scholarly journals Combination of Sorafenib, Camrelizumab, Transcatheter Arterial Chemoembolization, and Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy as a Novel Downstaging Strategy in Advanced Hepatocellular Carcinoma With Portal Vein Tumor Thrombus: A Case Series Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yun Huang ◽  
Zeyu Zhang ◽  
Weijun Liao ◽  
Kuan Hu ◽  
Zhiming Wang

Background and AimAlthough the treatment effect and availability of therapeutic options for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) are limited, the downstaging strategy may improve patient prognosis. This study aimed to investigate the potential of combination therapy as a downstaging strategy for treating advanced HCC with portal vein tumor thrombus (PVTT).MethodsThis retrospective case series included patients having advanced HCC with PVTT, who received the combination therapy of sorafenib, camrelizumab, transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE), and stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) from January 2019 to December 2019 in Xiangya Hospital, Central South University. The downstaging rate, treatment responses, progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), disease control rate, and toxicities were evaluated.ResultsOf the 13 patients, HCC downstaging was achieved in 4 (33.3%) patients who later received hepatectomy. The overall response rate was 41.7%, and the disease control rate was 50.0%. The median PFS time was 15.7 months, with a 1-year PFS rate of 58.3%, whereas the median OS was not reached after 1 year (1-year OS, 83.3%). No severe adverse events or grade 3–4 adverse effect was observed in 12 of the 13 enrolled patients; therapy had to be discontinued in only one patient due to adverse events, who was excluded from the study. The most common adverse effect was fever (n = 4, 33.3%), followed by skin reaction (n = 3, 25%).ConclusionA combination therapy comprising sorafenib, camrelizumab, TACE, and SBRT is an effective downstaging strategy for advanced HCC with PVTT and is associated with few adverse events.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jian-Xu Li ◽  
Wen-Xiang Deng ◽  
Shi-Ting Huang ◽  
Xiao-Feng Lin ◽  
Mei-Ying Long ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: The combination of transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) plus sorafenib prolonged progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) than sorafenib or TACE monotherapy for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). This study assessed the efficacy and safety of radiotherapy (RT) plus monoclonal antibody against programmed cell death 1 (anti-PD1) versus TACE plus sorafenib for patients with advanced HCC.Methods: Patients with advanced HCC who treated with RT plus anti-PD1 and TACE plus sorafenib were enrolled. Objective response rate (ORR), PFS, disease control rate (DCR) and OS were calculated to assess the antitumor response and the treatment-related adverse events to the safety.Results: Between January 2018 to March 2021, 37 patients underwent RT plus anti-PD1 and 41 patients underwent TACE plus sorafenib. The baseline characteristics between the two groups were comparable. The ORR and DCR were significantly higher in the RT+PD1 group than the TACE plus sorafenib group according to RECIST 1.1 (54.05% vs 12.20%, P < 0.001; 70.27% vs 46.37%, P = 0.041; respectively) and according to mRECIST (56.76% vs 31.71%, P = 0.039; 70.27% vs 46.37%, P = 0.041; respectively). RT plus anti-PD1 provided significantly better PFS (HR, 0.51; 95% CI 0.30-0.86; p=0.017) than TACE plus sorafenib. Moreover, patients with RT plus anti-PD1 had significantly higher 3-, 6-, and 9-month OS rates than those with TACE plus sorafenib(97.3% vs 92.30%, P < 0.001; 91.89% vs 68.60%, P < 0.001; 75.5% vs 60.60%, P < 0.001; respectively). The median OS was more favorable 17.4 months for the RT+PD1 group and 11.9 months for the TACE plus sorafenib group. No treatment-related death was observed. Grade 3 or more treatment-related adverse events (TRAEs) occurred significantly less in patients in the RT+PD1 group than the TACE plus sorafenib group (29.7% vs 75.6%, p < 0.001), and all TRAEs were manageable.Conclusions: In this real-world study, RT plus anti-PD1 showed significantly promising efficacy and manageable safety than TACE plus sorafenib in patients with advanced HCC. Toxicities were manageable, with no unexpected safety signals. The study provides evidence on a new therapeutic method in the treatment of advanced HCC.


2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Zhaonan Li ◽  
Quanjing Chen ◽  
Wenguang Zhang ◽  
Guangyan Si ◽  
Jing Li ◽  
...  

