A meta-analysis of the efficacy and safety of iodine [131I] metuximab infusion combined with TACE for treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma

Abstract

Objectives: To compare the efficacy and safety of combination iodine [¹³¹I] metuximab infusion and transcathether arterial chemoembolization (TACE) with those of TACE-alone for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Materials and methods: PubMed, Cochrane Library, Embase, Web of Science, China Biology Medicine, China Science and Technology Journal Database, Wan Fang Data, and Chinese knowledge resource integrated databases were used for the literature search regarding controlled clinical trials comparing combination TACE and iodine [¹³¹I] metuximab infusion with TACE-alone for HCC treatment before February 1, 2016. The Jadad system evaluation method for research quality and RevMan 5.0 software were used for the meta-analysis.

Results: In total, 1302 patients from 10 studies were included. The meta-analysis showed that the combination TACE and iodine [¹³¹I] metuximab infusion treatment for HCC was more effective than TACE alone, including 6-month survival (odds ratio [OR] = 2.05, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.41-2.98, P = 0.0002), 1-year survival (OR = 1.90, 95% CI: 1.41-2.55, P < 0.00001), and the total response rate (OR = 2.91, 95% CI: 2.08-4.07, P < 0.00001). Nine studies reported adverse reactions, mainly comprising poor appetite, nausea, vomiting, and abdominal discomfort. Fever, chills, and bone marrow suppression were more common in the combined treatment group, but abnormal liver function was not different between the two treatment groups. There was no report on serious complications or death directly related to either treatment.

Conclusions: Compared with TACE alone, the combination of TACE with iodine [¹³¹I] metuximab infusion for treating unresectable HCC may improve local efficacy and overall survival in these types of patients.

Keywords: Hepatocellular carcinoma; Iodine [(131)I] metuximab infusion; Meta-analysis; TACE.