ArticleJournal of gastroenterology2026
The vessels encapsulating tumor clusters (VETC) pattern is a negative predictor for first-line immune checkpoint inhibitors alone in unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma.
Article in Journal of gastroenterology, 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
Abstract
backgroundVessels encapsulating tumor clusters (VETC), an aggressive pathological pattern in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), is associated with unfavorable clinical outcomes. However, its role in first-line systemic therapies-immune checkpoint inhibitors alone (ICI-alone), tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) alone, or ICIs-based combinations (ICI-combo)-remains largely unexplored. This study aimed to compare therapy efficacy in unresectable HCC (uHCC) stratified by VETC.
methodsA retrospective analysis of 111 uHCC patients (ICI-alone, n = 34; TKIs, n = 24; ICI-combo, n = 53) used pooled data from 19 prospective studies (2017-2024). Objective response rate (ORR), investigator-assessed progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), and pathological characteristics were investigated. Tumor immune microenvironment was compared between the VETC and non-VETC by immunohistochemistry and transcriptome sequencing.
resultsWith a median follow-up of 47.9 months, ICI-combo cohort demonstrated significantly superior ORR (49.1% vs. 20.6% [ICI-alone] vs. 16.7% [TKIs], P = 0.003) and mPFS (8.57 vs. 2.10 vs. 3.97 months, P = 0.005), though no significant difference in OS was observed (median, 19.27 vs. 12.87 vs. 13.90 months, P = 0.070). VETC-positive patients receiving ICI-alone had markedly inferior outcomes (DCR, 9.1%; mPFS, 1.63 months; mOS, 3.47 months) compared to those receiving TKIs or ICI-combo (P < 0.05). Multivariate analysis confirmed VETC as an independent negative OS predictor in the ICI-alone cohort (HR = 3.42, P = 0.013). VETC tumors exhibited an immunosuppressive microenvironment (reduced CD8
conclusionsVETC, characterized by reduced immune infiltration, is a negative predictor of first-line ICIs alone in uHCC, guiding personalized treatment selection in uHCC.
Indexed as
Identifiers
42029729What 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.