scholarly journals Systemic treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma: from sorafenib to combination therapies

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. HEP20
Author(s):  
Christoph Roderburg ◽  
Burcin Özdirik ◽  
Alexander Wree ◽  
Münevver Demir ◽  
Frank Tacke
Keyword(s):  
Hepatocellular Carcinoma ◽  
Kinase Inhibitor ◽  
Systemic Treatment ◽  
Checkpoint Inhibitors ◽  
Treatment Strategies ◽  
Predictive Biomarkers ◽  
Current Data ◽  
Advanced Hepatocellular Carcinoma ◽  
Combination Therapies ◽  
Current Standard

For almost a decade, systemic therapy of advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) was limited to the tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) sorafenib. Different agents including checkpoint inhibitors, TKIs and anti-VEGFR antibodies demonstrated efficacy in treatment. For the first time, the combination of atezolizumab and bevacizumab, a first-line treatment that is superior to the current standard was identified, potentially changing the way we treat HCC. In this review, we summarize current data on systemic treatment of patients with advanced HCC, focusing on combination therapies comprising immune checkpoint inhibitors, TKIs and locoregional therapies. We elucidate findings from recent trials and discuss such challenges as the lack of predictive biomarkers for identification of subgroups that will benefit from novel treatment strategies.

scholarly journals Cabozantinib in combination with atezolizumab versus sorafenib in treatment-naive advanced hepatocellular carcinoma: COSMIC-312 Phase III study design

2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (21) ◽  
pp. 1525-1536 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robin Kate Kelley ◽  
Jennifer W Oliver ◽  
Saswati Hazra ◽  
Fawzi Benzaghou ◽  
Thomas Yau ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hepatocellular Carcinoma ◽  
Kinase Inhibitor ◽  
Checkpoint Inhibitors ◽  
Single Agent ◽  
Phase Iii ◽  
Advanced Hepatocellular Carcinoma ◽  
Single Agent Therapy ◽  
Treatment Naïve ◽  
Phase Iii Study ◽  
Immunomodulatory Properties

Cabozantinib is an oral tyrosine kinase inhibitor that targets VEGFR, MET and the TAM (TYRO3, AXL, MER) family of kinase receptors. In addition to their role in tumor growth and angiogenesis, cabozantinib targets promote an immune-suppressive microenvironment. Cabozantinib is approved as single-agent therapy for patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma who received prior sorafenib. Owing to its antitumor and immunomodulatory properties, cabozantinib is being developed in combination with immune checkpoint inhibitors. Early studies of these combinations have shown promising antitumor activity and tolerability in patients with solid tumors. Here, we describe the rationale and design of COSMIC-312, a Phase III study evaluating the safety and efficacy of cabozantinib in combination with atezolizumab (anti–PD-L1 monoclonal antibody) versus sorafenib for treatment-naive patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma. ClinicalTrial.gov Registration: NCT03755791

scholarly journals Clinical Benefits of Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors and Predictive Value of Tumor Mutation Burden in Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiaxi Zheng ◽  
◽  
Haihua Yang
Keyword(s):  
Hepatocellular Carcinoma ◽  
Clinical Trials ◽  
Clinical Outcomes ◽  
Immune Checkpoint ◽  
Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors ◽  
Kinase Inhibitor ◽  
Checkpoint Inhibitors ◽  
Advanced Hepatocellular Carcinoma ◽  
Tumor Mutation Burden ◽  
Mutation Burden

Review question / Objective: Is immunotherapy associated with beneficial clinical outcomes for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and how can combination immunotherapy be deployed to produce the best benefit? Is tumor mutation burden (TMB) a predictive biomarker for immune‐checkpoint inhibitors? Condition being studied: To this date, about 50 single-arm clinical trials and several randomized control trials (RCTs) presented final or interim results of investigations on the efficacy of PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors for advanced HCC. In the CheckMate 459, IMbrave 050, and ORIENT-32, immunotherapies were found to significantly improve progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) compared with sorafenib (a tyrosine-kinase inhibitor, as standard systemic treatment) in patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma. However, these clinical trials were different on clinical phases, sample size, and response evaluation criteria, and inconsistent clinical outcomes were shown in several trials.

scholarly journals Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors in Hepatocellular Carcinoma: An Overview

