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Table 3 Surrogate markers for local aggressiveness, de-differentiation, tumor-initiation, and invasiveness in patients with HCC, considering EpCAM classification groups. Group differences assessed by Fisher’s Exact test for categorical variables and Kruskal-Wallis-test for numerical variables

From: Hepatocellular carcinoma: Intratumoral EpCAM-positive cancer stem cell heterogeneity identifies high-risk tumor subtype

Surrogate marker for CSC-features

EpCAM-negative n = 29 (42.1%)

EpCAM- heterogeneous n = 33 (47.8%)

EpCAM- homogeneous n = 7 (10.1%)

p-value

Number of HCC nodules

 1

25 (89.29)

19 (65.52)

2 (33.33)

0.006

 2

2 (7.14)

2 (6.9)

1 (16.67)

 3

0 (0)

5 (17.24)

0 (0)

  ≥ 4

1 (3.57)

3 (10.34)

3 (50)

Serum AFP-levels

  < 400

23 (88.46)

25 (86.21)

3 (42.86)

0.031

  ≥ 400

3 (11.54)

4 (13.79)

4 (57.14)