Baseline clinicopathological characteristics of groups A and B*
| Characteristic | No. (%) of patients† | p value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Group A n = 275 | Group B n = 196 | ||
| Age, yr, mean ± SD | 52.3 ± 11.6 | 52.7 ± 11.4 | 0.7 |
| Male sex | 240 (87.3) | 171 (87.2) | 0.99 |
| Preoperative α-fetoprotein level ≥ 400 ng/mL | 86 (31.3) | 64 (32.6) | 0.8 |
| Hepatitis B surface antigen positive | 241 (87.6) | 172 (87.8) | 0.97 |
| Preoperative platelet count, ×109/L, mean ± SD | 193.2 ± 83.3 | 188.2 ± 67.6 | 0.5 |
| Preoperative total bilirubin level, μmol/L, mean ± SD | 15.2 ± 6.7 | 15.8 ± 6.5 | 0.3 |
| Preoperative albumin level, g/L, mean ± SD | 40.5 ± 3.8 | 40.8 ± 4.5 | 0.6 |
| Preoperative alanine transaminase level ≥ 50 U/L | 70 (25.4) | 53 (27.0) | 0.7 |
| Preoperative γ-glutamyl transpeptidase level ≥ 75 U/L | 101 (36.7) | 59 (30.1) | 0.1 |
| Tumour size, cm, mean ± SD | 5.9 ± 3.7 | 6.2 ± 4.0 | 0.4 |
| Multiple lesions | 29 (10.5) | 29 (14.8) | 0.2 |
| Cirrhosis | 213 (77.4) | 113 (57.6) | < 0.001 |
| Microvascular invasion | 105 (38.2) | 74 (37.8) | 0.9 |
| Tumour differentiation | 0.97 | ||
| Well | 32 (11.6) | 24 (12.2) | |
| Moderate | 175 (63.6) | 125 (63.8) | |
| Low | 68 (24.7) | 47 (24.0) | |
| BCLC stage | 0.1 | ||
| 0 | 48 (17.4) | 21 (10.7) | |
| A | 96 (34.9) | 69 (35.2) | |
| B | 131 (47.6) | 106 (54.1) | |