How admissions to various medical specialty divisions determines the outcome of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma: results from a retrospective study in a large hospital of northwest China

Figures & data

Table 1 Demographics, etiology, biochemistry, and Child–Pugh class of liver disease in the patients between internal medicine divisions and surgical divisions

	Total n (%)	Internal medicine divisions n (%)	Surgical divisions n (%)	P-value
Gender (M/F)	1,662/383 (81.3/18.7)	648/131 (83.2/16.8)	1,014/252 (80.1/19.9)	0.082
Age (mean ± SD)	52.5±12.1	52.9±11.8	52.3±12.3	0.230
Etiology	2,045 (100)			0.003
HBV	1,504 (73.5)	587 (75.4)	917 (72.4)	0.146
HCV	83 (4.1)	38 (4.9)	45 (3.6)	0.141
HBV + HCV	17 (0.8)	8 (1.0)	9 (0.7)	0.445
Others	441 (21.6)	146 (18.7)	295 (23.3)	0.015
ALT IU/L	2,045 (100)			0.007
<40	783 (38.3)	265 (34.0)	518 (40.9)	0.002
40–200	1,171 (57.3)	479 (61.5)	692 (54.7)	0.002
>200	91 (4.4)	35 (4.5)	56 (4.4)	0.941
AST IU/L	2,045 (100)			<0.001
<40	401 (19.6)	94 (12.1)	307 (24.2)	<0.001
40–200	1,399 (68.4)	540 (69.3)	859 (67.9)	0.488
>200	245 (12.0)	145 (18.6)	100 (7.9)	<0.001
Child–Pugh class	1,843 (100)			<0.001
A	959 (52.0)	267 (39.0)	692 (59.8)	<0.001
B	771 (41.8)	342 (49.9)	429 (37.0)	<0.001
C	113 (6.2)	76 (11.1)	37 (3.2)	<0.001
Portal vein thrombosis	1,787 (100)			0.005
Yes	465 (26.0)	194 (29.8)	271 (23.8)
No	1,322 (74.0)	456 (70.2)	866 (76.2)

Abbreviations: ALT, alanine transaminase; AST, aspartate transaminase; HBV, hepatitis B virus; HCV, hepatitis C virus; M/F, male/female; SD, standard deviation.

Table 2 Features of hepatocellular carcinoma in the patients between internal medicine divisions and surgical divisions

	n (%)	Internal medicine divisions n (%)	Surgical divisions n (%)	P-value
AFP	1,489 (100)			<0.001
<20	374 (25.1)	107 (18.6)	267 (29.3)	<0.001
20–200	261 (17.5)	111 (19.3)	150 (16.4)	0.160
>200	854 (57.4)	358 (62.1)	496 (54.3)	0.003
BCLC stage	1,773 (100)			<0.001
0	32 (1.8)	4 (0.6)	28 (2.5)	0.005
A	303 (17.1)	79 (12.3)	224 (19.8)	<0.001
B	1,128 (63.6)	405 (62.9)	723 (64.0)	0.628
C	197 (11.1)	80 (12.4)	117 (10.4)	0.185
D	113 (6.4)	76 (11.8)	37 (3.3)	<0.001
Metastasis	2,045 (100)			0.352
Intrahepatic	118 (5.8)	51 (6.5)	67 (5.3)
Extrahepatic	216 (10.6)	76 (9.8)	140 (11.1)
No	1,711 (83.6)	652 (83.7)	1,059 (83.6)

Abbreviations: AFP, α-fetoprotein; BCLC, Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer.

Table 3 Treatments of hepatocellular carcinoma between internal medicine divisions and surgical divisions

	n (%)	Internal medicine divisions n (%)	Surgical P-value divisions n (%)
Treatment	2,045 (100)		<0.001
Liver transplant	26 (1.3)	5 (0.6)	21 (1.7) 0.046
Resection	208 (10.2)	12 (1.5)	196 (15.5) <0.001
Percutaneous local ablation	143 (7.0)	18 (2.3)	125 (9.9) <0.001
TACE	633 (31.0)	244 (31.3)	389 (30.7) 0.777
Systemic therapy	263 (12.9)	35 (4.5)	228 (18.0) <0.001
Supportive care	652 (31.9)	402 (51.6)	250 (19.7) <0.001
Other therapy	120 (5.8)	63 (8.1)	57 (4.5) 0.001

Abbreviation: TACE, transcatheter arterial chemoembolization.

Table 4 Treatments of hepatocellular carcinoma according to disease stages between internal medicine divisions and surgical divisions

	Curative treatments	Palliative treatments	Supportive care	P-value
BCLC Stages 0 and A				<0.001
Internal medicine divisions	22 (26.5)	23 (27.7)	38 (45.8)
Surgical divisions	190 (75.4)	32 (12.7)	30 (11.9)
BCLC Stage B				<0.001
Internal medicine divisions	29 (7.2)	188 (46.4)	188 (46.4)
Surgical divisions	306 (42.3)	286 (39.6)	131 (18.1)
BCLC Stages C and D				<0.001
Internal medicine divisions	9 (5.8)	51 (32.7)	96 (61.5)
Surgical divisions	40 (26.0)	58 (37.7)	56 (36.4)

Note: Data are presented as n (%).

Abbreviation: BCLC, Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer.

Figure 1 Survival of hepatocellular carcinoma patients between those initially hospitalized in internal medicine divisions and surgical divisions.

Notes: (A) Overall survival between those initially hospitalized in internal medicine divisions and surgical divisions. (B) Survival of patients at BCLC stage 0 between those initially hospitalized in internal medicine divisions and surgical divisions. (C) Survival of patients at BCLC stage A between those initially hospitalized in internal medicine divisions and surgical divisions. (D) Survival of patients at BCLC stage B between those initially hospitalized in internal medicine divisions and surgical divisions. (E) Survival of patients at BCLC stage C between those initially hospitalized in internal medicine divisions and surgical divisions. (F) Survival of patients at BCLC stage D between those initially hospitalized in internal medicine divisions and surgical divisions.
Abbreviations: BCLC, Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer; I, internal medicine divisions; S, surgical divisions.