What were the hazard ratio values for high Beclin-1 in primary MCTs only and in primary plus recurrent MCTs?

• A. HR = 2.0 and 3.5
• B. HR = 5.7 and 7.4
• C. HR = 1.5 and 2.2
• D. HR = 10.1 and 12.3

Answer: (C)

Hazard ratios in survival analysis tell us how much the risk of the event (like death or progression) is increased or decreased by a factor. A value above 1 means higher risk with the factor—in this case, high Beclin-1 expression.

For high Beclin-1 in primary MCTs only, the hazard ratio is 1.5, meaning a 50% higher hazard compared with low Beclin-1. When you look at primary plus recurrent MCTs, the hazard ratio is 2.2, which corresponds to a 120% higher hazard. The pattern fits the idea that the biomarker’s impact can be more pronounced in a broader, more advanced set of tumors, including recurrences.

The other options imply substantially larger effects than what was reported, which is less consistent with typical findings in this context. So the values 1.5 for primary-only and 2.2 for primary plus recurrent best match the observed data.