Efficacy of sequential TACE on primary hepatocellular carcinoma with microvascular invasion after radical resection: a systematic review and meta-analysis

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of sequential transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) on the prognosis of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and microvascular invasion (MVI) following radical resection. METHODS: Five databases were searched for studies on the efficacy of TACE after radical hepatectomy resection (HR) for treating HCC with MVI. Depending on the heterogeneity between included studies, the relative risk (RR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were computed using a random or fixed effect model. RESULTS: Thirteen articles were included in this study. There were 1378 cases in the HR-TACE group (cases undergoing TACE after HR) and 1636 cases in the HR group (cases only undergoing HR). The recurrence-free survival (RFS) at 1 year, 2 years, 3 years, and 5 years after radical HCC resection was statistically significantly greater in the HR-TACE group than in the HR group. The HR-TACE group exhibited statistically significant advantages at 1-year, 2-year, 3-year, and 5-year overall survival (OS) after radical HCC resection when compared with the HR group. CONCLUSION: Postoperative sequential TACE treatment can improve the RFS and OS rates at 1 year, 2 years, 3 years, and 5 years following radical HR in patients with HCC and MVI. These findings will guide clinicians in selecting appropriate cases for adjuvant TACE treatment during clinical diagnosis and treatment to maximize patient benefit. TRIAL REGISTRATION: PROSPERO CRD42023449238. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12957-023-03160-0.