Serum vascular endothelial growth factor is a potential biomarker of metastatic recurrence after curative resection of hepatocellular carcinoma

Table 1 Serum VEGF levels in different HCC groups which received curative hepatic resect ion, benign liver tumor group, and normal control group (^-x±s)

Group	Case (n)	VEGF concentrations (ng/L)
Normal control	12	158.46 ± 41.84
Liver cirrhosis	12	90.00 ± 22.42
Benign	8	156.34 ± 41.34
HCC	85	164.42 ± 76.07ab
Small HCC	34	154.46 ± 37.23
Large HCC	51	173.52 ± 52.34c
Without thrombi	71	157.62 ± 53.42
Thrombi	14	182.46 ± 35.61d
p53 negative	34	149.26 ± 41.29
p53 positive	38	176.56 ± 53.29e
PCNA negative	36	165.26 ± 54.29
PCNA positive	31	176.56 ± 53.29f

^aP < 0.01, vs liver cirrhosis;

^bP > 0.05, vs benign;

^cP < 0.05, vs small HCC;

^dP < 0.05, without thrombi;

^eP < 0.05, vs p53 negative;

^fP > 0.05, vs PCNA negative.