scholarly journals Safety of PD-1/PD-L1 Inhibitors Combined With Palliative Radiotherapy and Anti-Angiogenic Therapy in Advanced Hepatocellular Carcinoma

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liting Zhong ◽  
Dehua Wu ◽  
Weiwei Peng ◽  
Hailong Sheng ◽  
Yazhi Xiao ◽  
...  

BackgroundPrevious studies have explored cancer immunotherapy with radiotherapy or anti-angiogenic therapy, but no trials have reported a triple therapy approach. This study aimed to investigate safety and clinical outcome of PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors combined with palliative radiotherapy and targeted angiogenesis therapy in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) of Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) stage C.MethodsConsecutive patients (n=16) treated with PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors combined with radiotherapy and anti-angiogenic therapy in a bi-institutional cohort between July 2017 and December 2020 were retrospectively included. Radiotherapy was conducted within 14 days of the first administration of immunotherapy. The primary endpoint was treatment-related adverse event (TRAE).ResultsThe median follow-up was 383 days. Fifteen patients (93.8%) experienced at least 1 TRAE. The most common TRAEs of any grade were rash (25%), diarrhea (25%), aspartate aminotransferase increase (18.8%), alanine transaminase increase (18.8%), decreased appetite (18.8%), and fatigue (18.8%). Grade 3/4 TRAEs occurred in 4 patients (25%) and finally led to treatment interruption. No patient death was attributed to treatment. No specific events were responsible for the addition of radiotherapy. Six patients showed partial response, 7 showed stable disease, and 2 showed progressive disease. The objective response rate and disease control rate were 40.0% (95% CI 16.3%–67.7%) and 86.7% (95% CI 59.5%–98.3%), respectively. Moreover, the median progression-free survival was 140 days. Patients had a median overall survival of 637 days, and the estimated rates of survival at 6 and 12 months were 92.3% and 75.5%, respectively.ConclusionPD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors combined with palliative radiotherapy and anti-angiogenic therapy appear to be safe, with no unexpected adverse events. Additional studies exploring the clinical benefit are warranted.

2017 ◽  
Vol 35 (6) ◽  
pp. 611-617 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kazuomi Ueshima ◽  
Naoshi Nishida ◽  
Masatoshi Kudo

Objectives: Previously, no therapeutic agent has been known to improve the overall survival compared with placebo in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), who have progressed after sorafenib. In this patient population, regorafenib was first demonstrated to confer a survival benefit in the RESORCE trial, and subsequently it was approved as a second-line treatment for patients with advanced HCC. An open-label expanded access program (EAP) of regorafenib was implemented for compassionate use. We investigated the efficacy and safety of regorafenib based on our experience of the RESORCE trial and the EAP. Methods: Data from 5 patients from the RESORCE trial and 6 from the EAP were analyzed retrospectively. All patients had tolerated prior sorafenib and were progressing during sorafenib treatment. Results: The median progression-free survival was 9.2 months (95% CI 2.3-16.1). One patient achieved a partial response and 7 achieved stable disease. The objective response rate was 9.1%, and the disease control rate was 72.7%. No treatment-associated mortalities were observed. Grade 3 hypophosphatemia was observed in 2 patients, grade 2 anorexia was observed in 5 patients, and grade 3 neutropenia was observed in 2 patients. Grade 2 and grade 3 thrombocytopenia were observed in 2 and 3 patients, respectively. All treatment-related adverse events were improved by reduction or interruption of regorafenib. Five patients showed decreased serum albumin levels. Conclusion: Sorafenib and regorafenib sequential therapy presents a safe and effective treatment option for patients with advanced HCC.


2011 ◽  
Vol 29 (4_suppl) ◽  
pp. 339-339
Author(s):  
S. Lee ◽  
S. Yoon ◽  
S. Shin ◽  
H. Choi

