scholarly journals Evolution of Survival Impact of Molecular Target Agents in Patients with Advanced Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Liver Cancer ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 1-13
Author(s):  
Kazufumi Kobayashi ◽  
Sadahisa Ogasawara ◽  
Aya Takahashi ◽  
Yuya Seko ◽  
Hidemi Unozawa ◽  
...  

<b><i>Background and Aims:</i></b> The prognosis of patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is expected to improve as multiple molecular target agents (MTAs) are now available. However, the impact of the availability of sequential MTAs has not been fully verified yet. <b><i>Approach and Results:</i></b> We retrospectively collected the data on the whole clinical course of 877 patients who received any MTAs as first-line systemic therapy for advanced HCC between June 2009 and March 2019. The study population was divided into 3 groups according to the date of first-line MTA administration (period 1: 2009–2012, <i>n</i> = 267; period 2: 2013–2016, <i>n</i> = 352; period 3: 2017–2019, <i>n</i> = 258). Then, we compared the number of MTAs used, overall survival (OS), and MTA treatment duration among the 3 groups. Analysis was also performed separately for advanced-stage and nonadvanced-stage HCC. The proportion of patients who received multiple MTAs was remarkably increased over time (1.1%, 10.2%, and 42.6% in periods 1, 2, and 3, respectively, <i>p</i> &#x3c; 0.001). The median OS times were prolonged to 10.4, 11.3, and 15.2 months in periods 1, 2, and 3, respectively (<i>p</i> = 0.016). Similarly, the MTA treatment durations were extended (2.7, 3.2, and 6.6 months in periods 1, 2, and 3, respectively; <i>p</i> &#x3c; 0.001). We confirmed that the correlation between OS and MTA treatment duration was strengthened (period 1: 0.395, period 2: 0.505, and period 3: 0.667). All these trends were pronounced in the patients with advanced-stage HCC but limited in the patients with nonadvanced-stage HCC. <b><i>Conclusions:</i></b> The availability of multiple MTAs had steadily improved the prognosis of patients with advanced HCC patients, particularly advanced-stage HCC patients.

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhi Zeng ◽  
Qiliang Lu ◽  
Yang Liu ◽  
Junjun Zhao ◽  
Qian Zhang ◽  
...  

Sorafenib a multi-target tyrosine kinase inhibitor, is the first-line drug for treating advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Mechanistically, it suppresses tumor angiogenesis, cell proliferation and promotes apoptosis. Although sorafenib effectively prolongs median survival rates of patients with advanced HCC, its efficacy is limited by drug resistance in some patients. In HCC, this resistance is attributed to multiple complex mechanisms. Previous clinical data has shown that HIFs expression is a predictor of poor prognosis, with further evidence demonstrating that a combination of sorafenib and HIFs-targeted therapy or HIFs inhibitors can overcome HCC sorafenib resistance. Here, we describe the molecular mechanism underlying sorafenib resistance in HCC patients, and highlight the impact of hypoxia microenvironment on sorafenib resistance.


2017 ◽  
Vol 36 (1) ◽  
pp. 78-88 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christian Labenz ◽  
Vera Prenosil ◽  
Sandra Koch ◽  
Yvonne Huber ◽  
Jens U. Marquardt ◽  
...  

Background/Aim: Individual components of the metabolic syndrome (MS) such as obesity or diabetes mellitus impair the prognosis of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) following curative treatment approaches or transarterial therapies. The aim of this retrospective study was to assess the impact of these factors on the overall survival (OS) of patients with advanced HCC treated with sorafenib. Methods: Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to assess the impact of individual components of the MS on the OS of 152 consecutive patients with advanced HCC treated with sorafenib. Results: The presence of overweight/obesity, type 2 diabetes mellitus, hypertension, dyslipidemia, and of the MS itself did not impair the median OS. Multivariate analysis showed that Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group Performance Status ≥1 (hazards ratio [HR] 2.03), presence of macrovascular invasion (HR 1.71), Child-Pugh score B/C (HR 2.19), tumor grading G3 (HR 2.17), no prior HCC treatment (HR 2.34), and the presence of 2 or more out of 5 individual components of the MS (HR 0.65) were independent prognostic factors regarding the median OS. Conclusions: Our investigations do not confirm a negative prognostic role of individual components of the MS or the MS itself for patients with advanced HCC treated with sorafenib.


