Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40332634›Full record

ArticleDiscover oncology2025

Exploring the association between chemotherapy and prognosis among patients less than 50 years old with hepatocellular carcinoma: a retrospective cohort study based on the SEER database.

Qiyu Zhang, Qiongyu Liang, Chi Xu

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Article in Discover oncology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
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1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

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3 · Its place in the literature

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1 citing paper in PubMed.

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors.

Qiyu ZhangDepartment of Interventional Treatment, Beijing NO.6 Hospital, No. 36, North Ertiao, Jiaodaokou, Dongcheng District, Beijing, 100009, China.
Qiongyu LiangDepartment of Interventional Treatment, Beijing NO.6 Hospital, No. 36, North Ertiao, Jiaodaokou, Dongcheng District, Beijing, 100009, China.
Chi XuDepartment of Interventional Treatment, Beijing NO.6 Hospital, No. 36, North Ertiao, Jiaodaokou, Dongcheng District, Beijing, 100009, China. interventionalbj6@163.com.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

BACKGROUND/

aimHepatic carcinoma, including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), is one of the most common malignant tumors globally, with an increasing incidence among younger populations. While chemotherapy is effective for advanced HCC, its impact on the prognosis of younger patients, who typically have better physiological conditions, remains unclear. Younger patients may have different tumor biology and chemotherapy responses than older patients. This study aims to evaluate the impact of chemotherapy on the prognosis and survival rates of younger HCC patients.

methodsA retrospective analysis was conducted using the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program (SEER) database, which provides information on cancer statistics among the US population. We selected patients diagnosed with primary HCC between 2010 and 2015. The patients were divided into two groups based on whether they received chemotherapy or not. Kaplan-Meier analyses were utilised to evaluate the impact of chemotherapy on prognosis by comparing the overall survival (OS) and cancer-specific survival (CSS) between the two groups. After performing 1:1 propensity score matching (PSM), the differences in OS and CSS were reassessed.

resultsBefore PSM, there were 1662 participants with primary HCC. After PSM, the sample was reduced to 1154 participants, with 577 individuals in each chemotherapy and non-chemotherapy group. Before PSM, there was no statistically significant difference in OS and CSS between the chemotherapy and non-chemotherapy groups (P = 0.25 and P = 0.06). After PSM, although the survival time in the chemotherapy group was slightly extended, the difference remained statistically insignificant (P = 0.09 and P = 0.38). Kaplan-Meier curves indicated no significant difference between the chemotherapy and non-chemotherapy groups, both before and after PSM, further supporting the conclusion that chemotherapy did not significantly improve survival in young patients with HCC.

conclusionChemotherapy did not significantly improve survival for young patients with HCC. Treatment decisions should be approached cautiously, especially in cases with complex tumor characteristics. Future studies should explore the mechanisms of chemotherapy in younger patients and develop personalized treatment strategies to improve long-term outcomes.

Indexed as

ChemotherapyHepatocellular carcinomaSEER databaseSurvivalYoung patients

Identifiers

PMID40332634
PMCPMC12058605

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