Imaging response predictors following drug eluting beads chemoembolization in the neoadjuvant liver transplant treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma

Table 4 Characteristics of hepatocellular carcinoma according to objective response - nodule-based analysis (mRECIST)

Variable	NR (n = 93)	RE (n = 205)	Total (n = 298)	P value
Preoperative
HCC diameter (cm)	2.2 (1; 8.5)	2.7 (1.1; 8)	2.5 (1; 8.5)	< 0.0011
Liver segment2, n (%)				0.9613
1	2 (2.2)	4 (2)	6 (2)
2	8 (8.6)	24 (11.7)	32 (10.7)
3	5 (5.4)	15 (7.3)	20 (6.7)
4	10 (10.8)	18 (8.8)	28 (9.4)
5	9 (9.7)	23 (11.2)	32 (10.7)
6	19 (20.4)	35 (17.1)	54 (18.1)
7	23 (24.7)	46 (22.4)	69 (23.2)
8	17 (18.3)	40 (19.5)	57 (19.1)
Pseudocapsule, n (%)	47 (50.5)	149 (72.7)	196 (65.8)	< 0.001
Intraoperative
Chemoembolic dosis (mg)	11.4 (1.5; 50)	22.5 (2.4; 100)	18.23 (1.5; 100)	< 0.0011
Feeding vessels				0.0411
mean ± SD	1.2 ± 0.4	1.3 ± 0.5	1.2 ± 0.5
median (min; max)	1 (1; 3)	1 (1; 3)	1 (1; 3)
Selective catheterization@, n (%)				0.1973
Proximal	3 (3.4)	9 (5.2)	12 (4.6)
Segmental	33 (37.9)	47 (27.2)	80 (30.8)
Subsegmental	51 (58.6)	117 (67.6)	168 (64.6)
Hypervascular4, n (%)	70 (75.3)	156 (78.8)	226 (77.7)	0.502
End-point5, n (%)	88 (94.6)	187 (91.2)	275 (92.3)	0.308

¹Mann-Whitney test;

²Liver segmentation according to Couinaud;

³Likelihood ratio test;

⁴Hepatocellular carcinoma identified as hypervascular during hepatic angiography;

⁵Hepatocellular carcinoma that obtained vascular stasis during the first chemoembolization session. NR: Non-responder; RE: Responder; HCC: Hepatocellular carcinoma.