Cancers ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (11) ◽  
pp. 3078
Author(s):  
Masako Shomura ◽  
Haruka Okabe ◽  
Emi Sato ◽  
Kota Fukai ◽  
Koichi Shiraishi ◽  
...  

Patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) undergoing molecular targeted therapy often experience non-negligible adverse events (AEs). Paradoxically, certain AEs are reportedly associated with a good prognosis. We aimed to identify factors predictive of treatment duration and overall survival (OS) in patients with HCC undergoing lenvatinib therapy. Forty-six consecutive patients with advanced HCC who received lenvatinib therapy from April 2018 to November 2019 were prospectively followed until November 2019. Treatment efficacy was assessed according to the modified Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors for 2–3 months after therapy initiation. The disease control rate (DCR) was defined as the percentage of patients with a complete response, partial response, or stable disease. The DCR was 65.2%, with a median survival of 10.2 months. Grade 2/3 hypoalbuminemia resulted in shorter treatment duration. Factors predictive of longer OS were a Child-Pugh score of 5 at baseline and the occurrence of Grade 2/3 hypothyroidism. Conversely, Grade 2/3 hypoalbuminemia was associated with a poorer prognosis. An AE of Grade 2/3 hypothyroidism was associated with a better prognosis in patients receiving lenvatinib treatment for advanced HCC. Continuing anticancer therapy with appropriate thyroid hormone replacement may contribute to longer OS.


Medicina ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 55 (10) ◽  
pp. 707 ◽  
Author(s):  
Oronzo Brunetti ◽  
Antonio Gnoni ◽  
Antonella Licchetta ◽  
Vito Longo ◽  
Angela Calabrese ◽  
...  

Sorafenib is an oral kinase inhibitor that enhances survival in patients affected by advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). According to the results of two registrative trials, this drug represents a gold quality standard in the first line treatment of advanced HCC. Recently, lenvatinib showed similar results in terms of survival in a non-inferiority randomized trial study considering the same subset of patients. Unlike other targeted therapies, predictive and prognostic markers in HCC patients treated with sorafenib are lacking. Their identification could help clinicians in the daily management of these patients, mostly in light of the new therapeutic options available in the first.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cheng Huang ◽  
Xiao-Dong Zhu ◽  
Ying-Hao Shen ◽  
Dong Wu ◽  
Yuan Ji ◽  
...  

Abstract BackgroundWe evaluated organ-specific response rates (OSRRs) to first-line lenvatinib plus anti-PD-1 antibodies in patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).MethodsThis retrospective analysis included Chinese patients with unresectable/advanced HCC who received first-line lenvatinib (8 mg/day) plus ≥3 infusions of anti-PD-1 antibodies between October 2018 and May 2020. Tumor and macrovascular tumor thrombi (MVTT) treatment responses were evaluated every 2 months using RECIST v1.1. The overall response rate (ORR)/OSRR was defined as the percentage of patients with a best overall response of complete or partial response (CR or PR).ResultsIn total, 60 patients were included in the analysis; 96.7% had measurable intrahepatic lesions, 55% had MVTT and 26.7% had extrahepatic disease. In all 60 patients, the ORR was 33.3%, median progression-free survival was 7.0 months (95% CI, 1.7-12.3) and median overall survival was not reached. The OSRR for MVTT (54.5%) was higher versus intrahepatic tumors (32.8%), extrahepatic lung metastases (37.5%) and lymph node metastases (33.3%). Among 33 patients with intrahepatic tumors and MVTT, 18 had differential responses in each site, including 13 with a better response in MVTT versus intrahepatic lesions. Among 18 patients whose MVTT achieved a radiographic CR or PR, six underwent surgical resection: 4/6 achieved a pathological CR in MVTT and 2/6 in the intrahepatic tumor.ConclusionsFirst-line lenvatinib plus anti-PD-1 antibodies resulted in better tumor responses in MVTT versus intrahepatic lesions. Complete MVTT necrosis may allow downstaging and subsequent eligibility for surgical resection in a proportion of patients with advanced HCC.


