Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41164202›Full record

ArticleTherapeutic advances in medical oncology2025

Clinical significance of AFP and PIVKA-II for predicting prognosis in hepatocellular carcinoma patients treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors.

Shanshan Jiang, Yuyang Wang, Xiaona Fu, Jie Lou, Bingxin Gong, Weiwei Liu, Yi Li, Yuxin Sun, Chunfeng Liu, Zifang Song and 1 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Therapeutic advances in medical oncology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing 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

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
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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

11 authors.

Shanshan JiangDepartment of Radiology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.
Yuyang WangDepartment of Radiology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.
Xiaona FuDepartment of Radiology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.
Jie LouDepartment of Radiology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.
Bingxin GongDepartment of Radiology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.
Weiwei LiuDepartment of Radiology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.
Yi LiDepartment of Radiology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.
Yuxin SunDepartment of Radiology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.
Chunfeng LiuDepartment of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Tongji Hospital of Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, No. 1063 Jiefang Avenue, Wuhan 430030, China.
Zifang SongDepartment of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, No. 1277 Jiefang Avenue, Wuhan 430022, China.
Guofeng ZhouDepartment of Radiology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, No. 1277 Jiefang Avenue, Wuhan 430022, China.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9772-259X

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: Alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) and protein induced by vitamin K absence or antagonist-II (PIVKA-II) are classical tumor markers in clinical practice. However, the relationship between tumor markers and prognosis in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients receiving immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) therapy remains unclear. Objectives: This study aims to explore the prognostic value of AFP and PIVKA-II in HCC patients treated with ICIs. Design: This study was a single-center, retrospective investigation aimed to assess the prognostic value of AFP and PIVKA-II in HCC patients receiving immune checkpoint inhibitors. Methods: This retrospective study included HCC patients who received ICIs treatment at Wuhan Union Hospital between July 2020 and March 2024. Serum AFP and PIVKA-II levels were collected before treatment. Patients were stratified into two groups based on AFP ⩾ 400 μg/L (yes = 1, no = 0) and PIVKA-II ⩾ 40 mAU/mL (yes = 1, no = 0). A total of 61% (114/186) of patients scored ⩽ 1, while 39% (72/186) scored 2. The objective response rate (ORR) and disease control rate (DCR) were calculated for both groups. Kaplan-Meier survival curves and Cox regression models were used to analyze overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS). Receiver operating characteristic curves were generated to demonstrate the predictive ability of combined independent prognostic factors for long-term survival. Results: The cohort consisted of 186 patients, divided into the low-risk group ( Conclusion: Concurrent elevation of AFP and PIVKA-II is significantly associated with shorter survival outcomes in HCC patients following ICI therapy.

Indexed as

alpha fetoprotein (AFP)hepatocellular carcinomaimmunotherapyprognosisprotein induced by vitamin K absence or antagonist-II (PIVKA-II)

Identifiers

PMID41164202
PMCPMC12559674

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.