Table 3. Subgroup analyses of ORR, DCR and QoL between the experimental and control groups.

Parameter	Factors at study level	Experimental group	Control group	Analysis method	Heterogeneity		OR	95% CI	P-value
		Number of patients (n) ref	Number of patients (n) ref		I2 (%)	P-value	(OR)
ORR	Therapeutic regimen
	kanglaite+TACE	649	534	Fixed	0	0.95	2.49	1.91–3.25	<0.00001
	kanglaite+CT	284	282	Fixed	0	0.71	2.62	1.81–3.78	<0.00001
	kanglaite+TAE	42	46	Fixed	0	0.69	2.88	0.71–11.78	0.14
	Dosage of kanglaite
	200 ml/day	751	688	Fixed	0	0.98	2.47	1.93–3.15	<0.00001
	100 ml/day	244	196	Fixed	0	0.78	3.09	2.01–4.73	<0.00001
	Study sample size
	>60	787	687	Fixed	0	0.96	2.64	2.07–3.36	<0.00001
	≤60	287	274	Fixed	0	0.96	2.41	1.63–3.56	<0.0001
	Type of control trials
	RCT	878	772	Fixed	0	0.99	2.53	2.01–3.20	<0.00001
	Non-RCT	196	189	Fixed	0	0.78	2.72	1.76–4.21	<0.00001
DCR	Therapeutic regimen
	kanglaite+TACE	615	510	Fixed	0	0.48	2.74	2.02–3.72	<0.00001
	kanglaite+CT	284	282	Fixed	0	0.90	3.71	2.36–5.82	<0.00001
	kanglaite+TAE	42	46	Fixed	0	0.95	6.26	0.72–54.47	0.10
	Dosage of kanglaite
	200 ml/day	726	663	Fixed	0	0.96	3.56	2.63–4.81	<0.00001
	100 ml/day	210	172	Fixed	40	0.17	2.07	1.30–3.30	0.002
	Study sample size
	>60	787	687	Fixed	0	0.80	2.58	1.95–3.40	<0.00001
	≤60	228	225	Fixed	0	1.00	6.14	3.47–10.88	<0.00001
	Type of control trials
	RCT	819	723	Fixed	0	0.79	2.99	2.28–3.94	<0.00001
	Non-RCT	196	189	Fixed	0	0.60	3.59	2.01–6.40	<0.0001
QoL	Therapeutic regimen
	kanglaite+TACE	510	407	Fixed	0	0.99	3.81	2.83–5.14	<0.00001
	kanglaite+CT	167	165	Fixed	0	0.82	3.88	2.43–6.20	<0.00001
	kanglaite+SST	55	55	Fixed	0	0.85	4.89	1.89–12.61	0.001
	Dosage of kanglaite
	200 ml/day	538	471	Fixed	0	0.99	3.62	2.75–4.78	<0.00001
	100 ml/day	209	169	Fixed	0	1.00	4.48	2.80–7.17	<0.00001
	Study sample size
	>60	577	485	Fixed	0	0.99	3.89	2.94–5.14	<0.00001
	≤60	200	187	Fixed	0	0.96	3.58	2.33–5.50	<0.00001
	Type of control trials
	RCT	669	565	Fixed	0	1.00	3.63	2.81–4.68	<0.00001
	Non-RCT	108	107	Fixed	0	0.98	4.88	2.71–8.76	<0.00001

Control group, CTs alone group; Experimental group, CTs and kanglaite group. Abbreviation: kanglaite, Kanglaite.