2017 ◽  
Vol 35 (15_suppl) ◽  
pp. e15676-e15676 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandrine J. Faivre ◽  
Jean-Frédéric Blanc ◽  
Philippe Merle ◽  
Angelica Fasolo ◽  
Angelo Iacobellis ◽  
...  

e15676 Background: The prognosis for patients (pts) with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) after failure of sorafenib is poor, with few systemic therapy options. c-Met is a receptor tyrosine kinase implicated in the progression of HCC. Tepotinib, a highly selective c-Met inhibitor, has shown activity first-line in patients with c-Met+ HCC. We report final results of a phase Ib study of tepotinib in pts with advanced HCC after failure of first-line sorafenib. Methods: Eligible pts were ≥18 years with advanced HCC, Child-Pugh Class A, ECOG PS 0-1, and progression after ≥4 weeks of sorafenib. Tepotinib doses of 300 and 500 mg/day on a 21-day cycle were explored to establish the recommended phase II dose (RP2D) of tepotinib. Secondary objectives included antitumor activity by RECIST v1.1, biochemical response, and safety. Results: Seventeen pts were enrolled: 4 pts received tepotinib 300 mg/day and 13 pts 500 mg/day, confirmed as the RP2D. Fourteen pts experienced treatment-related adverse events (TRAEs), the most frequent being peripheral edema (n = 5, 2 grade 3), lipase increase (2, 1 grade 3), acute kidney injury (2, 1 grade 3), renal impairment (2, 1 grade 3), fatigue (2), nausea (2), asthenia (2). One pt with peripheral edema permanently discontinued treatment. No grade ≥4 TRAEs and no dose-limiting toxicities (DLTs) were reported. The best overall response was partial response (PR) in 2 pts and stable disease (SD) in 4 pts. The duration of the PRs was 57 and 91 weeks. In the first of these pts, tumor size decreased by 55% and serum alfa-fetoprotein (AFP) levels had decreased from 15,923 μg/L at baseline to < 3,000 μg/L by day 15 of cycle 2 and remained at this level until progression. In the second pt, tumor size decreased by > 60% from baseline. No consistent change in AFP was seen in pts with SD. Median overall survival was 7.2 months (range 0.7–22.9 months). Conclusions: The RP2D of tepotinib as second-line therapy for pts with advanced HCC who progress after sorafenib treatment is 500 mg/day. Tepotinib was well tolerated at this dose and showed signs of activity. The ongoing phase II part of this trial is investigating the efficacy and safety of tepotinib 500 mg/day in pts with c-Met+ HCC. Clinical trial information: NCT02115373.


ISRN Oncology ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-5
Author(s):  
Aly M. Azmy ◽  
Khalid E. Nasr ◽  
Nagy S. Gobran ◽  
M. Yassin

Objectives. Assessment of gemcitabine/carboplatin combination in patients with advanced-stage hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in a phase II trial for safety and efficacy. Methods. Forty patients with previously untreated advanced-stage HCC were prospectively enrolled and subjected to gemcitabine/carboplatin regimen which consisted of gemcitabine 1000 mg/m2 on days 1 and 8, and carboplatin AUC 6 on day 1. The treatment was repeated every 3 weeks until disease progression or limiting toxicity. Results. Forty patients were assessable for efficacy and toxicity. In all, 276 treatment cycles were administered. No toxic deaths occurred. Hematological grade 3-4 toxicity consisted of thrombocytopenia (27% of patients) and neutropenia (24%), including 2 febrile neutropenia and anemia (9%). Grade 3 carboplatin-induced neurotoxicity was observed in 3 (9%) patients. ORR was 23% (95% CI, 0.10–0.29) with 9 partial responses and disease stabilization was observed in 46% (95% CI, 0.22–0.42) of patients, giving a disease control rate of 69%. Median progression-free and overall survival times were, respectively, 5 months (95% CI: 3–8 months) and 8 months (95% CI: 6–18 months). Conclusion. The gemcitabine/carboplatin regimen seems to be effective, well tolerated, and active in advanced HCC.


