Table 1 Baseline characteristics of the enrolled patients.

Age (years)

59.11 ± 10.02

56.01 ± 10.45

0.010

Male (n, %)

259 (85.2)

85 (90.4)

0.196

Etiology of liver cirrhosis, n (%)

0.897

HBV*/HCV

Alcohol/combined

NASH/unknown

176 (63.1)/21 (7.5)

24 (8.6)/17 (6.1)

1 (0.4)/40(14.4)

56 (65.9)/6 (7.1)

10 (11.8)/4 (4.7)

0 (0.0)/9 (10.6)

ALP (U/L)

86.88 ± 28.21

99.25 ± 49.72

0.023

Albumin (mg/dL)

4.35 ± 0.48

4.13 ± 0.45

 < 0.001

ALBI grade ≥ 2, n (%)

47 (15.5)

23 (24.7)

0.041

ICG R15

10.33 ± 7.62

10.99 ± 8.08

0.496

Preoperative serum AFP (IU/mL)

0.363

 ≤ 400

 > 400

235 (80.5%)

57 (19.5%)

70 (76.1%)

22 (23.9%)

Tumor size

4.18 ± 2.41

5.16 ± 3.69

 < 0.001

Tumor numbers

1.26 ± 0.83

1.32 ± 0.79

0.525

BCLC stage, n (%)

0.045

0/A / ≥ B

34 (11.2)/234 (77.2)/35 (11.6)

6 (6.4)/68 (72.3)/20 (21.3)

Pathological mUICC stage, n (%)

0.012

I/II / ≥ III

43 (14.5)/183 (61.6)/71 (23.9)

7 (8.0)/49 (56.3)/31 (35.6)

Radiological mUICC stage, n (%)

0.001

I/II / ≥ III

48 (15.8)/205 (67.7)/50 (16.5)

10 (10.6)/59 (62.8)/212 (26.6)

Beyond Milan criteria, n (%)

75 (24.8)

45 (47.9)

 < 0.001

Metastatic lymph nodes, n (%)

0 (0.0)

2 (2.1)

0.011

Macrovascular invasion, n (%)

6 (2.0)

8 (8.5)

0.003

mUICC T stage at 1st recurrence, n (%)

 < 0.001

0/1

2 /3

4

0 (0.0)/81 (45.8)

67 (37.9)/25 (14.1)

4 (2.3)

6 (6.5)/19 (20.7)

32 (34.8)/22 (23.9)

13 (14.1)

Serum AFP at 1st recurrence

209.12 ± 1 098.83

1,225.05 ± 5 775.70

0.045

Hospital stay, days (median, range)

13 (5–69)

13 (4–60)

0.015

Time to first recurrence, months (median, range)

42.54 (0.16–157.91)

10.14 (0.23–100.34)

 < 0.001

Follow-up duration, months (median, range)

75.21 (2–177)

38.93 (3–150)

0.857