Currently, whether the impact of age on efficacy of molecular targeted agents (MTAs) in the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients remains undetermined. We searched databases and abstracts presented at ASCO meeting to identify relevant studies. The endpoints were overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS). Data were examined using age cutoffs of 65 years. A total of 4,231 HCC patients from eight RCTs were included for analysis, with 1,607 patients aged ≥ 65 years and 2,624 patients aged < 65 years. The pooled results demonstrated that the use of MTAs in patients < 65 years significantly improved PFS (HR 0.69, 95% CI: 0.51-0.95, p = 0.023) and OS (HR 0.79, 95% CI: 0.69-0.89, p < 0.001) when compared to controls. For HCC patients aged ≥ 65 years, the use of MTAs significantly improved PFS (HR 0.66, 95% CI: 0.53-0.84, p = 0.001) but not for OS (HR 0.94, 95% CI: 0.81 -1.09, p = 0.41). No publication bias was detected by Begg's and Egger's tests for OS. Therefore, the treatment effect of MTAs on OS might be different in younger and older HCC patients undergoing first-line or second-line treatment, but not for PFS benefit.
Keywords: elderly; hepatocellular carcinoma; meta-analysis; randomized controlled trials.