ArticleThe oncologist2026
Optimal duration of adjuvant targeted-immunotherapy in patients with initially unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma with portal vein tumor thrombus following successful conversion therapy.
Article in The oncologist, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.
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
2 citing papers in PubMed.
- Review
- Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
13 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundThe management of initially unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with portal vein tumor thrombus (PVTT) has been revolutionized by conversion therapy combining locoregional and systemic modalities. While successful downstaging followed by salvage surgery offers potential for cure, the optimal duration of postoperative adjuvant targeted-immunotherapy remains poorly defined. This multicenter study aimed to determine the relationship between adjuvant therapy duration and survival outcomes in this specific patient population.
methodsWe conducted a retrospective cohort analysis of 124 patients with initially unresectable HCC and PVTT who achieved successful conversion using combined local-systemic therapy and subsequently underwent R0 resection at 4 tertiary medical centers between September 2019 and December 2022. Patients were stratified into 4 groups according to adjuvant targeted-immunotherapy duration: no adjuvant therapy (0 month, n = 26), short-term therapy (1-3 months, n = 28), medium-term therapy (4-6 months, n = 25), and extended therapy (≥7 months, n = 45). Primary endpoints were overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS), analyzed using Kaplan-Meier methods and Cox proportional hazards models.
resultsWith a median follow-up of 28.3 months, significant differences in both OS and PFS were observed among the 4 groups (both P < .0001). Compared to the no-adjuvant group, all treatment durations showed significant survival benefits, with hazard ratios of 0.49 (P = .004) for OS and 0.44 (P = .010) for PFS in the 1-3 month group, improving to 0.22 (P < .001) for OS and 0.15 (P < .001) for PFS in the 4-6 month group. Critically, the medium-term therapy (4-6 months) demonstrated statistical non-inferiority compared to extended therapy (≥7 months) for both OS (P = .85) and PFS (P = .30), establishing a clear efficacy plateau. Treatment-related adverse events were manageable and comparable across all duration groups.
conclusionsThis study provides compelling evidence that adjuvant targeted-immunotherapy duration significantly impacts survival outcomes in converted unresectable HCC patients with PVTT. The 4-6 months adjuvant regimen represents the optimal therapeutic window, maximizing survival benefits while avoiding unnecessary extended treatment. These findings should inform clinical practice and guide the design of future prospective trials.
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.