Dose age affect the efficacy of molecular targeted agents in the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

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,