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Combination of radiofrequency ablation with transarterial chemoembolization for hepatocellular carcinoma: an up-to-date meta-analysis

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Tumor Biology

Abstract

The aim of this meta-analysis was to compare the effectiveness of combination of radiofrequency ablation (RFA) and transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) with that of RFA alone in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Randomized controlled trials comparing RFA plus TACE with RFA alone for HCC were included into this meta-analysis, and the search strategy followed the requirement of the Cochrane Library Handbook. Overall survival rate and recurrence-free survival rate were analyzed and compared by using Review Manager (version 5). We identified 7 randomized controlled trials comprising 571 patients who were treated by RFA plus TACE versus RFA alone for HCC. Meta-analyses showed that the combination of RFA and TACE was associated with a significantly higher overall survival rates (OR1 year = 2.39, 95 % CI, 1.35–4.21, P = 0.003; OR3 years = 1.85, 95 %CI 1.26–2.71, P = 0.002), and recurrence-free survival rate (OR1 year = 2.00, 95 % CI 1.26–3.18, P = 0.003; OR3 years = 2.13, 95 %CI 1.41–3.20, P < 0.001). Additionally, the quality of the evidence was high for the 1- and 3-year survival rate; no evidence of publication bias was observed. The combination of RFA with TACE can improve the overall survival rate and the recurrence-free survival rate for patients with HCC.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 81371654) and the Major Project of Science and Technology of Guangzhou (Grant number 132400027).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Imaging and Interventional Radiology, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center of Cancer Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, 510060, Guangzhou, People’s Republic of China

    Zhenyin Liu, Fei Gao, Guang Yang, Sristi Singh, Mingjian Lu, Tao Zhang, Zhihui Zhong & Fujun Zhang

  2. Department of Medical Imaging and Interventional Radiology, Cancer Center of Guangzhou Medical University, 510095, Guangzhou, People’s Republic of China

    Rijie Tang

Authors
  1. Zhenyin Liu
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  2. Fei Gao
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  3. Guang Yang
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  4. Sristi Singh
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  5. Mingjian Lu
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  6. Tao Zhang
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  7. Zhihui Zhong
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  8. Fujun Zhang
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  9. Rijie Tang
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Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Fujun Zhang or Rijie Tang.

Additional information

Zhenyin Liu and Fei Gao contributed equally to this work.

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Liu, Z., Gao, F., Yang, G. et al. Combination of radiofrequency ablation with transarterial chemoembolization for hepatocellular carcinoma: an up-to-date meta-analysis. Tumor Biol. 35, 7407–7413 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13277-014-1976-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13277-014-1976-z

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