339 Background: Prior to the sorafenib era, most of the advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients had to rely only on conventional cytotoxic chemotherapy. But the introduction of sorafenib in 2008 had given HCC patients additional option for their treatment. However, given that sorafenib has been a nonreimbursable drug under the Korea public health system, most of treatment strategy has largely been determined by patients' affordability of the drug rather than by difference in efficacy and toxicity of the two treatments. Therefore, we compared the efficacy and toxicity of the two treatments by observing HCC patients. Methods: From January 2002 to December 2009, 173 patients with unresectable HCC had been retrospectively analyzed. Among them, 44 (25.4%) had been treated with sorafenib and the remaining had received cytotoxic chemotherapy. We evaluated objective response rate (ORR), progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), and toxicity profiles. Results: The median OS of sorafenib group was 23.0 weeks (95% CI, 8.1-37.9) vs. 43.6 weeks (95% CI, 34.0-37.9) for cytotoxic chemotherapy group. The median PFS for sorafenib group was 11.1 weeks (95% CI, 6.5-15.8) versus 12.4 weeks (95% CI, 8.1-16.7) for cytotoxic chemotherapy group. However, the difference in both findings had not been statistically significant (p=0.105 and p=0.496, respectively). ORR and DCR for sorafenib group were 2.3% and 52.3% versus 6.2% and 43.4% for cytotoxic chemotherapy group, respectively. Patients treated with chemotherapy had shown higher frequencies of grade 3 or 4 neutropenia, 19.7%, (vs. 0% for sorafenib). However, the group with sorafenib had reported a higher rate of all grade dermatologic toxicities such as hand-foot skin reaction, rash and pruritus. Conclusions: Our analysis indicates that efficacy of conventional chemotherapy is not inferior to that of sorafenib. Further research including novel target agent and cytotoxic chemotherapy is needed to improve clinical outcomes for advanced HCC. No significant financial relationships to disclose.


2019 ◽  
Vol 37 (15_suppl) ◽  
pp. 4072-4072 ◽  
Author(s):  
Masatoshi Kudo ◽  
Kenta Motomura ◽  
Yoshiyuki Wada ◽  
Yoshitaka Inaba ◽  
Yasunari Sakamoto ◽  
...  

4072 Background: Combining an immune checkpoint inhibitor with a targeted antiangiogenic agent may leverage complementary mechanisms of action for treatment of advanced/metastatic (a/m) hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Avelumab is a human anti–PD-L1 IgG1 antibody with clinical activity in various tumor types; axitinib is a tyrosine kinase inhibitor selective for VEGF receptors 1/2/3. VEGF Liver 100 (NCT03289533) is a phase 1b study evaluating safety and efficacy of avelumab + axitinib in treatment-naive patients (pts) with HCC; interim results are reported here. Methods: Eligible pts had confirmed a/m HCC, ≥1 measurable lesion, a fresh or archival tumor specimen, ECOG PS ≤1, and Child-Pugh class A. Pts received avelumab 10 mg/kg IV Q2W + axitinib 5 mg orally BID until progression, unacceptable toxicity, or withdrawal. Endpoints included safety and objective response (RECIST v1.1; modified [m] RECIST for HCC). Results: Interim assessment was performed after a minimum follow up of 6 months based on the released study data set (clinical cut-off date: Aug 1, 2018). As of the cut-off date, 22 pts (median age: 68.5 y) were treated with avelumab (median: 20.0 wk) and axitinib (median: 19.9 wk). The most common grade 3 treatment-related adverse events (TRAEs) (≥10% of patients) were hypertension (50.0%) and hand-foot syndrome (22.7%); no grade 4/5 TRAEs were reported. Immune-related AEs (irAEs) (≥10% of pts) were hypothyroidism (31.8%) and hyperthyroidism (13.6%). No grade ≥3 irAEs were reported; no pts discontinued treatment due to TRAEs or irAEs. Based on Waterfall plot calculations, tumor shrinkage was observed in 15 (68.2%) and 16 (72.7%) pts by RECIST and mRECIST, respectively. ORR was 13.6% (95% CI, 2.9%-34.9%) and 31.8% (95% CI, 13.9%-54.9%) by RECIST and mRECIST, respectively. OS data were immature at data cutoff. Conclusions: The preliminary safety of avelumab + axitinib in HCC is manageable and consistent with the known safety profiles of avelumab and axitinib when administered as monotherapies. This study demonstrates antitumor activity of the combination in HCC. Follow-up is ongoing. Clinical trial information: NCT03289533. [Table: see text]


2015 ◽  
Vol 33 (6) ◽  
pp. 728-734 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tadaaki Arizumi ◽  
Kazuomi Ueshima ◽  
Mina Iwanishi ◽  
Hirokazu Chishina ◽  
Masashi Kono ◽  
...  

