Impact of sarcopenia on tumor response and survival outcomes in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma treated by trans-arterial (chemo)-embolization

Table 3 Univariate and multivariate Cox analyses of baseline variables associated with overall survival

Variable	Univariate analysis			Multivariate analysis
	HR	95%CI	P value	HR	95%CI	P value
Sarcopenia (yes vs no, imaging)	1.57	1.09-2.27	0.016	1.68	1.04- 2.72	0.03
Skeletal muscle index (imaging)1	0.99	0.97-1.01	0.19
Psoas muscle index (imaging)1	0.95	0.89-1.01	0.14
Paraombilical vein (imaging)	1.16	0.80-1.66	0.43
Esophageal varices (imaging)	1.09	0.75-1.61	0.63
Ascites (imaging)	1.74	1.16-2.60	0.007	1.59	0.97-2.60	0.07
Liver/spleen ratio (imaging)1	1.03	0.98-1.08	0.13
Liver volume (imaging)1	1.00	0.99-1.00	0.86
Spleen volume (imaging)1	0.99	0.99-1.00	0.19
Splenomegaly (imaging)	0.95	0.66-1.35	0.77
BCLC stage	1.28	0.97-1.68	0.08
Multiple nodule	0.83	0.56-1.22	0.34
Portal vein thrombosis	1.52	0.98-2.38	0.06
Size of the largest nodule1	1.01	1.00-1.01	0.003	1.007	1.0015-1.013	0.014
Esophageal varices (endoscopy)	1.17	0.82-1.69	0.38
AFP1	1.00	1.00-1.00	0.00018	1.0001	1.00001-1.0002	0.006
Platelet1	1.00	0.99-1.00	0.170
Child-Pugh B7	2.04	1.21-3.45	0.007	1.59	0.86-2.96	0.14
Creatinin1	1.00	0.99-1.00	0.18
Prothrombin time1	1.01	0.98-1.01	0.45
Total bilirubin1	1.02	1.00-1.03	0.035
Albumin1	0.94	0.91-0.98	0.003
Clinical ascites	1.46	0.88-2.42	0.143
Cirrhosis	1.27	0.71-2.26	0.42
NASH	0.70	0.47- 1.04	0.075
HCV	1.32	0.89-1.95	0.17
HBV	0.71	0.33-1.54	0.39
Alcohol intake	1.05	0.67-1.37	0.80
Age (years old)1	1.00	0.99-1.02	0.79
BMI1	0.96	0.93-0.99	0.026	0.99	0.95-1.040	0.75
Gender (Male)	1.08	0.63-1.85	0.79

¹Parameters expressed as continuous variables.

Sarcopenia was analyzed as a categoric factor (yes vs no). AFP: Alpha-fetoprotein; BCLC: Barcelona clinic liver cancer; HCV: Hepatitis C virus; HBV: Hepatitis B virus; NASH: Non alcoholic steatohepatitis; BMI: Body mass index.