Table 1.
The characteristics of the included studies.
| References | Region | No. (M/F) | Age (years) | Cutoff value | Cutoff value determination | Endpoint | Vascular invasion | Tumor size (cm) | Tumor number (multiple) | Proportion of cirrhosis | Hepatitis virus status | Tumor stage | Treatment | Follow-up (months) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zhang et al. (20) | China | 405(356/49) | Median 52 | 0.45 | ROC analysis | OS | NA | Median 4.8 (0.8–26) | 14.8% | 79.8% | HBV 100% | CTP: A (96.0%)–B (4.0%) | Surgery | Median 60.7 (36–117.8) |
| Lai et al. (21) | China | 72(61/11) | Median 57 | 0.47 | ROC analysis | OS, DFS | NA | Median 3.4 (1.5–5.0) | NA | NA | HBV 100% | CTP: A (87.5%)–B (12.5%) | Radiotherapy | Median 66.3 (7.6–125.8) |
| Zhao et al. (22) | China | 429 (392/37) | Median 54 | 1.37 | ROC analysis | OS | NA | NA | NA | NA | NA | CTP: A (59.0%)–B (32.9%)–C (8.1%) | Mixed | 1–82.2 |
| Zhao et al. (22) | China | 169 (151/18) | Median 52 | 1.37 | ROC analysis | OS, | NA | NA | NA | NA | NA | CTP: A (52.7%)–B (33.7%)–C (13.6%) | Mixed | 1–82.2 |
| Zhao et al. (22) | China | 150 (131/19) | Median 48 | 1.37 | ROC analysis | OS | NA | NA | NA | NA | NA | CTP: A (88.7%)–B (10.7%)–C (0.6%) | Surgery | 1–82.2 |
| Lee et al. (23) | Korea | 184 (147/37) | Mean 52.3 | 1.5 | NA | OS | 36.4% | Median <3 | 7.1% | 100% | HBV 100% | BCLC stage 0–A | Surgery | Mean 77.9 |
| Li et al. (24) | China | 628 (526/102) | Median 49.2 | 0.5 | NA | OS, DFS | 20.7% | Median 5.0 | 3.2% | 75.3% | HBV 84.1%; HCV 2.1% | BCLC stage 0–A | Surgery | Mean 51.1 ± 31.8 |
| Maegawa et al. (25) | USA | 475 (361/8/ missing) | Mean 65.6 | 1.5 | NA | OS | NA | NA | NA | NA | HCV 64.8% | CTP: A (72.8%)–B (27.2%) | Surgery | Mean 56.4 ± 45.6 |
| Sonohara et al. (26) | Japan | 305 (245/60) | Median 67 | 1.5 | NA | OS, DFS | 27.9% | Median 3.5 (0.1–21) | 22.3% | 41.2% | HBV 27.2%; HCV 45.6% | CTP: A (87.5%)–B (12.5%) | Surgery | Median 44 (0–188) |
| Yang et al. (27) | China | 661 (574/87) | Mean: 47.45 | 0.25 | ROC analysis | OS, DFS | NP | Median >5 | 29.7% | 83.2% | HBV 85.5% | BCLC stage 0–A (35.7%)/B–C (64.3%) | Surgery | 1–60 |
| Matsumoto et al. (28) | Japan | 162 (138/24) | Median 63 | 0.45 | ROC analysis | OS, DFS | 24.7% | Median 3.5 | 18.5% | 43.2% | HBV: 27.8%; HCV:40.7% | CTP: A (92.6%)–B (7.4%) | Surgery | 1–120 |
| Sarkar et al. (29) | USA | 94 (71/23) | Mean 62 | 0.5 | NA | OS* | NA | Mean 2.3 ± 0.5 | NA | 91.5% | HBV: 30.9%; HCV: 55.3% | Single HCC ≤ 3.0 cm | Mixed | 1–60 |
| Allenson et al. (30) | USA | 829 (645/184) | Mean 55.9 | NA | NA | OS | NA | NA | NA | NA | HBV: 16.2%; HCV: 66.7% | Stage I (18.3%)–II (16.4%)–III (26.5%)–IV (33.2%)–unknown (5.4%) | Mixed | NA |
| Ji et al. (31) | China | 321 (285/36) | Mean 51 | 1.68 | NA | OS, DFS | NA | Median size > 5 | 30.0% | 78.8% | HBV: 87.5% | Edmonson grade I–II (77.3%)/III–IV (22.7%) | Surgery | 1–96 |
| Zhu et al. (32) | China | 351 (299/52) | Median age <65 | 0.5 | X-tile plots | DFS | NA | Median size <5 | 13.7% | 76.4% | HBV: 82.6%; HCV:1.4% | BCLC stage 0 (54.4%)–A (35.0%)–B (10.5%) | Surgery | Median 40.5 |
| Tang et al. (33) | China | 158 (136/22) | Median age ≤ 50 | 0.4 | X-tile plots | OS* | NA | Median >5 | >80.4% | NA | HBV: 93.7% | BCLC stage B | TACE | 1–40 |
| Tang et al. (33) | China | 157 (135/22) | Median age ≤ 50 | 0.4 | X-tile plots | OS* | NA | Median >5 | >79.0% | NA | HBV: 92.4% | BCLC stage B | TACE | 1–35 |
