Fig. 2

Flow diagram. A total of 159 patients were included based on inclusion criteria and then 20 patients were excluded based on exclusion criteria. Eventually, 139 patients were enrolled in the study. Subsequently, we analyzed specific tumor markers by X-tile calculating and survival analyses using respective patients’ data. AFP, alpha-fetoprotein; CA19–9, carbohydrate antigen 19–9; CEA, carcinoembryonic antigen; CA72–4, carbohydrate antigen 72–4; CA24–2, carbohydrate antigen 24–2; OS, overall survival; RFS, recurrence-free survival