Objectives: Sorafenib has become a standard therapy for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma following the demonstration of significant increase in progression-free survival as well as overall survival (OS) in the 2-phase III trials. We examined efficacy and adverse events (AEs) in patients treated with sorafenib over a 6-year period since approval in Japan. Methods: Two hundred and forty-one patients treated with sorafenib at the Kinki University Hospital were retrospectively analyzed clinically for the factors related to survival periods, tumor response evaluated by the Response Evaluation Criteria In Cancer of the Liver (RECICL) and AEs. Results: OS was 14.3 months. According to the RECICL, the objective response and disease control rates were 18.6% (43 of 241) and 61.1% (137 of 241), respectively. AEs were seen in 77.3% (187 of 241), with Grade 3 or higher in 23.6% (57 of 241). The most frequent AE was hand-foot skin reaction in 109 patients (45.0%), and 28 patients (11.8%) showed Grade 3 or higher. Significant factors contributing to the OS were treatment duration (p = 0.0204), up-to-7 criteria (p = 0.0400), increase of Child-Pugh score (p = 0.0008) and tumor response determined by the RECICL (p = 0.0007). Conclusion: Based on the analysis, using many cases at a single center, we concluded that continuation of treatment with sorafenib for ≥90 days without decrease of liver function was critical if tumor response was determined as stable disease or higher.


2006 ◽  
Vol 24 (12) ◽  
pp. 1898-1903 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew X. Zhu ◽  
Lawrence S. Blaszkowsky ◽  
David P. Ryan ◽  
Jeffrey W. Clark ◽  
Alona Muzikansky ◽  
...  

Purpose Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a vascular tumor with poor prognosis. Given the reported activity of gemcitabine and oxaliplatin (GEMOX) in HCC and the potential benefits of targeting the vascular endothelial growth factor pathway with bevacizumab (B), a phase II study of GEMOX-B was undertaken to define efficacy and toxicity profiles in HCC patients. Patients and Methods Eligible patients had pathologically proven measurable unresectable or metastatic HCC. For cycle 1 (14 days), bevacizumab 10 mg/kg was administered alone intravenously on day 1. For cycle 2 and beyond (28 days/cycle), bevacizumab 10 mg/kg was administered on days 1 and 15, gemcitabine 1,000 mg/m2 was administered as a dose rate infusion at 10 mg/m2/min followed by oxaliplatin at 85 mg/m2 on days 2 and 16. Results Thirty-three patients were enrolled and 30 patients were assessable for efficacy. The objective response rate was 20%, and 27% of patients had stable disease. Median overall survival was 9.6 months (95% CI, 8.0 months to not available) and median progression-free survival (PFS) was 5.3 months (95% CI, 3.7 to 8.7 months); the PFS rate at 3 and 6 months was 70% (95% CI, 54% to 85%) and 48% (95% CI, 31% to 65%), respectively. The most common treatment-related grade 3 to 4 toxicities included leukopenia/neutropenia, transient elevation of aminotransferases, hypertension, and fatigue. Conclusion GEMOX-B could be safely administered with close monitoring and had moderate antitumor activity for patients with advanced HCC. The high 6-month PFS rate is encouraging, and this regimen is worthy of further investigation.


Liver Cancer ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Masatoshi Kudo ◽  
Ho Yeong Lim ◽  
Ann-Lii Cheng ◽  
Yee Chao ◽  
Thomas Yau ◽  
...  

