Immune checkpoint inhibitors plus anti-angiogenesis in patients with resected high-risk hepatitis B virus-associated hepatocellular carcinoma

Table 1 Baseline characteristics of patients before and after propensity score matching or inverse probability of treatment weighting, n (%)

	Total (n =150)	Before PSM and IPTW, PCT (n = 30)	Before PSM and IPTW, non-PCT (n = 120)	Before PSM and IPTW, P value	After PSM, PCT (n = 29)	After PSM, non-PCT (n = 29)	After PSM, P value	After IPTW, PCT (134.1)	After IPTW, non-PCT (150.8)	After IPTW, P value
Sex, male	124 (82.7)	24 (80)	100 (83.3)	0.666	23 (79.3)	25 (86.2)	0.487	107.9 (80.4)	125.1 (83.0)	0.752
Age, ≤ 57 years	76 (50.7)	18 (60)	58 (48.3)	0.253	17 (58.6)	14 (48.3)	0.43	85.3 (63.6)	74.7 (49.5)	0.195
BMI, ≤ 23.9 kg/m²	87 (58)	16 (53.3)	71 (59.2)	0.563	16 (55.2)	19 (65.5)	0.421	70.6 (52.6)	90.5 (60.0)	0.501
TACE	61 (40.7)	7 (23.3)	54 (45)	0.031	7 (24.1)	7 (24.1)	1	46.5 (34.6)	60.8 (40.3)	0.622
Extent of resection, major	29 (19.3)	6 (20)	23 (19.2)	0.918	6 (20.7)	5 (17.2)	0.738	28.0 (20.9)	28.5 (18.9)	0.819
Cirrhosis	126 (84)	27 (90)	99 (82.5)	0.412	27 (93.1)	27 (93.1)	1	124.6 (92.9)	124.3 (82.4)	0.153
Number, solitary	142 (94.7)	29 (96.7)	113 (94.2)	1	28 (96.6)	27 (93.1)	1	131.2 (97.8)	141.1 (93.6)	0.276
Maximum diameter, > 5 cm	73 (48.7)	16 (53.3)	57 (47.5)	0.567	15 (51.7)	12 (41.4)	0.43	59.8 (44.6)	73.2 (48.5)	0.717
Vascular invasion	100 (66.7)	23 (76.7)	77 (64.2)	0.194	22 (75.9)	21 (72.4)	0.764	96.8 (72.2)	100.9 (66.9)	0.615
Edmondson-Steiner, III-IV	79 (52.7)	16 (53.3)	63 (52.5)	0.935	15 (51.7)	18 (62.1)	0.426	79.3 (59.1)	80.7 (53.5)	0.608
Satellite nodules	30 (20)	7 (23.3)	23 (19.2)	0.61	6 (20.7)	6 (20.7)	1	25.9 (19.3)	30.1 (20.0)	0.939
Margin, narrow	92 (61.3)	21 (70)	71 (59.2)	0.276	20 (69)	15 (51.7)	0.18	100 (74.6)	89.9 (59.6)	0.149
Necrosis	48 (32)	9 (30)	39 (32.5)	0.793	8 (27.6)	6 (20.7)	0.539	42.3 (31.6)	49.5 (32.8)	0.906
BCLC stage, A	130 (86.7)	24 (80)	106 (88.3)	0.272	23 (79.3)	27 (93.1)	0.194	99.8 (74.4)	133.0 (88.2)	0.05
Child-Pugh, A	145 (96.7)	28 (93.3)	117 (97.5)	0.261	27 (93.1)	27 (93.1)	1	6.6 (4.9)	3.9 (2.6)	0.474
Antiviral treatment	115 (76.7)	26 (86.7)	89 (74.2)	0.148	25 (86.2)	27 (93.1)	0.67	115.3 (86.0)	116.1 (77.0)	0.306
HBV-DNA, ≥ 2000 IU/mL	50 (33.3)	10 (33.3)	40 (33.3)	1	10 (34.5)	10 (34.5)	1	39.4 (29.4)	49.8 (33.0)	0.715
HBsAg, ≥ 250 IU/mL	96 (64)	20 (66.7)	76 (63.3)	0.734	19 (65.5)	20 (69)	0.78	85.1 (63.5)	96.1 (63.7)	0.979
HBeAg, positive	18 (12)	4 (13.3)	14 (11.7)	0.759	4 (13.8)	4 (13.8)	1	17.7 (13.2)	18.4 (12.2)	0.889
AFP, ≥ 400 ng/mL	52 (34.7)	7 (23.3)	45 (37.5)	0.145	7 (24.1)	11 (37.9)	0.256	33.8 (25.2)	58.3 (38.7)	0.214
ALT, IU/L	32.00 (21.00, 52.75)	32.00 (25.25, 77.25)	31.50 (19.52, 48.00)	0.174	32.00 (25.00, 81.00)	32.00 (16.00, 54.00)	0.199	55.99 (44.63)	47.10 (61.55)	0.415
AST, IU/L	34.00 (24.18, 52.75)	34.10 (28.00, 58.50)	34.00 (24.00, 52.00)	0.431	34.00 (28.00, 60.00)	34.00 (24.00, 46.00)	0.597	47.23 (28.58)	47.87 (47.64)	0.926
GGT, IU/L	38.00 (25.00, 98.50)	47.15 (31.15, 105.25)	36.00 (23.00, 96.75)	0.185	46.00 (31.00, 97.00)	26.00 (19.00, 133.00)	0.305	73.69 (73.31)	88.28 (128.05)	0.404
ALP, IU/L	85.50 (72.00, 113.75)	101.50 (83.25, 136.25)	83.50 (70.00, 109.50)	0.014	100.00 (83.00, 128.00)	87.00 (66.00, 113.00)	0.159	105.55 (34.27)	96.81 (44.53)	0.26
ALB, g/L	41.53 (4.31)	40.69 (5.13)	41.74 (4.08)	0.302	40.87 (5.12)	39.90 (3.92)	0.424	41.35 (5.22)	41.83 (4.10)	0.661
TBIL, µmol/L	15.90 (11.62, 20.10)	13.95 (11.53, 17.95)	16.45 (11.67, 20.30)	0.169	13.80 (11.40, 16.90)	17.80 (11.10, 25.20)	0.084	14.91 (7.10)	17.27 (7.38)	0.132

Data are presented as hazard ratios (95% confidence intervals). A narrow margin is defined as a tumor < 1 cm from the resection margin. The major extent of resection is defined as the resection of three or more liver segments. PCT: Postoperative combined therapy; PSM: Propensity score matching; IPTW: Inverse probability of treatment weighting; BMI: Body mass index; TACE: Transcatheter arterial chemoembolization; BCLC: Barcelona Clinical Liver Cancer; HBeAg: Hepatitis B e antigen; HBV-DNA: Hepatitis B virus-deoxyribonucleic acid; HBsAg: Hepatitis B surface antigen; AFP: Alpha-fetoprotein; ALT: Alanine aminotransferase; AST: Aspartate aminotransaminase; GGT: Gamma glutamyl transferase; ALP: Alkaline phosphatase; ALB: Albumin; TBIL: Total bilirubin.