Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41466842›Full record

ArticleTherapeutic advances in medical oncology2025

Serum BDNF helps identify favorable subgroups in HCC patients treated with PD-L1 inhibitors and anti-angiogenic TKIs.

Caifeng Gong, Jinglong Huang, Dandan Cao, Tianyi Liu, Qi Cai, Shuhui You, Yongkun Sun, Zhichao Jiang, Wei Wang, Lin Yang and 3 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Therapeutic advances in medical 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
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing 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

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Prophylactic cranial irradiation in the era of immunotherapy in extensive-stage small cell lung cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Clinical & translational oncology : official publication of the Federation of Spanish Oncology Societies and of the National Cancer Institute of Mexico · 2026
    Article
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.

Caifeng GongDepartment of Medical Oncology, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100021, China.
Jinglong HuangDepartment of Medical Oncology, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100021, China.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9729-7079
Dandan CaoDepartment of Medical Oncology, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100021, China.
Tianyi LiuDepartment of Medical Oncology, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100021, China.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6308-8076
Qi CaiDepartment of Medical Oncology, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100021, China.
Shuhui YouDepartment of Medical Oncology, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100021, China.
Yongkun SunDepartment of Medical Oncology, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100021, China.
Zhichao JiangDepartment of Medical Oncology, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100021, China.
Wei WangDepartment of Medical Oncology, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100021, China.
Lin YangDepartment of Medical Oncology, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100021, China.
Hong ZhaoDepartment of Hepatobiliary Surgery, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100021, China.
Wen ZhangDepartment of Medical Oncology, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100021, China.
Aiping ZhouDepartment of Medical Oncology, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100021, China.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1632-837X

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) combined with antiangiogenic agents have become a standard strategy for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). There remains an urgent need for effective biomarkers to guide treatment, with C-reactive protein and alpha-fetoprotein in immunotherapy (CRAFITY) scores and cytokine levels representing promising candidates. Objectives: We aimed to assess the efficacy, safety, and potential biomarkers of anlotinib plus TQB2450 in patients with advanced HCC. Design: This study was a single-arm, phase Ib trial. Twenty-five patients with advanced HCC were enrolled. Methods: Patients received an intravenous infusion of TQB2450 (1200 mg, on Day 1) and oral administration of anlotinib (initiated at 10 mg, once a day, from Day 1 to Day 14), which was repeated every 3 weeks. Blood was collected at baseline for serum cytokine analysis. Results: After a median follow-up of 41.80 months, the median progression-free survival (mPFS) was 5.49 months, and the median overall survival (mOS) was 8.94 months. Treatment-related adverse events (TRAEs) occurred in 22 patients, with grade ⩾3 TRAEs observed in 12 patients. Patients who achieved clinical benefit (CB) had higher baseline serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels than non-CB patients (median, 227.97 vs 129.26 pg/ml, Conclusion: Anlotinib plus TQB2450 demonstrated promising efficacy with manageable safety in advanced HCC. Elevated serum BDNF levels might serve as a potential positive prognostic marker and, together with ECOG score, may help complement the CRAFITY score in identifying subgroups that could benefit from ICIs and antiangiogenic therapy. Trial registration:

Indexed as

anti-angiogenic targeted therapybrain-derived neurotrophic factorCRAFITYhepatocellular carcinomaimmunotherapy

Identifiers

PMID41466842
PMCPMC12743843

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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.