| Chen et al. (34) | China | 349(209/140) | Mean 66.9 | 1 | NA | OS, DFS*, # | NA | Mean 1.8 ± 0.6‡ | 26.9%‡ | NA | HBV: 37.0%; HCV: 59.6% | BCLC stage: 0 (54.2%)–A (45.8%) | RFA | Median 36.2 |
| Jaruvongvanich et al. (35) | USA | 900(660/240) | Mean 63.2 | 0.5, 1.5 | NA | OS, DFS | NA | Median 2–5 | 31.6% | 66.6% | HBV: 25.9%; HCV: 40.6% | BCLC stage: 0 (4.4%)–A (37.2%)–B (41.4%)–C (10.7%) -D (6.2%) | Mixed | Median 19.8 |
| Shen et al. (36) | China | 332 (292/40) | Mean 49.82 | 0.62 | ROC analysis | OS, DFS | 25.6% | Median >5 | 22.0% | 76.2% | HBV: 85.5% | Edmonson grade I–II (77.4%)/III–IV (22.6%) | Surgery | 1–80 |
| Hung et al. (37) | China | 76 (64/12) | Median 57 | 0.47 | ROC analysis | OS, DFS* | 76.3% | Median 2.5 | NA | NA | HBV 100% | CTP: A (90.8%)–B (9.2%) | Surgery | Median 77.0 (4.7–226.6) |
| Toyoda et al. (38) | Japan | 1,669 (1,181/488) | Mean 68.7 | 1.2 | ROC analysis | OS, DFS* | 16.90% | Median 2–5 | 38.60% | NA | HBV: 15.3%; HCV: 67.4% | BCLC stage 0 (15.6%)–A (43.8%)–B (12.2%)–C (18.4%)–D (9.2%) | Mixed | 1–240 |
| Choi et al. (39) | Korea | 303 (246/57) | Median 55 | NA | NA | OS*, DFS* | NA | 3.7 (2.5–5.2 | 13.9% | 49.8% | HBV | AJCC: I (64.0%)–II (32.3%)–IIIA (3.6%) | Surgery | Median 56.0 |
| Okamura et al. (40) |
Japan | 140 (115/25) | Median 71 | 0.544 | ROC analysis | OS*, DFS* | 20.0% | Median 5.0 (1.0–17.5) | 17.1% | 17.9% | Non-HBV/HCV | CTP: A (97.9%)–B (2.1%) | Surgery | Median 38.9 (2.4–120) |
| Chung et al. (41) | Korea | 98 (70/28) | Mean 60.5 | 1.38 | ROC analysis | DFS | NA | Mean 1.9 | NA | 91.8% | HBV: 72.4%; HCV: 11.2% | CTP: A (81.6%)–B (18.4%) | RFA | Median 40 (4–95) |
| Kao et al. (42) | China | 190 (121/69) | Mean 67.4 | 1 | NA | OS, DFS | NA | Mean 2.4 ± 0.92 | 20.0% | NA | HBV: 47.6%; HCV: 45.7% | BCLC stage: 0 (15.3%)–A (75.8%)–B (8.9%) | RFA | Median 30.7 ± 17.5 |
| Huang et al. (43) | China | 451 (383/68) | Median age <60 | 0.9 | X-tile plots | OS, DFS | 30.4% | Median <5 | 2.9% | 57.0% | HBV: 89.8% | BCLC stage: 0 (10.9%)–A (89.1%) | Surgery | 3–86 |
| Pang et al. (44) | China | 172 (139/33) | Mean 53.5 | 1.23 | ROC analysis | OS, DFS | 31.4% | Median >5 | 18.6% | 34.3% | HBV: 70.3%; HCV: 4.7% | CTP: A/B (93.0%)–C (7.0%) | Surgery | Median 46 |
| Pang et al. (44) | China | 191 (159/32) | Mean 54.1 | 1.79 | ROC analysis | OS, DFS | 49.7% | Median >5 | 28.8% | 44.0% | HBV: 77.5%; HCV: 3.1% | CTP: A/B (86.4%)–C (13.6%) | TACE | Median 40 |
| Liu et al. (45) | China | 223 (189/34) | Median 54 | 0.23 | ROC analysis | DFS¶ | 36.3% | Median >5 | 24.7% | 89.2% | HBV: 78.0%; HCV: 0.9% | BCLC stage: 0/A (56.5%)-B/C (43.5%) | Surgery | Median 26.1 (1.9–72.6) |
| Peng et al. (46) | China | 244 (213/31) | Mean 50 | 1 | ROC analysis | OS, DFS | 18.9% | Median 3–5 | 14.8% | 85.7% | HBV: 96.3% | CTP A | Surgery | Median 36.3 (3–85.9) |
| Teng et al. (47) | China | 153 (82/71) | Median 64.1 | 2 | NA | OS, DFS | 9.8% | Median 2.7 (1.9–3.8) | NA | NA | HCV: 100% | BCLC stage 0 (4.6%)–A (30.7%)–B (31.4%)–C (33.3%) | TACE | 1–60 |
M/F, male/female; CTP, Child-Turcotte-Pugh; AJCC, American Joint Committee on Cancer TNM staging system; TACE, transarterial chemoembolization; RFA, radiofrequency ablation; BCLC, Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer; DFS, disease-free survival; HBV, hepatitis B virus; HCV, hepatitis C virus; NA, not available; ROC, receiver operating characteristic curve.
*
Univariate analysis.
#
Second recurrence.
‡
Recurrent.
¶
Including early recurrence and late recurrence analysis.