2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 3
Author(s):  
Diederick J. van Doorn ◽  
Robert Bart Takkenberg ◽  
Heinz-Josef Klümpen
Keyword(s):  
Hepatocellular Carcinoma ◽  
Immune Checkpoint ◽  
Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors ◽  
Systemic Treatment ◽  
Checkpoint Inhibitors ◽  
Phase 1 ◽  
Standard Of Care ◽  
Therapeutic Options ◽  
Current Standard ◽  
Systemic Treatments

Patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) face a common type of cancer, which is amongst the most deadly types of cancer worldwide. The therapeutic options range from curative resection or ablation to loco regional therapies in palliative setting and last but not least, systemic treatment. The latter group underwent major changes in the last decade and a half. Since the introduction of sorafenib in 2007, many other systemic treatments have been investigated. Most without success. It took more than ten years before lenvatinib could be added as alternative first-line treatment option. Just recently a new form of systemic treatment, immunotherapy, entered the field of therapeutic options in patients with HCC. Immune checkpoint inhibitors are becoming the new standard of care in patients with HCC. Several reviews reported on the latest phase 1/2 studies and discussed the higher response rates and better tolerability when compared to current standard of care therapies. This review will focus on elaborating the working mechanism of these checkpoint inhibitors, give an elaborate update of the therapeutic agents that are currently available or under research, and will give an overview of the latest trials, as well as ongoing and upcoming trials.

scholarly journals Infiltrative hepatocellular carcinoma with multiple lung metastasis completely cured using nivolumab: a case report

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 169-176
Author(s):  
Ji Eun Han ◽  
Hyo Jung Cho ◽  
Soon Sun Kim ◽  
Jae Youn Cheong
Keyword(s):  
Hepatocellular Carcinoma ◽  
Lung Metastasis ◽  
Kinase Inhibitor ◽  
Checkpoint Inhibitors ◽  
Rescue Therapy ◽  
Advanced Hepatocellular Carcinoma ◽  
Sorafenib Treatment ◽  
Advanced Hcc ◽  
Infusion Chemotherapy ◽  
Systemic Treatments

The current Food and Drug Administration-approved systemic treatments for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) include multikinase inhibitors (tyrosine kinase inhibitor [TKI]) and immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs). Among ICIs, nivolumab is used as secondline therapy for advanced HCC after sorafenib failure or patient intolerance. In this case, a patient with infiltrative HCC and portal vein tumor thrombosis was treated with hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy (HAIC) and radiation therapy. New lung metastasis developed after HAICs; thus, lenvatinib treatment was initiated. However, the disease progressed. Thereafter, sorafenib treatment was initiated but he developed intolerance, with grade 3 sorafenib-related diarrhea. Subsequently, nivolumab was administered as rescue therapy. He demonstrated a partial response to nivolumab after the third treatment and viable HCCs in the lungs and liver completely disappeared after the 24th treatment. These findings suggest that nivolumab could be used as an effective rescue therapy for advanced HCC progression after TKI treatment.

scholarly journals Biomarkers and Future Perspectives for Hepatocellular Carcinoma Immunotherapy

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuqing He ◽  
Mengyao Lu ◽  
Jing Che ◽  
Qian Chu ◽  
Peng Zhang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hepatocellular Carcinoma ◽  
Antitumor Immunity ◽  
Malignant Disease ◽  
Checkpoint Inhibitors ◽  
Rapid Development ◽  
Treatment Options ◽  
Hepatocellular Cancer ◽  
Predictive Biomarkers ◽  
Basic Research ◽  
Advanced Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Hepatocellular cancer is the sixth most frequently diagnosed malignant disease worldwide, and was responsible for tens of millions of deaths in 2020; however, treatment options for patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma remain limited. Immunotherapy has undergone rapid development over recent years, especially in the field of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs). These drugs aim to activate and enhance antitumor immunity and represent a new prospect for the treatment of patients with advanced cancer. Nevertheless, only a small proportion of liver cancer patients currently benefit from ICI-based treatment, highlighting the need to better understand how ICIs and tumors interact, as well as identify predictive biomarkers for immunotherapeutic responses. In this review, we highlight clinical trials and basic research in hepatocellular carcinoma, with a particular focus on predictive biomarkers for the therapeutic efficacy of ICIs. Predictive biomarkers for immune-related adverse events are also discussed.

