Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41769698›Full record

ArticleFrontiers in pharmacology2026

Clinical efficacy and safety of icaritin in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma: a real-world study.

Jingchang He, Lanlan Zhuang, Yi Lei, Biao Wang, Huaiyu Chen, Shuai Kang, Dingli Liu, Kunyuan Wang, Wenxuan Yu, Yuchen Lu and 2 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Frontiers in pharmacology, 2026. 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

12 authors.

Jingchang He *Department of Infectious Diseases, Nanfang Hospital, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory for Prevention and Control of Major Liver Diseases, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China.
Lanlan Zhuang *Department of Infectious Diseases, Nanfang Hospital, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory for Prevention and Control of Major Liver Diseases, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China.
Yi Lei *Digestive Department, Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Center, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China.
Biao WangDepartment of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China.
Huaiyu ChenDepartment of Infectious Diseases, Nanfang Hospital, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory for Prevention and Control of Major Liver Diseases, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China.
Shuai KangDepartment of Infectious Diseases, Nanfang Hospital, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory for Prevention and Control of Major Liver Diseases, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China.
Dingli LiuDepartment of Infectious Diseases, Nanfang Hospital, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory for Prevention and Control of Major Liver Diseases, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China.
Kunyuan WangDepartment of Infectious Diseases, Nanfang Hospital, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory for Prevention and Control of Major Liver Diseases, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China.
Wenxuan YuDepartment of Infectious Diseases, Nanfang Hospital, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory for Prevention and Control of Major Liver Diseases, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China.
Yuchen LuSchool of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China.
Yang ChengDigestive Department, Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Center, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China.
Yun ZhuDepartment of Infectious Diseases, Nanfang Hospital, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory for Prevention and Control of Major Liver Diseases, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: Icaritin, a natural compound extracted from Epimedium, has demonstrated efficacy and a favorable safety profile in treating hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), providing an option for patients intolerant to conventional treatment. However, real-world data remain limited. To assess the therapeutic potential and safety of icaritin for patients with unresectable HCC (uHCC), we conducted a retrospective analysis at our center. Methods: This study analyzed 26 HCC patients treated with icaritin-based regimens (monotherapy, n = 10; combination therapy, n = 16) at Nanfang Hospital (June 2018-June 2024). We evaluated efficacy outcomes, including objective response rate (ORR), disease control rate (DCR), progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS), as well as safety and health-related quality of life (HRQOL). Results: The monotherapy group showed a DCR of 60.0%, median PFS of 3.5 months, and a median OS of 9.4 months. The combination therapy group had a DCR of 93.8%, a median PFS of 5.7 months, and a median OS of 10.6 months. The incidence of Grade 3 treatment-related adverse events (TRAEs) was 13.9%, and no Grade 4+ TRAEs were observed. HRQOL was maintained throughout treatment in either group. One patient with BCLC stage C achieved a partial response after 2 months of icaritin monotherapy and a complete response after 8 months, with PFS exceeding 18 months. Conclusion: Icaritin-based therapy has certain efficacy and a favorable safety in uHCC, suggesting a therapeutic alternative for uHCC patients ineligible for standard treatments.

Indexed as

efficacyHRQOLicaritinsafetyuHCC

Identifiers

PMID41769698
PMCPMC12935929

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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.