Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42016824›Full record

ReviewLiver cancer2026

Gd-EOB-DTPA-Enhanced Magnetic Resonance Imaging for Predicting Immunotherapy Response in Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Wenbo Xie, Linmao Sun, Yumin Fu, Shuhang Liang, Yao Liu, Jiabei Wang, Lianxin Liu

Abstract readReview
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Review in Liver cancer, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing 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

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

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

7 authors.

Wenbo XieDepartment of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Centre for Leading Medicine and Advanced Technologies of IHM, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China.
Linmao SunDepartment of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Centre for Leading Medicine and Advanced Technologies of IHM, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China.
Yumin FuDepartment of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Centre for Leading Medicine and Advanced Technologies of IHM, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China.
Shuhang LiangDepartment of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Centre for Leading Medicine and Advanced Technologies of IHM, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China.
Yao LiuDepartment of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Centre for Leading Medicine and Advanced Technologies of IHM, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China.
Jiabei WangDepartment of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Centre for Leading Medicine and Advanced Technologies of IHM, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China.
Lianxin LiuDepartment of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Centre for Leading Medicine and Advanced Technologies of IHM, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Introduction: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) harboring CTNNB1 mutations that activate the Wnt/β-catenin pathway demonstrates increased gadoxetic acid (Gd-EOB-DTPA) uptake due to overexpressed organic anion transporting polypeptide 1B3 (OATP1B3) and exhibits immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) resistance attributed to an immune-excluded tumor microenvironment and tumor immune barriers. This systematic review investigated Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for predicting immunotherapy response in HCC. Methods: A systematic search of PubMed, Web of Science, and Cochrane was conducted up to September 10, 2025. Studies linking relative enhancement ratio (RER) >0.9 on Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced MRI to progression-free survival (RECIST 1.1) in immunotherapy-treated patients were included. Following PRISMA 2020/SWiM guidelines, risk of bias was assessed via QUADAS-2. Meta-analysis was performed using JASP (v0.95.4) via a random-effects model with restricted maximum likelihood estimation. Heterogeneity was assessed using Results: Five studies ( Conclusions: To the best of our knowledge, this is the first systematic review evaluating the predictive utility of Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced MRI for HCC immunotherapy. Our findings suggest that an RER ≥0.9 serves as a potential noninvasive marker for poor treatment response. Notably, the observation that anti-VEGF combination therapy might mitigate this imaging-defined resistance is hypothesis-generating, underscoring the need for prospective studies to validate optimal strategies for patients with high-RER tumors.

Indexed as

Gadoxetic acidHepatocellular carcinomaImmunotherapyMagnetic resonance imagingWnt/β-catenin

Identifiers

PMID42016824
PMCPMC13095221

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Registered trials

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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.