Table 2 Summary of the characteristics of the 31 included studies in the “patient-level” analysis
Characteristic | Studies, no. (%) (N = 31) | Advanced HCC patients, no. (%) (N = 5125) |
|---|---|---|
Study type | ||
RCT | 6 (19.4) | 1128 (22.0) |
Retrospective | 25 (80.6) | 3997 (78.0) |
Publication year, median (range) | 2016 (2010–2019) | – |
Follow-up, median (range), months | 14.45 (5.4–63) | – |
Median age, median (range), years | ||
Combination | 56 (45.3–74) | – |
TACE | 57.5 (43.4–74) | – |
Sorafenib | 56.3 (50.2–74) | – |
Original nation | ||
China | 18 (58.1) | 3082 (60.1) |
USA | 2 (6.5) | 350 (6.8) |
Japan | 4 (12.9) | 547 (10.7) |
Korea | 2 (6.5) | 500 (9.8) |
Germany | 1 (3.2) | 50 (1.0) |
Italy | 1 (3.2) | 62 (1.2) |
India | 1 (3.2) | 124 (2.4) |
UK | 1 (3.2) | 313 (6.1) |
Austria | 1 (3.2) | 97 (1.9) |
Primary endpoint | ||
Overall survival | 18 (58.1) | 2431 (47.4) |
Time-to-progression | 4 (12.9) | 743 (14.5) |
Overall response rate | 9 (29.0) | 1508 (29.4) |
Follow-up frequency | ||
3–8 weeks | 15 (48.4) | 2384 (46.5) |
8–12 weeks | 3 (9.7) | 407 (7.9) |
≥ 12 weeks | 8 (25.8) | 1249 (24.4) |
Not assessed | 5 (16.1) | 1085 (21.2) |
Medication in TACE | ||
Doxorubicin-based | 7 (22.6) | 1339 (26.1) |
Epirubicin-based | 8 (25.8) | 856 (16.7) |
DEB-TACEb | 4 (12.9) | 760 (14.8) |
Others | 4 (12.9) | 1111 (21.7) |
Not assessed | 8 (25.8) | 1059 (20.7) |
Initial sorafenib administration | ||
200 mg bid | 5 (16.1) | 400 (7.8) |
400 mg bid | 25 (80.6) | 4647 (90.7) |
Not applicable | 1 (3.2) | 78 (1.5) |