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To compare the effectiveness of transarterial chemoembolization (TACE), radiofrequency ablation (RFA), and hepatic resection (HR) in patients with small single-nodule hepatocellular carcinoma by using inverse probability weighting to control selection bias.

This retrospective cohort study was approved by the institutional review board, and the requirement to obtain informed consent was waived. The study included 197 consecutive patients (146 men and 51 women; mean age ± standard deviation, 57.4 years ± 9.7) with single-nodule hepatocellular carcinomas measuring 3 cm or smaller and no vascular invasion who were treated initially with HR (n = 52), RFA (n = 79), or TACE (n = 66) from January 2005 to December 2006 at a single tertiary hospital. The primary endpoint was overall survival.

The baseline liver status of the groups differed significantly and was most …