Efficacy and safety of computed tomography-guided microwave ablation with fine needle-assisted puncture positioning technique for hepatocellular carcinoma

Table 1 Baseline characteristics of patient and tumor between the two groups

Variables	FNP group, n = 70	CP group, n = 54	P value
Age (yr)1	58.6 ± 1.7	59.4 ± 1.4	0.728
Sex (M/F)	60/10	48/6	0.601
ECOG PS			0.200
0	22	23
1	48	31
AFP (ng/mL)			0.530
< 400	61	49
≥ 400	9	5
No. of nodules in each patient			0.871
1	47	37
2-3	23	17
Total no. of nodules	93	73
Tumor size before MWA (cm)			0.922
< 3	50	39
3-5	20	15
Mean tumor diameter (cm) pre-MWA	2.3 ± 0.1	2.2 ± 0.2	0.711
Proportion of TACE prior to MWA	50 (71.4%)	41 (75.9%)	0.574
Post-MWA hospital stay (d)1	3.3 ± 0.3	3.9 ± 0.2	0.130
Tumor location
HRL	49	34	0.409
Liver subcapsular region	30	16
Diaphragmatic surface	7	4
Adjacent to large vessel	8	7
Adjacent to gallbladder	3	4
Adjacent to gastrointestinal tract	1	3
LRL	21	20
LTP	11 (15.7%)	16 (29.6%)	0.063

¹Values are mean ± SE. P < 0.05 is significant; P > 0.05 is non-significant.

FNP: Fine needle-assisted puncture; CP: Conventional puncture; ECOG PS: Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status rating; AFP: Alpha-fetoprotein; HRL: High-risk location; LRL: Low-risk location; LTP: Local tumor progression; MWA: Microwave ablation; TACE: Transarterial chemoembolization.