REFLECT—a phase 3 trial comparing efficacy and safety of lenvatinib to sorafenib for the treatment of unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma: an analysis of Japanese subset

Abstract Background A phase 3, multinational, randomized, non-inferiority trial (REFLECT) compared the efficacy and safety of lenvatinib (LEN) and sorafenib (SOR) in patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (uHCC). LEN had an effect on overall survival (OS) compared to SOR, statistically confirmed by non-inferiority [OS: median = 13.6 months vs. 12.3 months; hazard ratio (HR) 0.92, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.79–1.06], and demonstrated statistically significant improvements in progression-free survival (PFS) and the objective response rate (ORR) in the overall population. The results of a subset analysis that evaluated the efficacy and safety of LEN and SOR in the Japanese population are reported. Methods The intent-to-treat population enrolled in Japan was analyzed. Results Of 954 patients in the overall population, 168 Japanese patients were assigned to the LEN arm (N = 81) or the SOR arm (N = 87). Median OS was 17.6 months for LEN vs. 17.8 months for SOR (HR 0.90; 95% CI 0.62–1.29). LEN showed statistically significant improvements over SOR in PFS (7.2 months vs. 4.6 months) and ORR (29.6% vs. 6.9%). The relative dose intensity of LEN and SOR in the Japanese population was lower than in the overall population. Frequently observed, related adverse events included palmar-plantar erythrodysaesthesia syndrome (PPES), hypertension, decreased appetite, and proteinuria in the LEN arm, and PPES, hypertension, diarrhea, and alopecia in the SOR arm. Conclusions The efficacy and safety of LEN in the Japanese population were similar to those in the overall population of REFLECT. With manageable adverse events, LEN is a new treatment option for Japanese patients with uHCC. Trial registration ID ClinicalTrials.gov. No. NCT01761266.

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Baseline Liver Function and Subsequent Outcomes in the Phase 3 REFLECT Study of Patients with Unresectable Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Liver Cancer ◽

10.1159/000516490 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-12

Author(s):

Arndt Vogel ◽

Catherine Frenette ◽

Max Sung ◽

Bruno Daniele ◽

Ari Baron ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Hepatocellular Carcinoma ◽

Liver Function ◽

Objective Response ◽

Progression Free Survival ◽

Efficacy And Safety ◽

Phase 3 ◽

Free Survival ◽

Unresectable Hepatocellular Carcinoma ◽

Post Hoc ◽

Treatment Emergent Adverse Event

Introduction: Baseline liver function among patients starting treatment for unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (uHCC) impacts survival and could impact efficacy outcomes and safety profiles of treatments. This post hoc analysis of the phase 3 REFLECT study examined the efficacy and safety outcomes for lenvatinib and for sorafenib in patients with uHCC, assessed by Child-Pugh score (CPS) and albumin-bilirubin (ALBI) grade. Methods: Efficacy and safety were assessed in patient cohorts from REFLECT according to study entry baseline ALBI grade and CPS. Results: Lenvatinib treatment generally provided survival benefits in all groups. Median overall survival (OS) among patients with an ALBI grade of 1 was consistently higher than among patients with an ALBI grade of 2 for both the lenvatinib and sorafenib arms (lenvatinib: 17.4 vs. 8.6 months; sorafenib: 14.6 vs. 7.7 months, respectively). Median OS among patients with a CPS of 5 was consistently higher than among patients with a CPS of 6 (lenvatinib: 15.3 vs. 9.4 months; sorafenib: 14.2 vs. 7.9 months, respectively). Progression-free survival and objective response rates for these ALBI grades and CPS demonstrated similar patterns. Among patients who received lenvatinib and experienced a treatment-related treatment-emergent adverse event leading to withdrawal, 6.6% had an ALBI grade of 1, while 13.3% had an ALBI grade of 2, and 7.9% had a CPS of 5, while 12.1% had a CPS of 6. Conclusions: Better liver function at baseline, as measured by ALBI grade or CPS, may be prognostic for better survival outcomes in patients with uHCC undergoing treatment with lenvatinib or sorafenib.

