Background
Methods
Patients
Cohort 1: HAIC(n = 104) | Cohort 2: Sorafenib(n = 39) |
P-valuea
| |
---|---|---|---|
Age (y), median, range | 65.0 (40–82) | 67.0 (37–83) | 0.306 |
Gender(Male: Female) | 86:18 | 32:7 | 0.928 |
Child-Pugh score | 6.5 | 5.9 | 0.028 |
Child-Pugh A | 60 | 31 | 0.042 |
Child-Pugh B | 40 | 8 | |
Child-Pugh C | 4 | 0 | |
Performance status (0/1/2) | 91/11/2 | 37/1/1 | 0.301 |
Prior treatment (surgical resection) | 5.2% (20) | 33.3% (13) | 0.075 |
Prior treatment (radiofrequency ablation) | 51.0% (53) | 53.8% (21) | 0.759 |
Prior treatment (TACE/TAE) | 51.9% (54) | 76.9% (30) | 0.007 |
Size of dominant tumour (mm) | 32.3 ± 21.2 | 42.0 ± 27.9 | 0.066 |
Multiple tumour | 69.2% (72) | 71.8% (28) | 0.766 |
AFP (ng/ml) mean ± SE | 13,110.5 ± 5278.7 | 3438.7 ± 1123.3 | 0.259 |
AFP-L3 (%) ± SE | 28.6 ± 2.7 | 38.8 ± 5.4 | 0.073 |
DCP (mAU/ml) ± SE | 21,194.0 ± 6814.7 | 5418.4 ± 2896.5 | 0.161 |
Vascular invasion (%) | 35.6% (37) | 17.9% (7) | 0.042 |
Distant metastasis (%) | 10.6% (11) | 35.9% (14) | <0.001 |
BCLC stage (B/C/D) | 47/51/6 | 18/21/0 | 0.303 |
Tumor responses by mRECIST (CR / PR) | 34.6% (36) | 2.6% (1) | <0.001 |
Serum profiles
Statistical analysis
Results
Baseline cohort characteristics
Treatment response and serum cytokines
Cytokines (pg/mL, mean ± SE) | CR/PR group | SD/PD group |
P-valuea
|
---|---|---|---|
EGF | 20.8 ± 3.8 | 21.6 ± 3.0 | 0.882 |
FGF | 2.84 ± 1.63 | 8.40 ± 2.53 | 0.134 |
HGF | 523.9 ± 50.3 | 739.8 ± 71.6 | 0.043 |
IFN-γ | 0.109 ± 0.064 | 1.343 ± 0.699 | 0.203 |
IL-10 | 0.813 ± 0.169 | 1.239 ± 0.219 | 0.193 |
IL-12 (p70) | 8.41 ± 1.17 | 10.77 ± 1.05 | 0.164 |
IL-2 | 0.297 ± 0.092 | 1.118 ± 0.568 | 0.299 |
IL-4 | 0.586 ± 0.170 | 1.213 ± 0.197 | 0.038 |
IL-5 | 17.3 ± 5.5 | 15.6 ± 2.0 | 0.718 |
IL-6 | 10.90 ± 3.94 | 9.05 ± 1.65 | 0.614 |
IL-8/CXCL8 | 61.3 ± 37.1 | 18.7 ± 2.7 | 0.119 |
CXCL10 | 358.3 ± 41.1 | 359.1 ± 30.3 | 0.988 |
CXCL9 | 176.6 ± 14.0 | 205.8 ± 30.6 | 0.502 |
PDGF-BB | 152.5 ± 20.9 | 193.6 ± 24.3 | 0.265 |
SCF | 14.1 ± 1.3 | 16.4 ± 1.0 | 0.189 |
SDF-1 | 60.3 ± 26.3 | 13.1 ± 5.0 | 0.022 |
TGF-β | 5.17 ± 3.42 | 1.64 ± 0.71 | 0.188 |
TGF-α | 34.0 ± 23.8 | 14.2 ± 6.3 | 0.307 |
TNF-α | 1.23 ± 0.31 | 1.87 ± 0.30 | 0.184 |
VEGF-A | 65.1 ± 9.4 | 83.6 ± 6.9 | 0.116 |
Cytokines (pg/mL, mean ± SE) | Survival time ≥ 2 years(n = 7) | Survival time < 2 years(n = 32) |
P-valuea
|
---|---|---|---|
EGF | 213.7 ± 99.5 | 58.3 ± 10.6 | 0.004 |
FGF | 89.6 ± 46.8 | 103.4 ± 19.4 | 0.770 |
HGF | 483.4 ± 111.9 | 313.0 ± 45.8 | 0.133 |
IFN-γ | 23.2 ± 4.2 | 16.0 ± 1.8 | 0.103 |
IL-10 | 32.1 ± 10.6 | 16.2 ± 1.7 | 0.012 |
IL-12 (p70) | 23.0 ± 4.3 | 14.6 ± 1.6 | 0.039 |
IL-2 | 50.8 ± 12.0 | 34.1 ± 3.7 | 0.093 |
IL-4 | 18.9 ± 3.5 | 13.2 ± 1.5 | 0.132 |
IL-5 | 20.3 ± 4.8 | 14.4 ± 2.1 | 0.246 |
IL-6 | 25.2 ± 7.5 | 18.2 ± 2.4 | 0.270 |
IL-8/CXCL8 | 80.1 ± 36.3 | 37.1 ± 5.5 | 0.039 |
CXCL10 | 1078.6 ± 339.9 | 631.9 ± 116.2 | 0.136 |
CXCL9 | 345.3 ± 65.8 | 241.8 ± 32.1 | 0.178 |
PDGF-BB | 620.6 ± 250.4 | 171.0 ± 31.6 | 0.001 |
SCF | 78.9 ± 12.8 | 48.0 ± 5.3 | 0.021 |
SDF-1 | 876.0 ± 148.1 | 549.1 ± 54.1 | 0.020 |
TGF-β | 32.4 ± 6.4 | 23.2 ± 2.5 | 0.143 |
TGF-α | 31.6 ± 11.5 | 16.2 ± 1.8 | 0.020 |
TNF-α | 22.9 ± 8.0 | 13.0 ± 1.4 | 0.042 |
VEGF-A | 94.6 ± 10.2 | 86.7 ± 17.9 | 0.841 |