The prognostic value of vessels encapsulating tumor clusters (VETC) in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Abstract

Studies have suggested that vessels encapsulating tumor clusters (VETC) is a strong predictor of prognosis in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). A systematic search was conducted in PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Scopus databases. Overall survival (OS) and tumor efficacy (TE) were two outcome measures used to evaluate the relationship between VETC and HCC prognosis. Hazard ratios (HR) and their 95% confidence intervals (CI) were used. Thirteen studies with 4429 patients were included in the meta-analysis. The results showed that VETC was significantly associated with both OS (HR 2.00; 95% CI 1.64-2.45) and TE (HR 1.70; 95% CI 1.44-1.99) in HCC patients. Furthermore, recurrence-free survival (RFS) was a stronger indicator of tumor efficacy (HR 1.73; 95% CI 1.44-2.07) than disease-free survival (DFS) (HR 1.69; 95% CI 1.22-2.35). This suggests that VETC-positive HCC has a higher risk of recurrence and a lower survival rate. In conclusion, the meta-analysis suggests that VETC is a significant predictor of overall survival and tumor efficacy in HCC patients and may be a valid prognostic indicator.