VCAN, expressed highly in hepatitis B virus-induced hepatocellular carcinoma, is a potential biomarker for immune checkpoint inhibitors

Table 2 Clinical features and VCAN expression in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma and liver cirrhosis caused by hepatitis B virus

Clinical feature	HCC (n = 50)	Liver cirrhosis (n = 50)	P value
Age	57.55 ± 1.80	54.05 ± 2.22	0.227
Sex (male/female)	8/32	30/10	0.705
Anti-virus treatment (yes/no)	26/14	20/20	0.337
HBeAg (+/-)	7/33	6/34	0.144
HBV-DNA (IU/mL): ≤ 102/> 102	22/18	11/29	0.100
Child-Pugh: A/B&C	28/17	8/32	0.168
VCAN mRNA (%)	4.45 ± 0.56	3.83 ± 0.61	0.147
VCAN methylation	0.056 ± 0.009	0.047 ± 0.005	0.022

HCC: Hepatocellular carcinoma; HBV: Hepatitis B virus; HBeAg: Hepatitis B e antigen.