Risk factors of infection after transarterial chemoembolization for hepatocellular carcinoma: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: Transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) has the characteristics of minimally invasive, strong repeatability, and good curative effect, so it is commonly used in the nonoperative treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, infection will occur after TACE, which not only increases the hospitalization time and medical expenses, but also affects the efficacy of TACE treatment. At present, there is a lack of analysis of the risk factors of infection after TACE of patients with HCC. In this study, meta-analysis was used to further explore the risk factors of postoperative infection in patients with HCC after TACE, and to provide strategies for infection prevention and intervention. METHODS: To search the literatures about the influencing factors of post-TACE infection in patients with HCC published from the establishment of PubMed, Embase, The Cochrane Library, Web of Science, China Biology Medicine Database, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, China Science and Technology Journal Database, and WANFANG to April 2021. Screening was carried out according to inclusion criteria and exclusion criteria. A meta-analysis was performed using RevMan 5.3 software. RESULTS: We disseminated the findings of this systematic review and meta-analysis via publications in peer-reviewed journals. CONCLUSION: This study systematically reviewed the existing evidence and determined the incidence and predictors of infection after TACE of patients with HCC. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: The private information from individuals will not be published. This systematic review also should not damage participants’ rights. Approval from an ethics committee is not required for this study. The results may be published in a peer-reviewed journal or disseminated in relevant conferences. OSF REGISTRATION NUMBER: DOI 10.17605/OSF.IO/26P5X