Treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma with macroscopic vascular invasion: A systematic review and network meta-analysis

Background: This study aimed to evaluate the outcomes of different treatments for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and macroscopic vascular invasion.Methods: A systematic review and meta-analysis of comparative studies was performed to evaluate various treatment modalities for HCC with macroscopic vascular invasion, including liver resection (LR), liver trans-plantation (LT), transarterial chemoembolization (TACE), transarterial radioembolization (TARE), radiotherapy (RT), radiofrequency ablation (RFA), and antineoplastic systemic therapy (AnST).Results: After applying the selection criteria, 31 studies were included. The surgical resection (SR) group (including LR and LT) had a similar mortality rate to the non-surgical resection (NS) group (RD =-0.01; 95% CI-0.05 to 0.03). The SR group had a higher rate of complications (RD = 0.06; 95% CI 0.00 to 0.12) but a higher 3-year overall survival (OS) rate than the NS group (RD = 0.12; 95% CI 0.05 to 0.20). The network analysis revealed that the overall survival was lower in the AnST group. LT and LR had similar survival benefits. The meta-regression suggested that SR has a greater impact on the survival of patients with impaired liver function.Discussion: Most likely, LT has a significant impact on long-term survival and consequently would be a better option for HCC with macroscopic vascular invasion in patients with impaired liver function. LT and LR offer a higher chance of long-term survival than NS alternatives, although LR and LR are associated with a higher risk of procedure-related complications.