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Efficacy and Safety of Lenvatinib Therapy for Unresectable Hepatocellular Carcinoma in a Real-World Practice in Korea

Liver Cancer ◽

10.1159/000512239 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-11

Author(s):

Myung Ji Goh ◽

Joo Hyun Oh ◽

Yewan Park ◽

Jihye Kim ◽

Wonseok Kang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Hepatocellular Carcinoma ◽

Prognostic Factors ◽

Disease Progression ◽

Real World ◽

Medical Center ◽

Objective Response ◽

Progression Free Survival ◽

Efficacy And Safety ◽

Eligibility Criteria ◽

Unresectable Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Background: Lenvatinib has been recently approved as a first-line treatment option for patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in Korea. We aimed to study the efficacy and safety of lenvatinib therapy in a real-world practice and to find prognostic factors related to survival and disease progression. Methods: A hospital-based retrospective study was conducted on 111 consecutive patients who had unresectable HCC and were treated with lenvatinib at Samsung Medical Center from October 2018 to March 2020. Efficacy was determined using the modified Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (mRECIST) criteria in 111 patients who completed 1st tumor assessment. Safety was evaluated in 116 HCC patients including 5 patients who discontinued lenvatinib due to adverse events (AEs) before 1st tumor assessment using Common Terminology Criteria for AEs version 5.0. Results: A total of 111 patients with a median age of 59 years were analyzed during a median follow-up duration of 6.2 (4.4–9.0) months. The Kaplan-Meier estimate of overall survival was 10.5 months, and the median progression-free survival was 6.2 months. Based on mRECIST criteria, the objective response rate was 18.9% and disease control rate was 75.7%. AEs developed in 86/116 (74.1%) patients, and grade ≥3 AEs developed in 16/116 (13.8%) patients. Diarrhea, hand-foot skin rash, abdominal pain, hypertension, and anorexia were identified as the AEs with the highest frequencies of any grade. REFLECT eligibility criteria including tumor extent ≥50% liver occupation or inadequate bone marrow function and occurrence of anorexia were prognostic factors for survival, and occurrence of diarrhea was a favorable factor for disease progression. Conclusion: Lenvatinib therapy showed a favorable efficacy and safety in a real-world practice. The REFLECT eligibility criteria and specific AEs could be one of the prognostic markers.

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Clinical impact of lenvatinib in patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma who received sorafenib

PeerJ ◽

10.7717/peerj.10382 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 8 ◽

pp. e10382

Author(s):

Yen-Yang Chen ◽

Chih-Chi Wang ◽

Yueh-Wei Liu ◽

Wei-Feng Li ◽

Yen-Hao Chen

Keyword(s):

Hepatocellular Carcinoma ◽

Objective Response ◽

Evaluation Criteria ◽

Progression Free Survival ◽

Line Treatment ◽

Second Line ◽

Efficacy And Safety ◽

Previous Response ◽

Unresectable Hepatocellular Carcinoma ◽

Third Line

Background Lenvatinib has been approved for use in the systemic treatment for unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). This study aimed to investigate the efficacy and safety of lenvatinib in patients with unresectable HCC who received sorafenib. Methods A total of 40 patients who received lenvatinib after sorafenib were retrospectively identified: as second line in 20 patients, third line in 10 patients, and fourth line and later lines in 10 patients. The treatment response to lenvatinib was determined in accordance with the guidelines of the modified Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (mRECIST) every 2–3 months after commencement of lenvatinib. Results Median progression-free survival (PFS) and median overall survival (OS) of the whole population were 3.3 and 9.8 months, respectively. The objective response rate was 27.5%. Univariate and multivariate analyses showed that alpha-fetoprotein level >400 ng/mL was an independent prognostic factor of worse PFS and OS. The clinical outcomes of lenvatinib therapy as second-line, third-line, or fourth line and later line treatment were similar, and previous response to sorafenib could predict the response to subsequent lenvatinib. Most adverse events were grades 1–2, and the majority of patients tolerated the side effects. Our study confirms the efficacy and safety of lenvatinib as second-line and later line treatment for patients with unresectable HCC who received sorafenib in clinical practice.

