12	42/4/0
Laboratory values, median (range)
WBC count, 109/L	4.98 (2.23-10.09)
Platelet count, 109/L	158 (49-371)
Hemoglobin, g/dL	135 (76-159)
Serum AST, IU/L	18.85 (16.20-101.60)
Serum ALT, IU/L	28.7 (9.6-178.8)
Serum total bilirubin, mg/dL	13.2 (5.0-41.4)
Serum albumin, g/dL	38.45 (28.8-45.1)
INR	1.10 (0.92-1.33)
Serum creatinine, mg/dL	65.05 (40.30-106.20)
Serum AFP, ng/mL, baseline < 20	7.86 (1.28-24200.00) (n = 29)
Serum AFP, ng/mL, baseline > 20	170.80 (20.02-24200.00) (n = 17)
Tumor burden and distribution
Unifocal/multifocal	35/11
Unilobar/bilobar	44/2
Lesion diameter (cm)
Largest lesion diameter (mean, range)	14.0 (9.47, 8.2-14.0)

¹Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer staging system.

²Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status. BCLC: Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer; ECOG: Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group; WBC: White blood cell; AST: Aspartate aminotransferase; ALT: Alanine aminotransferase; INR: International Normalized Ratio; AFP: α-fetoprotein.

Table 2 Baseline characteristics of patients after treatment

Characteristics	3 d after treatment
Laboratory values, median (range)
WBC count, 109/L	4.985 (2.300-9.050)
Platelet count, 109/L	141 (44-259)
Hemoglobin, g/dL	136.5 (98.0-165.0)
Serum AST, IU/L	28.2 (15.0-103.7)
Serum ALT, IU/L	32.15 (8.40-74.30)
Serum total bilirubin, mg/dL	14.45 (5.40-44.80)
Serum albumin, g/dL	37.75 (24.30-46.30)
INR	1.08 (0.95-1.41)
Serum creatinine, mg/dL	65.7 (45.4-134.6)
Serum AFP, ng/mL, baseline < 20	5.60 (1.12-24200.00) (n = 29)
Serum AFP, ng/mL, baseline > 20	916.2 (21.1-24200.0) (n = 17)

WBC: White blood cell; AST: Aspartate aminotransferase; ALT: Alanine aminotransferase; INR: International Normalized Ratio; AFP: α-fetoprotein.

Table 3 Multivariate analysis using Cox proportional hazard model, n (%)

Characteristics	n	Median OS (mo)	1-yr survival	2-yr survival	3-yr survival	P value
Sex						0.031
Female	4	10.5	2 (50.0)	1 (25.0)	0
Male	42	34.5	31 (73.8)	27 (64.3)	23 (54.5)
Age (yr)						0.264
≤ 60	37	34	26 (70.3)	22 (59.5)	20 (54.1)
> 60	9	35	7 (77.8)	6 (66.7)	4 (44.4)
BCLC staging						0.657
B	10	37.5	8 (80.0)	8 (80.0)	7 (70.0)
C	36	30	25 (69.4)	20 (55.6)	17 (47.2)
Size of tumor (cm)						0.300
8-10	23	34	18 (78.3)	14 (60.9)	12 (51.4)
> 10	23	26	15 (65.2)	14 (60.9)	12 (52.2)
No. of tumors						0.087
Single	35	34	26 (74.3)	23 (65.7)	20 (56.7)
Multiple	11	19	7 (63.6)	5 (54.5)	4 (36.4)
Child–Pugh class						0.640
A	45	34	32 (77.8)	28 (62.2)	24 (53.3)
B	1	19	1 (100)	0	0
Pseudocapsule						0.289
Yes	11	44	10 (90.9)	9 (81.8)	7 (63.6)
No	35	30	23 (65.7)	19 (54.3)	17 (48.2)
Vascular invasion						0.019
Yes	4	8	1 (25.0)	1 (25.0)	0
No	42	34.5	32 (76.2)	27 (64.3)	24 (56.8)
AFP positive1						0.051
Yes	17	14.5	9 (52.9)	6 (35.3)	6 (35.3)
No	29	35	24 (79.3)	22 (75.9)	18 (61.4)

¹AFP ≥ 200 ng/mL. BCLC: Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer; OS: Overall survival; AFP: α-fetoprotein.