ArticleTranslational cancer research2026
The role of targeted therapy in the management of colorectal cancer liver metastases: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Article in Translational cancer research, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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.
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.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background: Colorectal cancer liver metastases (CRLM) are a leading cause of mortality in colorectal cancer (CRC) patients. Targeted therapy is widely used, but its precise impact on survival, tumor response, and resectability remains unclear. This study aimed to systematically evaluate the efficacy and safety of targeted therapy in CRLM patients through a meta-analysis. Methods: We searched PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library up to July 2025. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and cohort studies evaluating targeted therapy in CRLM were included. Primary outcomes were overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS); secondary outcomes included objective response rate (ORR), disease control rate (DCR), conversion to resection, and adverse events (AEs). Meta-analyses were performed using random- or fixed-effects models. Risk of bias was assessed with Cochrane RoB 2.0 and Newcastle-Ottawa Scale; evidence certainty was evaluated using Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE). Results: Thirty-four studies involving 12,084 patients were included. Targeted therapy significantly improved OS [hazard ratio (HR) =0.82, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.76-0.89] and PFS (HR =0.74, 95% CI: 0.68-0.80). ORR and DCR were also higher [ORR, risk ratio (RR) =1.36, 95% CI: 1.20-1.54; DCR, RR =1.22, 95% CI: 1.10-1.35]. Conversion to resection increased (RR =1.45, 95% CI: 1.18-1.79), particularly in RAS wild-type, left-sided tumors. Grade ≥3 AEs were more frequent but manageable. Benefits were most pronounced in first-line and biomarker-selected populations. Conclusions: Targeted therapy improves survival, tumor response, and resectability in CRLM, especially in biomarker-selected subgroups. These findings support its integration into precision-based multidisciplinary management.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What Socratic holds
Registered trials
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.