Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42597629›Full record

ArticleFrontiers in immunology2026

Efficacy analysis of icaritin combined with transarterial chemoembolization in hepatocellular carcinoma stratified by different child-pugh classes.

Jingxuan Xu, Yao Xing, Fenhua Zhao, Bufu Tang, Xinghai Li, Jiangping Cun, Huilin Lu, Xiangwen Xia, Hongjie Fan, Yuting Gu and 1 more

Abstract readMulticenter Study
In one paragraph

Article in Frontiers in immunology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

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.

Jingxuan Xu *Department of Radiology, Dongyang Hospital Affiliated to Wenzhou Medical University, Dongyang, Zhejiang, China.
Yao Xing *School of Clinical Medicine, North Sichuan Medical College, Nanchong, Sichuan, China.
Fenhua Zhao *Department of Radiology, Dongyang Hospital Affiliated to Wenzhou Medical University, Dongyang, Zhejiang, China.
Bufu TangDepartment of Radiation Oncology, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
Xinghai LiDepartment of Minimally Invasive Intervention, Ganzhou People's Hospital, Ganzhou, China.
Jiangping CunDepartment of Radiology, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming, China.
Huilin LuDepartment of Interventional Therapy, Xinxiang Central Hospital/the Fourth Clinical College of Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, Henan, China.
Xiangwen XiaDepartment of Radiology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.
Hongjie FanDepartment of Radiology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.
Yuting GuDepartment of Radiology, The First People's Hospital of Yunnan Province, Kunming University of Science and Technology Affiliated Hospital, Kunming, China.
Tao XuDepartment of Radiology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate if transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) combined with Icaritin provides additional survival benefits compared to TACE alone in intermediate-to-advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) across different Child-Pugh classes. Background: TACE is a standard locoregional therapy for intermediate-to-advanced HCC, yet monotherapy yields limited long-term survival. Icaritin, an immunomodulator, demonstrates survival benefits in advanced HCC with a favorable safety profile lacking severe hepatotoxicity or bone marrow suppression. Methods: This multicenter retrospective cohort study included patients with Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) stage B and C HCC. Propensity score matching (PSM) was utilized to balance baseline covariates between the TACE with Icaritin and TACE alone groups. The primary endpoint was overall survival (OS). Results: Following PSM, 250 patients were evaluated. In the Child-Pugh grade A group, TACE combined with Icaritin was associated with longer median OS than TACE alone (28.8 vs. 15.7 months; HR, 0.42; 95% CI, 0.29-0.62; P<0.001). Median PFS was also longer in the combination group (9.7 vs. 8.1 months; HR, 0.66; 95% CI, 0.49-0.90; P = 0.007). In Child-Pugh subgroup analyses, the treatment effect was most consistent in patients with Child-Pugh grade A liver function. In Child-Pugh grade B patients, OS favored the combination therapy, whereas the PFS result was not statistically definitive. ORR (49.6% vs. 47.2%) and DCR (83.2% vs. 74.4%) were comparable. The combination regimen did not significantly increase grade 3-4 liver function-related adverse events. Conclusions: TACE combined with Icaritin was associated with improved survival outcomes, with the most consistent benefit observed in patients with Child-Pugh grade A liver function. In Child-Pugh grade B patients, the findings should be interpreted cautiously because of the limited subgroup size and insufficient statistical power.

Indexed as

Carcinoma, HepatocellularChemoembolization, TherapeuticFlavonoidsLiver NeoplasmsAgedCombined Modality TherapyFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedNeoplasm StagingRetrospective StudiesTreatment OutcomeFlavonoidsicaritinhepatocellular carcinomaicaritinimmunomodulatoroverall survivaltransarterial chemoembolization

Identifiers

PMID42597629
PMCPMC13469161

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
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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.