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Cabozantinib in Japanese patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma: a phase 2 multicenter study

Journal of Gastroenterology ◽

10.1007/s00535-020-01753-0 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Masatoshi Kudo ◽

Kaoru Tsuchiya ◽

Naoya Kato ◽

Atsushi Hagihara ◽

Kazushi Numata ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Hepatocellular Carcinoma ◽

Adverse Events ◽

Objective Response ◽

Progression Free Survival ◽

Japanese Patients ◽

Advanced Hepatocellular Carcinoma ◽

Phase 2 ◽

Open Label ◽

Clinical Trial Registration ◽

Phase 2 Trial

Abstract Background To evaluate the efficacy and safety of cabozantinib in Japanese patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) who had progressed following one or two lines of systemic therapy including sorafenib. An exploratory evaluation in sorafenib-naïve patients was performed. Methods In this open-label, single-arm, phase 2 trial, patients received oral cabozantinib 60 mg once daily. The primary endpoint was progression-free survival (PFS) rate at Week 24. Secondary endpoints included PFS, overall survival (OS), objective response rate (ORR, best response of complete/partial response), disease control rate (DCR, objective response or stable disease) and safety. Results Thirty-four patients received cabozantinib across 17 centers (prior sorafenib cohort, n = 20; sorafenib-naïve cohort, n = 14). PFS rate at 24 weeks was 59.8% [90% confidence interval (CI) 36.1–77.2%] in the prior sorafenib cohort, 16.7% (90% CI 4.0–36.8%) in the sorafenib-naïve cohort and 40.1% (90% CI 24.8–55.0%) overall. Median PFS was 7.4 months for the prior sorafenib cohort, 3.6 months for the sorafenib-naïve cohort, and 5.6 months overall. OS rate at 6 months was 100.0%, 78.6% and 91.1%, respectively; DCR was 85.0%, 64.3% and 76.5%, respectively. The ORR was 0.0% for both cohorts. All patients required dose modifications due to adverse events, the most common of these were palmar–plantar erythrodysesthesia syndrome and diarrhea. Three patients (8.8%) discontinued due to adverse events other than disease progression. Conclusions Cabozantinib 60 mg/day has a favorable benefit/risk profile for Japanese patients with advanced HCC who have previously received one or two lines of systemic anticancer therapy including sorafenib. (Clinical trial registration: NCT03586973)

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Efficacy and safety of lenvatinib in the real-world treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma: Results from a Canadian multicenter database (HCC CHORD).

Journal of Clinical Oncology ◽

10.1200/jco.2021.39.3_suppl.275 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 39 (3_suppl) ◽

pp. 275-275

Author(s):

Carla Pires Amaro ◽

Michael J Allen ◽

Jennifer J. Knox ◽

Erica S Tsang ◽

Howard John Lim ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Hepatocellular Carcinoma ◽

Real World ◽

Objective Response ◽

Progression Free Survival ◽

Drug Discontinuation ◽

Line Treatment ◽

Efficacy And Safety ◽

First Line ◽

The Real ◽

First Line Therapy

275 Background: The REFLECT trial establishedlenvatinib (LEN) as a first-line treatment option for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Compared to sorafenib (S), LEN has a higher objective response rate (ORR) and progression-free survival (PFS) with a slightly different toxicity profile. The aim of this study was to gather data regarding the efficacy and safety of LEN when used in the real-world treatment of HCC. To our knowledge, this is the first study to examine LEN use in HCC patients treated outside of Asia. Methods: HCC patients treated with LEN from 10 cancer centers in the Canadian provinces of British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario and Nova Scotia between July 2018 to July 2020 were included. Overall survival (OS), PFS, disease control rate (DCR) and ORR were retrospectively analyzed and compared across first- and second-to-fourth line use of LEN. ORR was determined radiographically according to the treating physician´s opinion in clinical notes and not RECIST 1.1 or mRECIST. Toxicities were also examined. Results: A total of 220 patients were included in this analysis. Median age was 67 years, 80% were men and 25.5% East Asian. The most frequent causes of liver disease were hepatitis C (37%) and B (26%). 62% of patients received any localized treatment before LEN, of those 26% had TACE, 15% TARE and 7.7% had liver transplant. Before starting LEN 29% of patients were ECOG 0 and 59% were ECOG 1. Most patients were Child-Pugh A (81%) and BCLC stage C (75.5%). Main portal vein invasion was present in 14% of the patients. Median follow-up was 4.5 months. A total of 173 patients (79%) received LEN as first line therapy and 47 patients (21%) were treated in second-to-fourth line. Of patients receiving LEN in first line, 22 (13%) started treatment with S, but switched to LEN before progression due to poor tolerance of S. ORR, DCR, PFS and OS are shown in the table. Toxicities occurred in 86% of patients and led to dose reductions in 76 (35%) patients and drug discontinuation in 53 (24%) patients. The most common side effects were fatigue (59%), hypertension (41%), decreased appetite (25%) and diarrhea (22%). Conclusions: Outcomes of HCC patients treated in Canada with LEN in the first line are comparable to those demonstrated in the REFLECT trial, despite the inclusion of Child-Pugh B and ECOG >1 patients. LEN use in second or later lines also showed similar outcomes, although more conclusions are difficult to draw due to the small numbers. LEN appears to be effective and safe in real world practice outside of Asia in first- and second-to-fourth line treatment of HCC. [Table: see text]

