Neoadjuvant immunotherapy in resectable hepatocellular carcinoma: A meta-analysis of the current evidence

Table 4 Assessment of publication bias using funnel plot and Egger’s regression test

Endpoint	No. of studies	Funnel plot	β1 (Egger)	SE (β1)	P value	Interpretation
MPR	10	Symmetrical	-2.36	1.47	0.109	No evidence of small-study effects; the funnel plot does not suggest publication bias
ORR	9	Symmetrical (2 studies lie outside 95%CI limits)	-0.07	1.81	0.969	No indication of small-study effects; the distribution is balanced across effect sizes
pCR	10	Asymmetrical; small studies cluster to the left	-5.00	1.59	0.0016	Significant small-study effects; suggests potential publication bias favoring negative findings
Resection rate	13	Asymmetrical; small studies cluster to the right	+3.68	0.68	< 0.0001	Strong evidence of small-study effects; indicative of possible reporting bias or selective publication of favorable outcomes
Grade 3-4 TRAEs	11	Symmetrical	+0.11	0.79	0.887	No evidence of small-study effects; results appear robust and not influenced by study size

pCR: Pathological complete response; MPR: Major pathological response; ORR: Overall response rate; TRAE: Treatment-related adverse event.