<b><i>Introduction:</i></b> KEYNOTE-240 investigated the efficacy and safety of pembrolizumab plus best supportive care (BSC) in sorafenib-treated patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Results for the subgroup of patients from Asia are described. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> Adults with advanced HCC previously treated with sorafenib were randomized 2:1 to pembrolizumab or placebo plus BSC. Here, the Asian subgroup comprised patients enrolled in Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Thailand. Primary endpoints were progression-free survival (PFS) per blinded central imaging review and overall survival (OS). Secondary endpoints included objective response rate (ORR) per blinded central imaging review, duration of response (DOR), and safety. <b><i>Results:</i></b> The Asian subgroup included 157 patients. As of January 2, 2019, the median follow-up in this subgroup was 13.8 months for pembrolizumab and 8.3 months for placebo. The median PFS was 2.8 months for pembrolizumab (95% confidence interval [CI] 2.6–4.1) versus 1.4 months (95% CI 1.4–2.4) for placebo (hazard ratio [HR] 0.48; 95% CI 0.32–0.70). The median OS was 13.8 months (95% CI 10.1–16.9) for pembrolizumab versus 8.3 months (95% CI 6.3–11.8) for placebo (HR 0.55; 95% CI 0.37–0.80). ORR was 20.6% (95% CI 13.4–29.5) for pembrolizumab versus 2.0% (95% CI 0.1–10.6) for placebo (difference: 18.5%; 95% CI 8.3–27.6). The median DOR was 8.6 and 2.8 months for pembrolizumab and placebo, respectively. Any grade treatment-related adverse events (TRAEs) occurred in 63 patients (58.9%) receiving pembrolizumab and 24 patients (48.0%) receiving placebo; 14 (13.1%) and 2 (4.0%) patients experienced grade 3–5 TRAEs, respectively. No treatment-related deaths occurred. <b><i>Conclusion:</i></b> Pembrolizumab demonstrated antitumor activity and was well tolerated in the Asian subgroup of KEYNOTE-240. A trend toward greater benefit with pembrolizumab in the Asian subgroup was observed compared with the overall cohort, supporting further evaluation of pembrolizumab treatment in this population.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Changchen Jiang ◽  
Shenghua Jing ◽  
Han Zhou ◽  
Aomei Li ◽  
Xiangnan Qiu ◽  
...  

PurposeThis study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of trans-arterial chemoembolization (TACE) followed by stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) in treating Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) stage B hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) not amenable to resection and radiofrequency ablation (RFA).MethodsFrom February 2012 to January 2017, a total of 57 BCLC stage B HCC patients who were unsuitable candidates for resection and RFA treated with TACE combined with CyberKnife SBRT were included in this retrospective study. Patients underwent TACE for a median of two times (1–5 times) before SBRT. SBRT prescription doses ranged from 30 Gy to 50 Gy in 3–5 fractions.ResultsThe median follow-up time was 42 months. The objective response rate (CR + PR) was 85.9%, and the disease control rate (CR + PR + SD) was 96.5%. The local control (LC) rates were 91.1% and 84.3% at 1 and 2 years, respectively. The 1-, 2-, 3-year overall survival (OS) and the median survival time were 73.2%, 51.4%, 32.4% and 26.6 months, respectively. The 1-, 2-, and 3-year progression-free survival (PFS) were 34.2%, 21.6%, and 9%, respectively, with a median PFS time of 9.7 months. A subgroup analysis was conducted in 32 patients with AFP ≥ 200 ng/ml before TACE. OS was significantly prolonged in those with AFP that decreased by more than 75% than those with AFP that decreased by less than 75% (P = 0.018) after SBRT. The treatment was well tolerated with only one patient (1.8%) developed grade 3 gastrointestinal toxicity, and another patient developed non-classical RILD. In multivariate analysis, tumor length ≥ 10 cm and AFP ≥ 200 ng/ml were independent poor prognostic factors for OS.ConclusionThe combination of TACE and Cyberknife SBRT showed optimal efficacy with acceptable toxicity for BCLC stage B HCC.


Cancers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (9) ◽  
pp. 2002
Author(s):  
Jeffrey Sum Lung Wong ◽  
Yawen Dong ◽  
Vikki Tang ◽  
Thomas Leung ◽  
Cynthia S. Y. Yeung ◽  
...  

(1) Background: Cabozantinib is approved in sorafenib-exposed advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (aHCC). We evaluated the real-life pattern of use, efficacy, and tolerability of cabozantinib in aHCC. (2) Methods: This territory-wide study included consecutive aHCC patients who received cabozantinib between February 2018 and September 2020 in Hong Kong. The objective response rate (ORR), disease control rate (DCR), overall survival (OS), and adverse events (AE) were assessed. (3) Results: Overall, 42 patients were included. Approximately 83.3% had Child-Pugh A cirrhosis. About 64.3% received cabozantinib as a single agent, and the remaining 35.7% received cabozantinib as an add-on to immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs). For single-agent patients, the median follow-up was 6.7 months. The ORR was 3.7%, DCR was 44.4%, and the median OS was 8.28 months. About 74.1% of patients experienced any AEs with 7.4% having grade ≥3 AEs. Among patients who received prior ICIs (n = 16), the ORR was 6.3%, and the median OS was 8.28 months. An exploratory analysis of patients who received cabozantinib as an add-on to ICIs showed an ORR of 6.7% and a median OS of 15.1 months, with 73.3% having any AE and 13.3% having grade ≥3 AEs. (4) Conclusion: Cabozantinib had good anti-tumor activity, survival benefits, and acceptable tolerability in real-life aHCC patients.