Purpose. The goal of this study was to assess the clinical efficacy and safety of the arsenic trioxide (ATO)/lipiodol emulsion in the transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) combined with apatinib in the treatment of advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Methods. From December 2015 to February 2017, a total of 87 patients were consecutively enrolled and underwent ATO-TACE (aTACE) combined with apatinib in the treatment of advanced HCC. The treatment response and adverse events were assessed at the first month and third month after aTACE therapy. Progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), and treatment-related adverse events were also analyzed. Results. 87 patients (57 men; 30 women) were enrolled in the present study. Compared to that at the pre-aTACE examination, the levels of AST and ALT were elevated at the first week after procedure (65.84 U/L ± 22.93 U/L vs. 54.15 U/L ± 19.60 U/L, p = 0.032 ; 63.44 U/L ± 22.50 U/L vs. 51.60 U/L ± 13.89 U/L, p = 0.027 , respectively). Most of the adverse events were grade 1 or 2 according to National Cancer Institute Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Event (CTCAE). Of the exception, 4 persons (2%) did have grade 3 hand-foot skin reactions, 1 (1%) had grade 3 diarrhea, 1 (1%) had grade 3 hypertension, and 3 (3%) had grade 3 proteinuria and forced to reduce the dose of apatinib by half. The survival analysis of the combination with aTACE and apatinib therapy found that the median PFS was 10.2 months (95% CI: 8.543–11.857), and the median OS was 23.300 months (95% CI: 20.833–25.767). Additionally, both univariate and multivariate Cox regression revealed that the tumor burden (≤50%) and the patients without portal vein tumor thrombus (PVTT) significantly impacted the patient’s PFS and OS and were related to better survival. Conclusion. aTACE combined with apatinib is a safe and promising treatment approach for patients with advanced HCC. Additionally, tumor burden (≤50%) and the patients without PVTT are associated with better PFS and OS.


2020 ◽  
Vol 38 (15_suppl) ◽  
pp. e15504-e15504
Author(s):  
Wei Zhang ◽  
Zhiping Yan

e15504 Background: Effective options for patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) are urgently needed. Studies have shown that combination of sorafenib with TACE could imorove survival for the treatment of locoregional HCCs. Apatinib is a novel and highly selective inhibitor of VEGFR2 tyrosine kinase. We were aiming to explore the efficacy and safety of apatinib combined with TACE in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma refractory to transcatheter arterial chemoembolization. Methods: This was a single-center single-arm phase 2 study. The key inclusion criteria included: (1) Histologicaly and cytologicaly diagnosed as Hepatocellular carcinoma of the liver ( HCC ) and with at least one imaging examination of measurable lesions, CT or MR scan long diameter of tumor ≥ 10 mm. (2) BCLC B / C; (3) Progressed after at least twice TACE. Eligible pts received apatinib at 500 mg/day for a maximum after TACE 4-7 days, and TACE treatment was performed after 4 days of discontinuation of apatinib until unacceptable toxicity or tumor recurrence. The primary endpoint was time to progression (TTP), which was defined as the time from enrollment to disease progression. The secondary endpoint was overall survival (OS) and treatment safety. Results: From May 27, 2018 to Oct 12, 2019, 22 pts wereenrolled. 5 pts received TACE more than 5 times, and 17 pts received TACE within 4 times. For 20 evaluable pts, two pts achieved partial response (10%), and 13 patients achieved stable disease. The ORR and DCR were 10% and 75%, respectively. At the cutoff data of Nov 4, 2019, 5 pts were still on treatment. 16 recurrenced and 5 death occurred. The mTTP was 5.09 months (95% CI, 3.48-7.16), and the mOS was not reached. Treatment-related adverse events occurred in 12 pts (60%). Seven grade 3 or 4 adverse events were reported (35%), respectively wereascites (2), platelet count decrease (1), elevated ALT/AST (1), hypertension (1), proteinuria (1) and nausea (1). None of the treatment related AEs was fatal. Conclusions: Apatinib combined with TACE might be effective and tolerant in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma refractory to transcatheter arterial chemoembolization. Clinical trial information: NCT03510416.


2021 ◽  
pp. 224-231
Author(s):  
Richard T. Lee ◽  
Peiying Yang ◽  
Asrar Alahmadi ◽  
Jennifer McQuade ◽  
Eric Yuan ◽  
...  

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the fourth leading cause of death from cancer worldwide, and for advanced HCC the prognosis is poor. Preliminary studies indicate mistletoe extracts may have anticancer activity for HCC. Methods: A prospective observational case series of advanced HCC patients that chose to take a mistletoe extract called viscum fraxini-2 (VF-2) alone for treatment. Time on treatment, imaging, and laboratory values were collected for descriptive analyses. Results: A total of 12 patients with advanced HCC enrolled onto the protocol, and 10 patients had data available for evaluation. The majority were male (10/12) with a median age of 64 (SD 11). Most patients had received sorafenib therapy (9/12) and had varying Child-Pugh classes (A-4, B-6, C-2). Treatment with VF-2 ranged from 1 to 36 weeks with a mean of 12.3 weeks (SD 12). Six patients received 8 weeks of treatment, and 3 patients received 12 or more weeks of treatment. For patients that received at least 4 weeks of treatment, the average AFP value stabilized during the first 4 weeks of treatment. Two patients experienced an AFP decrease of >30%, approximately 37 and 40% decreases at the nadir. One patient had stable disease of 9 months. Major side effects were fever, fatigue, rash, and local injection site reaction of swelling, redness, and tenderness. Conclusion: This case series of advanced HCC indicates that mistletoe extract VF-2 may have potential biological activity against HCC for selected patients. Research is needed to identify the active compound and predictive markers of response.


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