Transarterial chemoembolization plus sorafenib versus sorafenib for intermediate–advanced hepatocellular carcinoma: A meta-analysis comparing clinical outcomes

• Published in: Medicine (Baltimore) 2021-08, Vol.100 (33), p.e26958-e26958
• Main Authors: Xie, Yong, Tian, Huan, Xiang, Bin, Zhang, Yongjin, Liu, Jian, Cai, Zhuoyan, Xiang, Hua
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Antineoplastic Agents - therapeutic use; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular - drug therapy; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular - therapy; Chemoembolization, Therapeutic - methods; Combined Modality Therapy; Humans; Liver Neoplasms - drug therapy; Liver Neoplasms - therapy; Sorafenib - therapeutic use; Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
• ISSN: 0025-7974; 1536-5964
• DOI: 10.1097/MD.0000000000026958

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) ranks as the sixth most common cancer and the second leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide, local and systemic therapies are beneficial for those who have more advanced disease or are not suitable for radical treatment. We aim to investigate the clinical outcomes of transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) plus sorafenib compared with sorafenib monotherapy for intermediate-advanced HCC. A systematic search according to preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses guidelines in the PubMed database was conducted from inception to December 31, 2020 for published studies comparing survival outcomes and tumor response between TACE + sorafenib and sorafenib alone for intermediate-advanced HCC. Five eligible cohort studies and a randomized controlled trial with a total of 3015 patients were identified. We found that the TACE + sorafenib group had a significantly better overall survival (OS) (hazard ratio, 0.77; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.66-0.88, P