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SYSTEMATIC REVIEW article

Front. Immunol.
Sec. Cancer Immunity and Immunotherapy
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1487353
This article is part of the Research Topic Hepatocellular Carcinoma: Novel Treatment Strategies - Volume III View all 11 articles

Comparison of Adjuvant Treatment Regimens for High-Risk Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Bayesian Network Meta-Analysis and Systematic Review

Provisionally accepted
Li Jiahao Li Jiahao 1*Liu Yingnan Liu Yingnan 2*Qiu Yuqi Qiu Yuqi 1*Qu Chao Qu Chao 1*Li Jiarui Li Jiarui 1*
  • 1 Department of Interventional Therapy, The First Hospital of Jilin University, chang chun, China
  • 2 Department of Radiology, The First Hospital of Jilin University, chang chun, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    The five-year recurrence rate for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is as high as 70%. Patients with high-risk recurrence factors experience significantly poorer prognosis. Local regional therapies, including transarterial chemoembolisation (TACE), hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy (HAIC), radiotherapy, and emerging immunotherapy, are commonly used adjuvant treatment options. We conducted an indirect comparison of these adjuvant therapies for such patients. Methods: We conducted a systematic search in public databases for relevant studies and assessed the efficacy and safety of the corresponding therapies by consolidating diseasefree survival (DFS), overall survival (OS), and adverse events (AEs). Results: A total of eight randomised controlled trials were ultimately included. The Gelman-Rubin plot and kernel density estimation indicate that the stability of the combined model is satisfactory. Conclusion: immunotherapy is not inferior to local regional therapies in delaying tumour recurrence, however, the higher incidence of AEs remains a significant concern. Adjuvant radiotherapy demonstrated superior efficacy in delaying tumour recurrence compared to adjuvant TACE, although further support from phase III clinical trial evidence is required. Trial registration: PRPSPERO

    Keywords: HAIC, hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy, HCC, hepatocellular carcinoma, HRs, hazard ratios, MCMC, Markov chain monte carlo, ORs, odds ratios, OS, overall survival, TACE, transarterial chemoembolization, RT, radiotherapy hepatocellular carcinoma, TACE, HAIC, adjuvant therapy, immunotherapy, network meta-analysis

    Received: 28 Aug 2024; Accepted: 17 Oct 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Jiahao, Yingnan, Yuqi, Chao and Jiarui. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Li Jiahao, Department of Interventional Therapy, The First Hospital of Jilin University, chang chun, China
    Liu Yingnan, Department of Radiology, The First Hospital of Jilin University, chang chun, China
    Qiu Yuqi, Department of Interventional Therapy, The First Hospital of Jilin University, chang chun, China
    Qu Chao, Department of Interventional Therapy, The First Hospital of Jilin University, chang chun, China
    Li Jiarui, Department of Interventional Therapy, The First Hospital of Jilin University, chang chun, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.