Efficacy of transarterial therapy combined with first-line tyrosine kinase inhibitors for unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma: a network meta-analysis

BackgroundTransarterial therapies, including transarterial chemoembolization (TACE), hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy (HAIC), and selective internal radiation therapy, combined with first-line tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) are considered the standard therapy for unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma. However, inconsistent results have been reported in various studies assessing different combinations of targeted agents.MethodsA network meta-analysis (NMA) was performed by including 23 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) with 6175 patients to investigate the efficiency of transarterial therapies in combination with different TKIs. Outcomes of interest included overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), time to progression (TTP), and tumor objective response rate (ORR). A random-effects consistency model was used in this Bayesian NMA. Hazard ratio and odd risks with a 95% credible interval were calculated and agents were ranked based on ranking probability.ResultsHAIC showed maximal OS and TTP and TACE plus lenvatinib showed maximal PFS, ORR, and disease control rate (DCR). HAIC and TACE plus lenvatinib were ranked highest based on their respective parameters, which were OS for HAIC and PFS, ORR, and DCR for TACE plus lenvatinib.ConclusionHAIC and TACE plus lenvatinib were relatively better choice for unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma. However, owing to the lack of statistically significant OS benefits among most agents, other agents should be considered as potential alternatives for unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma.