Radiological response and inflammation scores predict tumour recurrence in patients treated with transarterial chemoembolization before liver transplantation

Table 1 Clinical, radiological and laboratory characteristics of the study population at the initial evaluation n (%)

Variable	All treated patients (n = 70)
Demographics and indications
Age at LT (yr) [median (IQRs)]	57 (51-62)
Male gender	62 (88.6)
Biochemical MELD Score [median (IQRs)]	11 (7-15)
Child-Pugh class A/B/C	29 (41.4)/27 (38.6)/14 (20.0)
Virus B-related cirrhosis	15 (21.4)
Virus C-related cirrhosis	41 (58.6)
Pre-TACE radiological evaluation
Type of imaging technique (CT/MR)	49 (70.0)/21 (30)
Exceeding Milan criteria	22 (31.4)
Exceeding UCSF criteria	12 (17.1)
Number of nodules [median (IQRs)]	1 (1-2)
Single/multiple	40 (57.1)/30 (42.9)
Sum of nodule diameters (cm) [median (IQRs)]	3.35 (2.1-5.4)
Sum of nodule diameters > 5 cm	22 (31.4)
Diameter of the largest nodule (cm) [median (IQRs)]	2.6 (2.0-3.4)
Diameter of the largest nodule > 5 cm	7 (10.0)
Pre-TACE laboratory evaluation
1AFP (ng/mL) [median (IQRs)]	12.5 (5.8-52.0)
AFP > 400 ng/mL	5 (8.1)
2NLR [median (IQRs)]	2.0 (1.4-3.1)
NLR > 4	13 (20.3)
3PLR [median (IQRs)]	67.2 (44.6-84.0)
PLR > 150	2 (3.1)
AST/ALT (U/L) [median (IQRs)]	69 (43.7-108.7)/56 (34.0-88.2)
WBC (× 103/mmc) [median (IQRs)]	4.7 (3.7-5.8)
Characteristics of TACE and time-intervals between procedures
Number of treatments [median (IQRs)]	2 (1-2)
Repeated TACE	37 (52.9)
Type of TACE (DEB/conventional)	54 (77.1)/16 (22.9)
Interval of last imaging-LT (mo) [median (IQRs)]	1.4 (0.7-2.7)
Interval of last TACE-LT (mo) [median (IQRs)]	3.9 (2.1-7.4)
Interval of first TACE-LT (mo) [median (IQRs)]	6.9 (3.7-11.0)

¹The AFP value was missing in 8 patients;

²TACE NLR was missing in 6 patients;

³PLR was missing in 6 patients. LT: Liver transplantation; IQR: Interquartile range; MELD: Model for End-Stage Liver Disease; TACE: Transarterial chemoembolization, CT: Computed tomography; MR: Magnetic resonance, USCF: University of California San Francisco; AFP: Alpha-fetoprotein; NLR: Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio; PLR: Platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio; AST: Aspartate aminotransferase; ALT: Alanine aminotransferase; WBC: White blood cell; DEB: Doxorubicin-eluting bead.