scholarly journals Ipilimumab and nivolumab/pembrolizumab in advanced hepatocellular carcinoma refractory to prior immune checkpoint inhibitors

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. e001945 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey Sum Lung Wong ◽  
Gerry Gin Wai Kwok ◽  
Vikki Tang ◽  
Bryan Cho Wing Li ◽  
Roland Leung ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hepatocellular Carcinoma ◽  
Immune Checkpoint ◽  
Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors ◽  
Checkpoint Inhibitors ◽  
Objective Response ◽  
Acquired Resistance ◽  
Survival Rates ◽  
Advanced Hepatocellular Carcinoma ◽  
Primary Resistance ◽  
Advanced Hcc

BackgroundProgrammed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) pathway blockade with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) is a standard therapy in advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) nowadays. No strategies to overcome ICI resistance have been described. We aimed to evaluate the use of ipilimumab and anti-PD-1 ICIs (nivolumab or pembrolizumab) combinations in patients with advanced HCC with progression on prior ICIs.MethodsPatients with advanced HCC with documented tumor progression on prior ICIs and subsequently received ipilimumab with nivolumab/pembrolizumab were analyzed. Objective response rate (ORR), median duration of response (DOR), time-to-progression (TTP), overall survival (OS), and treatment-related adverse events (TRAEs) were assessed.ResultsTwenty-five patients were included. The median age was 62 (range: 51–83). About 68% were of Child-Pugh (CP) Grade A and 48% had primary resistance to prior ICI. At median follow-up of 37.7 months, the ORR was 16% with a median DOR of 11.5 months (range: 2.76–30.3). Three patients achieved complete response. The median TTP was 2.96 months (95% CI: 1.61 to 4.31). Median OS was 10.9 months (95% CI: 3.99 to 17.8) and the 1 year, 2 year and 3 year survival rates were 42.4%, 32.3% and 21.6%, respectively. The ORR was 16.7% in primary resistance group and 15.4% in acquired resistance group (p=1.00). All responders were of CP A and Albumin-Bilirubin (ALBI) Grade 1 or 2. CP and ALBI Grades were significantly associated with OS (p=0.006 and p<0.001, respectively). Overall, 52% of patients experienced TRAEs and 12% experienced Grade 3 or above TRAEs.ConclusionsIpilimumab and nivolumab/pembrolizumab can achieve durable antitumor activity and encouraging survival outcomes with acceptable toxicity in patients with advanced HCC who had prior treatment with ICIs.

scholarly journals Avelumab in Combination with Axitinib as First-Line Treatment in Patients with Advanced Hepatocellular Carcinoma: Results from the Phase 1b VEGF Liver 100 Trial

Liver Cancer ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Masatoshi Kudo ◽  
Kenta Motomura ◽  
Yoshiyuki Wada ◽  
Yoshitaka Inaba ◽  
Yasunari Sakamoto ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hepatocellular Carcinoma ◽  
Kinase Inhibitor ◽  
Group Performance ◽  
Objective Response ◽  
Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group ◽  
Clinical Activity ◽  
Advanced Hepatocellular Carcinoma ◽  
Recist 1.1 ◽  
Phase 1B ◽  
Grade 3

