Transcatheter arterial chemoembolization is considered the mainstay of therapy for unresectable @entity157 . The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of such treatment on survival by performing a metaanalysis of all available randomized clinical trials comparing this form of therapy to supportive care. A MEDLARS search was conducted covering the years 1970 to 2002. Data analysis was performed according to methods described by Peto. The primary outcome of interest was the proportion of @entity1 surviving 3 and 6 months after treatment. All analyses were performed on an intent-to-treat basis. A literature search yielded 1,100 citations, from which four met protocol-specified inclusion criteria. All studies contained an experimental and control arm totalling 268 @entity1 . The odds ratio for 3- and 6-month survival were 1.31 (95% CI: 0.66-2.58) and 0.91 (95% CI: 0.49-1.68), which was not statistically significant. These data fail to show a survival advantage associated with therapeutic embolization versus supportive care alone in @entity1 with unresectable @entity157 . Existing survival data from randomized controlled trials are of poor quality, and the paucity of @entity1 in these trials eliminates the possibility of drawing meaningful conclusions regarding the effect of chemoembolization on @entity1 survival from these studies.

XXXX : results of a metaanalysis.

@entity1 :: ('9606', 'Species') :: ['patients', 'patient'] @entity157 :: ('MESH:D006528', 'Disease') :: ['hepatocellular carcinoma']
@entity157 :: (MESH:D006528,Disease) :: ['Chemoembolization of hepatocellular carcinoma']
