Comparison of tenofovir versus entecavir on reducing incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma in chronic hepatitis B patients: A systematic review and meta‐analysis

Background and Aim Studies had shown that tenofovir (TDF) and entecavir (ETV) are widely used as the first‐line therapy to inhibit hepatitis B virus replication, which can reduce the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients, but it was unclear which nucleos(t)ide analogue was most effective. Therefore, we performed a meta‐analysis and a systematic review to compare the incidence of HCC in CHB patients who are either on TDF or ETV. Methods For this study, the following databases were searched for clinical trials published from its inception until November 2019: PubMed, Web of Science, MEDLINE, Embase, and Cochrane Library. Results A total of 11 eligible studies were selected, including 70 864 patients. The meta‐analysis showed that TDF was superior to ETV with regard to the incidence of HCC, the incidence of death or transplantation, and virologic response. There were no significant differences in terms of biochemical response and loss of seroconversion response among the entire cohort. Conclusions The conclusion was that CHB patients treated with TDF had a reduced incidence of HCC compared with patients treated with ETV.