<b><i>Introduction:</i></b> Combining an immune checkpoint inhibitor with a targeted antiangiogenic agent may leverage complementary mechanisms of action for the treatment of advanced/metastatic hepatocellular carcinoma (aHCC). Avelumab is a human anti-PD-L1 IgG1 antibody with clinical activity in various tumor types; axitinib is a selective tyrosine kinase inhibitor of vascular endothelial growth factor receptors 1, 2, and 3. We report the final analysis from VEGF Liver 100 (NCT03289533), a phase 1b study evaluating safety and efficacy of avelumab plus axitinib in treatment-naive patients with aHCC. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> Eligible patients had confirmed aHCC, no prior systemic therapy, ≥1 measurable lesion, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status ≤1, and Child-Pugh class A disease. Patients received avelumab 10 mg/kg intravenously every 2 weeks plus axitinib 5 mg orally twice daily until progression, unacceptable toxicity, or withdrawal. Endpoints included safety and investigator-assessed objective response per Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST) 1.1 and modified RECIST (mRECIST) for HCC. <b><i>Results:</i></b> Twenty-two Japanese patients were enrolled and treated with avelumab plus axitinib. The minimum follow-up was 18 months as of October 25, 2019 (data cutoff). Grade 3 treatment-related adverse events (TRAEs) occurred in 16 patients (72.7%); the most common (≥3 patients) were hypertension (<i>n</i> = 11 [50.0%]), palmar-plantar erythrodysesthesia syndrome (<i>n</i> = 5 [22.7%]), and decreased appetite (<i>n</i> = 3 [13.6%]). No grade 4 TRAEs or treatment-related deaths occurred. Ten patients (45.5%) had an immune-related AE (irAE) of any grade; 3 patients (13.6%) had an infusion-related reaction (IRR) of any grade, and no grade ≥3 irAE and IRR were observed. The objective response rate was 13.6% (95% CI: 2.9–34.9%) per RECIST 1.1 and 31.8% (95% CI: 13.9–54.9%) per mRECIST for HCC. <b><i>Conclusion:</i></b> Treatment with avelumab plus axitinib was associated with a manageable toxicity profile and showed antitumor activity in patients with aHCC.

Clinical Outcomes of 2nd- and 3rd-Line Regorafenib for Advanced Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Oncology ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Kensuke Naruto ◽  
Tomokazu Kawaoka ◽  
Kei Amioka ◽  
Yutaro Ogawa ◽  
Kikukawa Chihiro ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hepatocellular Carcinoma ◽  
Clinical Outcomes ◽  
Median Overall Survival ◽  
Response Rate ◽  
Kinase Inhibitor ◽  
Progression Free Survival ◽  
Advanced Hepatocellular Carcinoma ◽  
Free Survival ◽  
Line Therapy ◽  
Unresectable Hepatocellular Carcinoma

<b><i>Introduction:</i></b> This study compared clinical outcomes of 2nd- and 3rd-line regorafenib in patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> In this retrospective cohort study, 48 patients were treated with regorafenib for unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma. Thirty-five and 13 patients were initiated on 2nd- and 3rd-line therapy, respectively. We assessed the responses to and safety of the therapy. <b><i>Results:</i></b> There were no statistically significant differences in clinical characteristics at the start of 2nd- or 3rd-line regorafenib therapy. The overall response rate of 2nd- and 3rd-line regorafenib was 20 and 8%, respectively. The disease control rate was 57 and 54%, respectively. Median overall survival (mOS) from the start of 2nd-line regorafenib was 17.5 months. mOS from the start of 3rd-line regorafenib was not obtained. Median progression-free survival of 2nd- and 3rd-line regorafenib was 4.9 and 2.3 months, respectively. mOS from 1st-line therapy with tyrosine kinase inhibitor plus sorafenib-regorafenib-lenvatinib was 29.5 months; that with lenvatinib-sorafenib-regorafenib was not obtained. Patients on 3rd-line therapy tended to have better Child-Pugh scores and tumor factors at the start of 1st-line therapy than other patients. <b><i>Conclusion:</i></b> Patients on 2nd- and 3rd-line regorafenib showed favorable responses. Good Child-Pugh scores and tumor factors may be associated with a better response rate and OS.

scholarly journals Transarterial Radioembolization Treatment of Advanced Hepatocellular Carcinoma Invading the Right Atrium

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-4
Author(s):  
Kabalane Yammine ◽  
◽  
Sarah Khalife ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Hepatocellular Carcinoma ◽  
Inferior Vena Cava ◽  
Right Atrium ◽  
Tumor Thrombus ◽  
Inferior Vena ◽  
Vena Cava ◽  
Treatment Strategies ◽  
Complete Response ◽  
Advanced Hepatocellular Carcinoma ◽  
The Right

Tumor thrombus infiltration of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) into the inferior vena cava and right atrium is rare and is associated with a poor prognosis due to the critical location of the tumor and the limited efficiency of the available treatment strategies. In this study, we report the case of a patient with advanced HCC and tumor thrombus in the inferior vena cava and right atrium who demonstrated complete response with mass retraction upon Yttrium-90 trans-arterial radioembolization (90Y- TARE) therapy. Throughout the 16 months follow-ups after the radioembolization, the patient was free of any complications, revealing no occurrence of radiation-induced pneumonitis or tumor recurrence.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document