Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33019399›Full record

SynthesisMedicine2020

Clinical value of circulating tumor cells for the diagnosis and prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC): A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Kai Cui, Yang Ou, Yangyang Shen, Sheng Li, Ziqiang Sun

Open access · goldAbstract readMeta-AnalysisSystematic Review
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Medicine, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 38 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
38citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
2.9field-weighted citation impact, top 7% of its field
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

38 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 54 citations in OpenAlex.

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  10. Hepatocellular Carcinoma: The Search for an Optimal Screening Test.Middle East journal of digestive diseases · 2025
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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

5 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.

Kai CuiShandong Cancer Hospital affiliated to Shandong University.
Yang OuShandong Cancer Hospital affiliated to Shandong University.
Yangyang ShenShandong Cancer Hospital affiliated to Shandong University.
Sheng LiShandong Cancer Hospital affiliated to Shandong University.
Ziqiang SunDepartment of Vascular Surgery, Affiliated Hospital of Jining Medical College, Ji'ning, Shandong, People's Republic of China.ORCID 0000-0001-7879-5761
Shandong First Medical University · CNAcademy of Medical Sciences · GBShandong University · CN

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundTo evaluate the clinical value of circulating tumor cell (CTC) detection in peripheral blood for the diagnosis and prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

methodsPublic databases were searched, and a meta-analysis was performed to determine the specificity, sensitivity, negative- likelihood ratio (NLR) and positive-likelihood ratio (PLR), and diagnostic odds ratio (dOR) of CTC detection for the diagnosis of HCC. Hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were analyzed for the association of CTC detection with overall survival (OS) and HCC recurrence. The Meta-DiSc 1.4 and Review Manager 5.2 software programs were used for statistical analysis.

resultsMeta-analysis of 20 studies including 1191 patients showed that the specificity, sensitivity, NLR, PLR, and dOR of CTC testing for HCC diagnosis were 0.60 (95% CI = 0.57-0.63), 0.95 (95%CI = 0.93-0.96), 0.36 (95%CI = 0.28-0.48), 11.64 (95%CI = 5.85-23.14), and 38.94 (95%CI = 18.33-82.75), respectively. Meta-analysis of 18 studies including 1466 patients indicated that the OS of CTC-positive HCC patients was less than that of CTC-negative patients (HR = 2.31; 95% CI = 1.55-3.42; P < .01). Meta-analysis of 5 studies including 339 patients revealed that the presence of CTCs in peripheral blood significantly increased the risk of HCC recurrence (HR = 3.03, 95% CI = 1.89-4.86; P < .01).

conclusionCTCs in peripheral blood may be a useful marker for HCC diagnosis. In addition, the prognosis of CTC-positive HCC patients was significantly worse than that of CTC-negative HCC patients. Therefore, further studies are warranted to confirm the clinical potential of CTC detection in peripheral blood in patients with primary HCC.

Indexed as

Biomarkers, TumorCarcinoma, HepatocellularCell CountHumansLiver NeoplasmsNeoplasm Recurrence, LocalNeoplastic Cells, CirculatingOdds RatioPrognosisProportional Hazards ModelsROC CurveSensitivity and SpecificitySurvival AnalysisBiomarkers, Tumor

Identifiers

PMID33019399
PMCPMC7535562
OpenAlexW3091185387

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC
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Registered trials

None linked

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 OpenQuestion graph.