Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39937293›Full record

ArticleLangenbeck's archives of surgery2025

Overall survival is comparable between percutaneous radiofrequency ablation and liver resection as first-line therapies for solitary 3-5 cm hepatocellular carcinoma.

Shih-Da Chung, Chee-Chien Yong, Kwong-Ming Kee, Sheng-Nan Lu, Tsung-Hui Hu, Jing-Houng Wang, Chao-Hung Hung, Chien-Hung Chen, Yueh-Wei Liu, Wei-Feng Li and 3 more

Abstract readComparative Study
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Langenbeck's archives of surgery, 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
  2. Review
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

13 authors.

Shih-Da ChungDivision of Hepatogastroenterology, Department of Internal Medicine, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital and Chang Gung University College of Medicine, 123 Ta Pei Road, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
Chee-Chien YongLiver Transplantation Center and Department of Surgery, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, 123 Ta Pei Road, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
Kwong-Ming KeeDivision of Hepatogastroenterology, Department of Internal Medicine, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital and Chang Gung University College of Medicine, 123 Ta Pei Road, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
Sheng-Nan LuDivision of Hepatogastroenterology, Department of Internal Medicine, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital and Chang Gung University College of Medicine, 123 Ta Pei Road, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
Tsung-Hui HuDivision of Hepatogastroenterology, Department of Internal Medicine, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital and Chang Gung University College of Medicine, 123 Ta Pei Road, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
Jing-Houng WangDivision of Hepatogastroenterology, Department of Internal Medicine, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital and Chang Gung University College of Medicine, 123 Ta Pei Road, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
Chao-Hung HungDivision of Hepatogastroenterology, Department of Internal Medicine, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital and Chang Gung University College of Medicine, 123 Ta Pei Road, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
Chien-Hung ChenDivision of Hepatogastroenterology, Department of Internal Medicine, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital and Chang Gung University College of Medicine, 123 Ta Pei Road, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
Yueh-Wei LiuLiver Transplantation Center and Department of Surgery, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, 123 Ta Pei Road, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
Wei-Feng LiLiver Transplantation Center and Department of Surgery, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, 123 Ta Pei Road, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
Chih-Chi Wang *Liver Transplantation Center and Department of Surgery, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, 123 Ta Pei Road, Kaohsiung, Taiwan. ufel4996@ms26.hinet.net.
Yi-Hao Yen *Division of Hepatogastroenterology, Department of Internal Medicine, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital and Chang Gung University College of Medicine, 123 Ta Pei Road, Kaohsiung, Taiwan. cassellyen@yahoo.com.tw.
Chih-Yun LinBiostatistics Center of Kaohsiung Chang, Gung Memorial Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.

Funding

Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital CMRPG8N1131
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeFew studies have compared survival outcomes between liver resection (LR) and percutaneous radiofrequency ablation (RFA) for treating solitary 3-5 cm hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We aimed to clarify this issue.

methodsPatients with Child-Pugh class A liver disease and a solitary HCC of 3-5 cm without macrovascular invasion or extrahepatic metastasis who underwent LR or percutaneous RFA between 2011 and 2021 were enrolled in this retrospective study; 310 patients underwent LR and 114 patients underwent percutaneous RFA. Propensity score matching (PSM) was used to balance baseline variables, including age, sex, alpha-fetoprotein level, and Model for End-Stage Liver Disease score, between the two groups.

resultsBefore PSM, 5-year overall survival (OS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS) were significantly lower in the percutaneous RFA group than in the LR group (both p < 0.001). After PSM, 5-year OS was comparable between the two modalities (p = 0.367); however, 5-year RFS was significantly lower in the RFA group than in the LR group (p = 0.001). The two modalities did not differ in severe post-treatment complications (p = 1.000).

conclusionsFive-year OS did not differ between treatment modalities for patients with a solitary HCC of 3-5 cm; however, the LR group's 5-year RFS was superior. LR should be recommended as the first-line treatment for these patients.

Indexed as

Carcinoma, HepatocellularCatheter AblationHepatectomyLiver NeoplasmsRadiofrequency AblationAgedFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedPropensity ScoreRetrospective StudiesSurvival RateTreatment OutcomeHepatocellular carcinomaLiver resectionOverall survivalPercutaneous radiofrequency ablation

Identifiers

PMID39937293
PMCPMC11821760

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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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 OpenQuestion graph.