title: [Propensity score matching-based therapeutic effect evaluation in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the therapeutic effects of transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) with or without radiofrequency ablation (RFA) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients based on propensity score matching.
  
  
  METHODS
  A logistic regression model was established with the treatment assignment as the dependent variable and the covariates as the independent variables. For each HCC patient, the propensity score was calculated from the model for caliper matching, and a survival analysis of the matched data were carried out.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The covariates between the groups were balanced after caliper matching based on the propensity scores. Before matching, the one-, two-, and three-year survival rates of TACE and TACE+RFA were 52.07% and 59.08%, 32.24% and 36.43%, and 316.54% and 19.39%, with the median survival time of 1.20 and 1.40 years, respectively, showing no significant differences in the overall survival rate between the two groups. After matching, the 1-year, 2-year, and 3-year survival rates of TACE and TACE+RFA groups were 54.39% and 62.28%, 23.15% and 40.08%, and 10.20% and 18.52%, with the median survival time of 1.10 years and 1.50 years, respectively, showing significant differences in the overall survival between the two groups. The survival rate in TACE+RFA group was higher than that of TACE only group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Propensity score matching can effectively reduce the confounding bias of non-randomized clinical observational data for a more accurate evaluation of the therapeutic effect in HCC patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Statistics, Faculty of Preventative Medicine, Weifang Medical College, Weifang 261053, China. wangsz@wfmc.edu.cn
authors.forename: Suzhen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Weijing
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Meng
authors.forename: Hongqing
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: An
authors.forename: Xiaomeng
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Juncheng
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lü
authors.forename: Fuyan
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Shi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy*; D017115:Catheter Ablation; D016461:Chemoembolization, Therapeutic; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy*; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D057216:Propensity Score; D016019:Survival Analysis; D015996:Survival Rate