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Efficacy and Safety of Transarterial Chemoembolization Combined With Anlotinib for Unresectable Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Retrospective Study

Technology in Cancer Research & Treatment ◽

10.1177/1533033820965587 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 19 ◽

pp. 153303382096558

Author(s):

Wenbo Guo ◽

Song Chen ◽

Zhiqiang Wu ◽

Wenquan Zhuang ◽

Jianyong Yang

Keyword(s):

Hepatocellular Carcinoma ◽

Survival Rate ◽

Transarterial Chemoembolization ◽

Statistical Tests ◽

Objective Response ◽

Rank Test ◽

P Value ◽

Efficacy And Safety ◽

Unresectable Hepatocellular Carcinoma ◽

Survival Difference

Objective: This study aimed to explore the efficacy and safety of using transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) combined with anlotinib in patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma, compared with TACE alone. Methods: This was a single-center study, retrospectively recruited 82 unresectable HCC patients who received either TACE alone (TA group; n = 46) or TACE combined with anlotinib (TC group; n = 36) between Jan 2018 and Jan 2019. The primary outcomes were progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). While the secondary outcomes were the objective response rate (ORR), the disease control rate (DCR), and main complications. Log-rank test and Kaplan–Meier method was used to calculate the survival difference. All statistical tests were 2-sided and P value <0.05 were taken as statistically significant. Results: Patients in TC group had a significant higher PFS than those in TA group (7.35 months vs. 5.54 months, p = 0.035). Although 3-month survival rate in the 2 groups was not statistically different (97.2% vs. 93.5%, p = 0.627), the survival rate at 6 months and 1 year were strongly higher in TC group (83.3% vs. 56.5%, p = 0.016; 66.7% vs. 19.6%, respectively, p < 0.05). Furthermore, there was a significantly higher ORR in TC group, while no statistical difference existed in DCR. Neither treatment-related mortality nor grade 4 adverse events (AEs) occurred. However, 2 patients in TC group had grade 3 AEs (one suffered with erythra, and the other with hand-foot-skin reaction), which disappeared after prompt treatment. Conclusion: TACE combined with anlotinib is safe and may improve outcomes for unresectable HCC patients comparing with TACE alone. Randomized controlled trials are warranted to further evaluate treatment effects of anlotinib in HCC.

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Hepatic arterial infusion of oxaliplatin plus raltitrexed in patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HAIROX): A phase II, single-arm, prospective study.

Journal of Clinical Oncology ◽

10.1200/jco.2020.38.15_suppl.4574 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 38 (15_suppl) ◽

pp. 4574-4574

Author(s):

Shiguang Chen

Keyword(s):