Author(s):  
Oronzo Brunetti ◽  
Antonio Gnoni ◽  
Antonella Licchetta ◽  
Vito Longo ◽  
Angela Calabrese ◽  
...  

Sorafenib is an oral kinase inhibitor that enhances survival in patients affected by advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). According to the results of two registrative trials, this drug represents a gold quality standard in the first line treatment of advanced HCC. Recently, lenvatinib showed similar results in terms of survival in a non-inferiority randomized trial study considering the same subset of patients. Unlike other targeted therapies, currently predictive and prognostic markers in HCC patients treated with sorafenib are lacking. Their identification could help clinicians in the daily management of these patients, mostly in light of the new therapeutic options available in the first.


2021 ◽  
Vol 39 (3_suppl) ◽  
pp. 272-272
Author(s):  
Changhoon Yoo ◽  
Jwa Hoon Kim ◽  
Min-Hee Ryu ◽  
Sook Ryun Park ◽  
Joycelyn Jie Xin Lee ◽  
...  

272 Background: Atezolizumab-bevacizumab is the new standard of care for first-line treatment of advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, the optimal sequence of therapy after disease progression on atezolizumab-bevacizumab is unclear. Methods: This multinational, multicenter, retrospective study assessed clinical outcomes of patients with advanced HCC who received subsequent systemic therapy after progression on atezolizumab-bevacizumab in Korea, Hong Kong and Singapore between July 2016 and April 2019. Results: A total of 49 patients were included; the median age was 60 years (range, 3780) and 73.5% were male. All patients were classified as Child-Pugh A and Barcelona-Clinic Liver Cancer stage C. Multikinase inhibitors (MKIs), including sorafenib (n = 29), lenvatinib (n = 19), and cabozantinib (n = 1), were used as second-line therapy for all patients. The objective response rate (ORR) and disease control rate (DCR) were 6.1% and 63.3%, respectively, in all patients. With a median follow-up duration of 11.0 months, median progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were 3.4 months (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.84.9) and 14.7 months (95% CI 8.121.2) in all patients. Median PFS with lenvatinib was significantly longer than that with sorafenib (6.1 months vs. 2.5 months; P= 0.004), although there was no significant difference in median OS (16.6 months vs. 11.2 months; P= 0.347). Treatment-related adverse events (TRAEs) of any grade and grade 3 occurred in 42 (85.7%) and 8 (16.3%) of patients. Common TRAEs included hand-foot syndrome (HFS) (n = 26, 53.1%), fatigue (n = 14, 28.6%), hypertension (n = 14, 28.6%), and diarrhea (n = 12, 24.5%). Conclusions: Second-line treatment with MKIs, mostly sorafenib and lenvatinib, showed comparable efficacy and manageable toxicities in patients with advanced HCC after disease progression on atezolizumab-bevacizumab.


Cancers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (9) ◽  
pp. 2164
Author(s):  
Amisha Singh ◽  
Ryan J. Beechinor ◽  
Jasmine C. Huynh ◽  
Daneng Li ◽  
Farshid Dayyani ◽  
...  

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the second most common cause of cancer death worldwide. HCC tumor development and treatment resistance are impacted by changes in the microenvironment of the hepatic immune system. Immunotherapy has the potential to improve response rates by overcoming immune tolerance mechanisms and strengthening anti-tumor activity in the tumor microenvironment. In this review, we characterize the impact of immunotherapy on outcomes of advanced HCC, as well as the active clinical trials evaluating novel combination immunotherapy strategies. In particular, we discuss the efficacy of atezolizumab and bevacizumab as demonstrated in the IMbrave150 study, which created a new standard of care for the front-line treatment of advanced HCC. However, there are multiple ongoing trials that may present additional front-line treatment options depending on their efficacy/toxicity results. Furthermore, the preliminary data on the application of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR-T) cell therapy for treatment of HCC suggests this may be a promising option for the future of advanced HCC treatment.


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