Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40416873›Full record

SynthesisFrontiers in oncology2025

Efficacy and safety of neoadjuvant systemic therapy in resectable hepatocellular carcinoma: a Systematic Review and meta-analysis.

Dongdong Wu, Ning Liu, Hao Dong, Kan Zhou, Lei Du, Ying Li, Yanjun Chao, Fuping Ma

Abstract readSystematic Review
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Frontiers in oncology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
  2. Article
  3. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Dongdong WuDepartment of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Xianyang Central Hospital, Xianyang, Shaanxi, China.
Ning LiuDepartment of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Xianyang Central Hospital, Xianyang, Shaanxi, China.
Hao DongDepartment of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Xianyang Central Hospital, Xianyang, Shaanxi, China.
Kan ZhouDepartment of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Xianyang Central Hospital, Xianyang, Shaanxi, China.
Lei DuDepartment of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Xianyang Central Hospital, Xianyang, Shaanxi, China.
Ying LiDepartment of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Xianyang Central Hospital, Xianyang, Shaanxi, China.
Yanjun ChaoDepartment of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Xianyang Central Hospital, Xianyang, Shaanxi, China.
Fuping MaDepartment of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Xianyang Central Hospital, Xianyang, Shaanxi, China.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: Neoadjuvant systemic therapy has been shown to benefit patients with solid tumors such as breast cancer and colorectal cancer, but its application in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is still in the exploratory stage, with no established effective regimen. This systematic review and meta-analysis aims to investigate the efficacy and safety of neoadjuvant systemic therapy in patients with resectable HCC. Methods: The clinical trials of resectable HCC neoadjuvant systemic therapy in PubMed, Embase and the Cochrane Library were systematically searched. A meta-analysis was performed using STATA/MP18.0 software, and the effect size was calculated using either a fixed effects model or a random effects model, and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated. Subgroup analysis was performed according to the neoadjuvant systemic therapy regimen. Results: This meta-analysis included 328 patients from 15 studies. In patients with resectable HCC, the pooled pathologic complete response (pCR) rate was 15% (95%CI: 10%-21%), the major pathologic response (MPR) rate was 28% (95%CI: 21%-35%), the incidence of grade 3-4 treatment-related adverse events (TRAEs) was 11% (95% CI: 4%-20%), the objective response rate (ORR) was 27% (95% CI: 20%-35%), the surgical resection rate was 84% (95%CI: 75%-92%), and the delay rate was 0.00% (95% CI: 0%-4%). The results of subgroup analysis showed that the efficacy of targeted therapy combined with immunotherapy is superior to dual ICI (immune checkpoint inhibitor) combination therapy and ICI monotherapy, while the safety of the ICI monotherapy was the highest, superior to the dual ICIs and the targeted therapy combined with immunotherapy. Conclusion: Neoadjuvant systemic therapy shows preliminarily beneficial outcomes in resectable HCC treatment. However, future large-scale and multicenter randomized controlled trials are needed to confirm this conclusion. Systematic review registration: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/, identifier CRD42024562257.

Indexed as

hepatocellular carcinomameta-analysisneoadjuvantresectablesystematic reviewsystemic therapy

Identifiers

PMID40416873
PMCPMC12098073

What Socratic holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.