Hepatocellular Carcinoma ◽

Clinical Trial ◽

Adverse Events ◽

Phase Ii ◽

Objective Response ◽

Hepatic Arterial Infusion ◽

Arterial Infusion ◽

Intention To Treat ◽

Unresectable Hepatocellular Carcinoma ◽

Treat Population

4574 Background: Chemoembolisation and oral sorafenib are the recommended treatment for unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC); however, some patients respond poorly to these. Hepatic arterial infusion (HAI) chemotherapy may have potential benefit in these patients. We aimed to investigate the efficacy and safety of HAI of oxaliplatin plus raltitrexed in patients with unresectable HCC. Methods: In this phase II, single-arm clinical trial, we enrolled patients aged 18–70 years with unresectable HCC at the Fujian Cancer Hospital (China). We performed HAI with oxaliplatin (100 mg/m2 for 4 hours) and raltitrexed (3 mg/m2 for 1 hour). Treatment was repeated every 3 weeks and was discontinued either because of disease progression, unacceptable toxicity levels, or refusal of further treatment. We used Simon’s two-stage design. The primary endpoint was the objective response rate according to the Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors version 1.1. Results: Fifty-one patients were screened between January 5, 2018 and August 7, 2019. Of these, 39 patients (34 men and 5 women; median age, 53 years) were enrolled and included in the intention-to-treat population. Objective response was achieved in 18 (51.4%) of 35 patients in the per-protocol population and in 18 (46.2%) of 39 patients in the intention-to-treat population. Treatment-related grade 4 adverse events or deaths were not reported, and the observed grade 3 adverse events were elevated aspartate aminotransferase levels (5[12.8%]), elevated alanine aminotransferase levels (1 [2.6%]), leukopenia (1 [2.6%]), thrombocytopenia (1 [2.6%]), and abdominal infection (1 [2.6%]). Conclusions: HAI of oxaliplatin plus raltitrexed showed promising efficacy and acceptable toxicity levels in patients unresectable HCC, and further evaluation is warranted. Clinical trial information: ChiCTR-OOC-17014182 . [Table: see text]

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The efficacy and safety of lenvatinib in patients with intermediate-stage hepatocellular carcinoma: A nationwide multicenter study in Japan.

Journal of Clinical Oncology ◽

10.1200/jco.2020.38.4_suppl.548 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 38 (4_suppl) ◽

pp. 548-548

Author(s):

Kaoru Tsuchiya ◽

Masayuki Kurosaki ◽

Azusa Sakamoto ◽

Hiroyuki Marusawa ◽

Chikara Ogawa ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Hepatocellular Carcinoma ◽

Multicenter Study ◽

Objective Response ◽

Progression Free Survival ◽

Intermediate Stage ◽

Median Number ◽

Observation Time ◽

Efficacy And Safety ◽

Free Survival ◽

Modified Recist

548 Background: Lenvatinib (LEN) has been used in patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (u-HCC) since Mar 2018 in Japan. We conducted a nationwide multicenter study and especially focused on the efficacy and safety in the patients with intermediate-stage u-HCC. Methods: A total of 240 patients received LEN from March 2018 at 15 sites in Japan was enrolled. Tumour assessments in accordance with modified RECIST were done using dynamic CT or MRI within 4-8 weeks and every 6-8 weeks thereafter. Results: In this study, 88 of 240 (36.7%) patients were BCLC stage B. Among them 76 (86.3%) patients received TACE before LEN and the median number of TACE was 2 (1-10). Only 4 patients were TKI experienced and other 84 (95.5%) patients received LEN as a 1st line therapy. The median pretreatment ALBI score was -2.35 and 75 (85.2%) patients were Child-Pugh A. In this cohort, 73 (83.0%) patients were beyond up-to-seven criteria and the median pretreatment AFP was 38.2 (2-12870) ng/mL. The median observation time was 8.5 months and 16 patients died. The median progression free survival was 8.7 months, and the median overall survival (OS) was not reached. Objective response rate (ORR) and disease control rate (DCR) were 48.5% and 80.3%. AFP decrease ( > 20%) after 1 month was observed in 52 (59.0%) patients. Child-Pugh B patients (n = 13) had significantly shorter OS than Child-Pugh A (p = 0.02) and median OS in Child-Pugh B patients was 8.8 months. The patients received > 6 times TACE before LEN had significantly shorter OS than patients received ≤ 6 times TACE (p = 0.02). Additional TACE was performed in 8 patients and The median time of restarting LEN was 19 days. The median ALBI score before additional TACE, Day 1 after TACE and Day 28 after TACE were -2.38, -2.07, and -2.36.There was no severe adverse event associated with additional TACE. The median duration of LEN in patients treated with LEN and additional TACE was 8.5 months. Conclusions: The ORR and DCR of LEN in Child-Pugh A patients with intermediate-stage HCC were 46.6% and 79.3%. The therapeutic strategies for intermediate-stage HCC should be discussed based on the liver function, tumor states, and treatment course about TACE.

