Table 1 Clinical background of studies included in the meta-analysis

RCTs

Wu [14]

1995

1983-1991

Taiwan

TACE (+) TACE (−)

24 28

23/1 23/5

51.8 ± 12.4 53.2 ± 11.5

≥ 400 (n = 15) ≥ 400 (n = 16)

22/2/0 24/4/0

—/—/14 —/—/12

14.3 ± 4.2 14.5 ± 3.3

1-3,5-15

17

2

Yamasaki [15]

1996

1987-1989

Japan

TACE (+) TACE (−)

50 47

50/0 47/0

54.9 ± 6.4 57.1 ± 4.9

— —

— —

—/—/— —/—/—

3.1 ± 0.8 3.3 ± 0.9

1,2,4,9-12

—

2

Zhou [16]

2009

2001-2003

China

TACE (+) TACE (−)

52 56

48/4 49/7

45.3 ± 9.8 46.8 ± 9.6

1244.2 ± 376 1387.5 ± 426

44/8/0 54/2/0

—/—/49 —/—/50

9.0 ± 3.2 9.5 ± 3.9

1-3,5-10, 12,14,15

—

3

Kaibori [24]

2012

2004-2007

Japan

TACE (+) TACE (−)

42 43

35/7 32/11

68.1 ± 5.7 66.1 ± 10.6

2432 ± 11638 858 ± 5269

37/5/0 39/4/0

1/27/14 4/28/11

4.3 ± 2.1 4.8 ± 4.1

1-10,12, 13,15

11

3

NRCTs

Nagasue [12]

1989

1980-1986

Japan

TACE (+) TACE (−)

31 107

25/6 90/17

56.5 ± 9.1 59.4 ± 8.9

>20 (n = 18) >20 (n = 76)

17/13/1 69/32/6

—/—/26 —/—/88

>3 (n = 17) >3 (n = 72)

1-3,5,6, 8–11,14

—

19

Adachi [13]

1993

1981-1991

Japan

TACE (+) TACE (−)

46 26

39/7 21/5

55.9 ± 7.71 59.8 ± 5.7

>20 (n = 24) >20 (n = 15)

— —

—/—/29 —/—/22

2.6 ± 0.9 2.1 ± 0.9

2-4,6-8,11,14,16

1,9,13

18

Harada [28]

1996

1982-1994

Japan

TACE (+) TACE (−)

105 35

90/15 30/5

57.6 ± 9.7 59.8 ± 9.9

— —

— —

—/—/69 —/—/24

>5 (n = 36) >5 (n = 9)

1,2,4,7-10,12

—

19

Uchida [29]

1996

1986-1991

Japan

TACE (+) TACE (−)

60 68

50/10 52/16

59.0 ± 9.9 62.0 ± 7.2

>20 (n = 27) >20 (n = 45)

37/18/5 45/18/5

—/—/42 —/—/49

3.7 ± 3.1 4.4 ± 3.4

2,4-10,14

1,3,11,13

18

Majno [10]

1997

1985-1995

France

TACE (+) TACE (−)

49 27

44/5 26/1

59.2 ± 7.1 60.9 ± 7.8

285 ± 1629 129 ± 250

43/6/0 17/10/0

0/0/49 0/0/27

5.05 ± 2.5 3.9 ± 1.8

1-3,8,10, 12-14

5-7

18

Di Carlo [11]

1998

1989-1997

Italy

TACE (+) TACE (−)

55 45

49/6 34/11

63.0 ± 6.0 62.0 ± 6.0

>10 (n = 13) >100 (n = 6)

48/—/— 36/—/—

0/0/55 0/0/45

>3 (n = 32) >3 (n = 31)

1-3,5,7-12,14,15

13

18

Paye [30]

1998

1986-1992

France

TACE (+) TACE (−)

24 24

21/3 17/7

57 ± 2 54 ± 3

2560 (2–46000) 4229 (2–73000)

22/2 22/2

1/—/13 1/—/13

7.8 ± 1 7.3 ± 1

1-3,5-10,12-14,16

—

17

Lu [31]

1999

1988-1994

China, Japan

TACE (+) TACE (−)

44 76

36/8 57/19

51.5 54.5

— —

31/13/0 61/15/0

—/—/28 —/—/44

7.3 7.6

2,5,6,8,9,11,14

1

20

Ochiai [32]

2003

1978-1994

Japan

TACE (+) TACE (−)

100 48

78/22 43/5

59.6 ± 8 58.9 ± 8.7

>400 (n = 74) >400 (n = 30)

— —

—/—/— —/—/—

4.4 ± 3.3 4.4 ± 3.1

1-4,6,7,9, 10,12-15

—

20

Sugo [33]

2003

1997-2000

Japan

TACE (+) TACE (−)

146 81

122/24 67/14

57.6 ± 9.4 60.5 ± 9

— —

118/27/1 74/6/1

—/—/116 —/—/58

4.5 ± 3.0 4.8 ± 3.9

2,5,8,9

1

18

Sasaki [34]

2006

1982-2003

Japan

TACE (+) TACE (−)

109 126

85/24 97/29

>65 (n = 38) >65 (n = 68)

>100 (n = 40) >100 (n = 49)

— —

—/—/76 —/—/61

≥5 (n = 27) ≥5 (n = 47)

2-4,7,9,11, 12

1,8

20

Chen [35]

2007

1990-2004

China

TACE (+) TACE (−)

89 157

71/18 136/21

45.5 ± 6.3 48.6 ± 5.7

2838 ± 1721 2335 ± 1088

78/11/0 142/15/0

—/—/15 —/—/25

9.5 ± 2.6 9.9 ± 3.1

1-3,6-10,12,13,16

—

20

Choi [36]

2007

1998-2005

Korea

TACE (+) TACE (−)

120 153

93/27 117/36

52.4 ± 9.6 52.4 ± 10.4

8094 ± 68967 2292 ± 7444

117/0/0 150/2/0

—/—/56 —/—/75

>5 (n = 44) >5 (n = 50)

1-6,8-10,12-14

7

19

Kim [37]

2008

1995-2000

Korea

TACE (+) TACE (−)

97 237

80/17 194/43

48.8 ± 9.2 51.7 ± 10.2

>1000 (n = 70) >1000 (n = 31)

97 237

—/—/77 —/—/182

>5 (n = 49) >5 (n = 101)

1-3,5-10,12,14

16

19

Lee [38]

2009

2000-2006

Taiwan

TACE (+) TACE (−)

114 236

89/25 173/63

57.9 ± 11.3 57.8 ± 11.7

2265.88 ± 8438.55 1862.52 ± 1388.63

110/4/0 232/4/0

—/—/79 —/—/152

4.3 ± 3.1 3.9 ± 2.7

1-3,5,7-10, 12,15

11

18

Kang [39]

2010

1997-2007

Korea

TACE (+) TACE (−)

32 64

25/7 51/13

52.4 ± 9.8 54.0 ± 10.8

9584.4 ± 26238.5 5100.9 ± 24773.9

30/2/0 64/0/0

—/—/— —/—/—

4.3 ± 2.5 4.5 ± 3.2

1-3,5,6,9,10,15

—

20

Yamashita [40]

2012

1995-2008

Japan

TACE (+) TACE (−)

42 95

36/7 77/18

58 ± 12 64 ± 9

1527 ± 4415 1125 ± 4713

31/—/— 88/—/—

—/—/7 —/—/26

9.1 ± 3.2 7.9 ± 3.0

2-4,7-11

1,5,6

20