Non-surgery strategy versus hepatectomy in hepatocellular carcinoma patients with complete response after conversion therapy: a meta-analysis

There is ongoing debate surrounding the optimal therapeutic strategy for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients achieving complete response (CR) after conversion therapy. This meta-analysis compares the prognostic outcomes of non-surgery strategies with hepatectomy. The systematic searches were conducted up to April 11, 2024, across PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library, analyzing progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). Subgroup analyses were conducted based on whether patients achieved a clinical CR or a radiologic CR, as well as the regimen of non-surgery strategy employed. Six studies with 481 patients were identified. Non-surgery strategy was linked to significantly worse PFS compared to hepatectomy (hazard ratio [HR] = 2.15; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.60 to 2.90). However, there was not a notable difference in OS between the two groups (HR = 1.35; 95% CI, 0.93 to 1.96). Subgroup analysis showed that for patients with clinical CR, there were no notable differences in both PFS and OS. Conversely, patients with radiologic CR experienced significantly worse PFS and OS when treated with non-surgery strategy. Non-surgery strategy might provide comparable outcomes to hepatectomy for HCC patients with clinical CR, as opposed to those with radiologic CR. Further research is needed to confirm these results.