SynthesisJournal of gastroenterology and hepatology2026
Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor-Based Adjuvant Treatment Versus Surveillance in Curatively Treated Hepatocellular Carcinoma: a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
Synthesis in Journal of gastroenterology and hepatology, 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.
- The Evolving Role of Immunotherapy in the Treatment with Curative Purpose of Early, Intermediate and Advanced Stage Hepatocellular Carcinoma.Current oncology (Toronto, Ont.) · 2026Review
- 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
2 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundEffective adjuvant treatments in resected or ablated hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) were elusive over the preceding decades. Recently, immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have been investigated in the adjuvant setting, with conflicting results.
methodsA systematic literature search was conducted in multiple databases. Studies investigating adjuvant ICIs as monotherapy or combined with tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) or anti-angiogenics compared with surveillance in resected or ablated HCC were eligible. The primary and secondary outcomes were recurrence-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS). The generic inverse-variance method and random-effects model were utilized.
resultsEighteen studies with a total of 3478 patients were included. The adjuvant treatment modalities were "ICI monotherapy" and "ICI plus TKI/anti-angiogenic" in eight and 10 of the studies, respectively. RFS was significantly improved by "all ICI-based" (HR: 0.51, 95% CI: 0.44-0.60, p < 0.001), "ICI monotherapy" (HR: 0.46, 95% CI: 0.35-0.60, p < 0.001), and "ICI-TKI/anti-angiogenic" combinatory (HR: 0.55, 95% CI: 0.45-0.68, p < 0.001) adjuvant treatments, with no difference between the two (p = 0.29). Subgroup analyses showed consistent benefits regardless of curative treatment modalities of resection or ablation, presence of transarterial chemoembolization, and study design. OS was improved by ICI-based adjuvant therapies compared with surveillance (HR: 0.51, 95% CI: 0.40-0.65, p < 0.001).
conclusionAdjuvant ICIs with or without TKI/anti-angiogenics may provide survival benefits in resected or ablated HCC. Yet the results are limited by the observational nature and territoriality of the included studies. The results of global, randomized, controlled, phase III clinical trials with longer follow-up data will inform clinical practice. PROSPERO ID: CRD42025640036.
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