ArticleScientific reports2026
Psychological and quality of life outcomes associated with multikinase inhibitors versus immune checkpoint inhibitors in advanced hepatocellular carcinoma.
Article in Scientific reports, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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.
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.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
8 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
To compare the effects of multikinase inhibitors (sorafenib/lenvatinib) and immune checkpoint inhibitors (PD-1/PD-L1) on anxiety, depression, and quality of life (QoL) in patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and to analyse their correlations with clinical indicators. This retrospective cohort study included 304 patients with advanced HCC (BCLC stage B/C) who received first-line monotherapy between 2018 and 2023. Propensity score matching (1:1) was used to categorize patients into two groups: those treated with multikinase inhibitors (n = 152) and those treated with PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors (n = 152). Anxiety and depression (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS)), and QoL (EORTC QLQ-C30) were assessed at baseline and during follow-up (every 3 months). Correlations between the treatment duration, survival outcomes, and adverse events (AEs) were analysed. The PD-1/PD-L1 group presented significant reductions in anxiety (HADS-A: mean difference [MD] = - 2.4) and depression (HADS-D: MD = - 2.3) at 6 months (both *p < 0.001), with lower rates of clinically significant anxiety (28.3% vs. 42.1%) and depression (24.3% vs. 38.8%; p < 0.05). QoL improved markedly (6-month MD = + 10.3, p < 0.001), particularly when the treatment was administered as the first-line therapy (MD = + 14.2 vs. second-line MD = + 3.8; interaction p < 0.001). PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors were associated with longer treatment durations (median 9.5 vs. 5.8 months, p < 0.001) and superior overall survival (median 18.2 vs. 12.5 months; HR = 0.62, p = 0.002). Fatigue (grade ≥ 2) independently predicted depression (OR = 1.82, p = 0.002), whereas immune-related AEs were correlated with a reduced QoL (ρ=-0.22, p = 0.004). Compared with multikinase inhibitors, PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors significantly improve the psychological outcomes, QoL, and survival of patients with advanced HCC, especially when administered as first-line therapies. Fatigue is a critical modifiable risk factor for depression. These findings support prioritizing immunotherapy when treating atients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
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.