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Sorafenib-Regorafenib Sequential Therapy in Japanese Patients with Unresectable Hepatocellular Carcinoma—Relative Dose Intensity and Post-Regorafenib Therapies in Real World Practice

Cancers ◽

10.3390/cancers11101517 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 11 (10) ◽

pp. 1517 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

Wang ◽

Tsuchiya ◽

Kurosaki ◽

Yasui ◽

Inada ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Real World ◽

Objective Response ◽

Dose Intensity ◽

Progression Free Survival ◽

Sequential Therapy ◽

Japanese Patients ◽

Relative Dose Intensity ◽

Free Survival ◽

Median Total Dose ◽

Clinically Significant

Background: We aimed to explore the relative dose intensity (RDI) and post-regorafenib treatments in regorafenib therapy. Methods: The medical records of 38 patients treated with regorafenib between July 2017 and June 2019 at our institution were collected. The RDI of regorafenib for the first month (1M-RDI) was calculated. Results: The overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) were 12.4 and 3.7 months. The objective response rate and disease control rate were 13.2% and 71.1%. The median total dose of regorafenib in the first month was 2080 mg (240–3360 mg), and the median 1M-RDI was 61.9% (7.1%–100%). Patients with 1M-RDI ≥ 50% showed significantly longer OS and PFS than patients with 1M-RDI < 50% (HR 0.19, 95% CI 0.08–0.48, p = 0.0004 and HR 0.2, 95% CI 0.08–0.52, p = 0.0008). A 1M-RDI ≥ 50% (HR 0.18, 95% CI 0.06–0.55, p = 0.002) and hand–foot skin reaction (HR 0.03, 95% CI 0.008–0.16, p < 0.0001) were independently associated with OS. Post-regorafenib therapies were performed in 19 (86.4%) of 22 patients who had stopped regorafenib due to disease progression. Conclusion: A 1M-RDI ≥ 50% is clinically significant. Post-regorafenib therapies are commonly performed in real-world practice.

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The Role of the Albumin-Bilirubin Score for Predicting the Outcomes in Japanese Patients with Advanced Hepatocellular Carcinoma Treated with Ramucirumab: A Real-World Study

Oncology ◽

10.1159/000511734 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 1-12

Author(s):

Takeshi Hatanaka ◽

Atsushi Naganuma ◽

Mitsuhiko Shibasaki ◽

Tatsuya Kohga ◽

Yosuke Arai ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Hepatocellular Carcinoma ◽

Real World ◽

Progression Free Survival ◽

Japanese Patients ◽

Advanced Hepatocellular Carcinoma ◽

Efficacy And Safety ◽

Free Survival ◽

Low Incidence ◽

Number Of Cycles

Aim: The aim of this retrospective study was to investigate the efficacy and safety of ramucirumab treatment under real-world conditions and to clarify the role of albumin-bilirubin (ALBI) score in predicting outcomes. Methods: Between June 2019 and May 2020, a total of 16 patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) treated with ramucirumab in Gunma Saiseikai Maebashi Hospital and its affiliated hospitals was included. Results: The median age was 71 (interquartile range [IQR] 65–74) years old, and 12 patients (75.0%) were male. The modified ALBI (mALBI) grade was 1, 2a, and 2b at baseline in 4 (25.0%), 3 (18.8%), and 9 patients (56.3%), respectively. The Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer stage was intermediate and advanced stage in 1 (6.3%) and 15 patients (93.8%), respectively. The serum α-fetoprotein at baseline was 4,911 (IQR 2,091–17,377) ng/mL. The disease control rate in patients with mALBI grade1 + 2a was significantly higher than in those with mALBI grade 2b (100 vs. 28.6%, p = 0.028). The patients with mALBI grade 1 + 2a had a significantly better overall survival (OS) and longer progression-free survival (PFS) than those with mALBI grade 2b (median OS 6.7 vs. 3.0 months; p = 0.036, median PFS 7.5 vs. 1.4 months; p = 0.002). The number of cycles of ramucirumab treatment was significantly correlated with the ALBI score (r = −0.452, p = 0.030). The patients with mALBI grade 1 + 2a showed a low incidence of adverse events (AEs) and discontinuation due to AEs. Conclusions: Advanced HCC patients with mALBI grade 1 + 2a may be a good indication for ramucirumab treatment.

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