2021 ◽  
Vol 39 (15_suppl) ◽  
pp. e16192-e16192
Author(s):  
Qicong Mai ◽  
Song Chen ◽  
Feng Shi ◽  
Zhiqiang Mo ◽  
Jian He ◽  
...  

e16192 Background: Lenvatinib has been approved as a first-line systemic for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) after the randomized phase III REFLECT trial. The aim of this study was to assess the lenvatinib-base treatment patterns and safety in real-world clinical settings in China. Methods: In this multicenter retrospective study, A total of 278 patients with unresectable HCC were treated with lenvatinib-base treatment between October 2018 and November 2020 were analyzed. Therapeutic effect was determined using the RECIST 1.1 and mRECIST criteria. Progression free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS) and treatment-related adverse events (TRAE) were also evaluated. Results: Of 278 unresectable HCC patients (median age: 56.1±11.9 years), 220 (79.1%) had cirrhosis caused by HBV infection. 215 (77.3%) and 63 (22.7%) patients were classified as Child-pugh A and B class, respectively. 233 (83.8%) and 45 (16.2%) patients received lenvatinib in first-line and second-line systemic therapies, respectively. 223 (80.2%) patients were treated with lenvatinib plus arterially directed therapy (TACE or HAIC of FOLFOX) and 55 (19.8%) were treated with lenvatinib alone. The objective response rate were 34.9% (RECIST) and 47.5% (mRECIST), while the disease control rate were 75.5%. With a median follow-up period of 12.8 months, the median PFS and OS were 7.8 months (95% CI 7.1–8.4) and 17.2 months (95% CI 14.9–19.6), respectively. Results from the multivariate analysis showed that the significant independent favorable prognosis factors were tumor burden< 50% (P=0.033), Child–Pugh A class (P<0.01), AFP level <200ng/mL (P=0.045), the combination with lenvatinib and arterially directed therapy (P<0.01). TRAE occurred in 219 of 278 patients (78.8%), most common TRAE were hypertension (n=118; 42.4%) and hand-foot skin reaction (n=91; 32.7%). The most common grade 3–4 TARE were hypertension (n=23; 8.3%), decreased appetite (n=18; 6.5%), AST elevation (n=14; 5%), and diarrhea (n=14; 5%) across all study patients. Conclusions: In this multicenter real-world study, lenvatinib-base treatment could be accomplished with well tolerated and response for unresectable HCC patients. Combination with arterially directed therapy could likely improve the overall survival.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jingjun Huang ◽  
Yongjian Guo ◽  
Wensou Huang ◽  
Zining Xu ◽  
Liteng Lin ◽  
...  

Abstract Purpose: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of regorafenib combined with immune checkpoint inhibitor sintilimab (rego-sintilimab) as second-line treatment for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients who failed prior sorafenib or lenvatinib.Methods: This retrospective study evaluated consecutive patients with advanced HCC who received rego-sintilimab (rego-sintilimab group) or regorafenib alone (regorafenib group) as second-line treatment from January 2019 to December 2020. Adverse events, objective response rate (ORR), progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS) were compared between the two groups. Results: Eighty-three patients were included: 48 received rego-sintilimab and 35 received regorafenib. Rego-sintilimab group had higher ORR (33.3% vs 14.3%, P =.049), longer PFS (median, 5.1 vs 3.0 months; P =.001), and better OS (median, 13.3 vs 9.1 months; P =.001) than regorafenib group. Regorafenib alone, Child-Pugh B, and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) >3.5 were independent prognostic factors for poor OS in uni- and multi-variable analyses. Subgroup analyses showed that, in patients with Child-Pugh A (16.4 vs 11.5 months; P =.005), Child-Pugh B (8.8 vs 6.4 months; P =.032), or NLR ≤3.5 (16.3 vs 11.5 months; P =.012), rego-sintilimab group had significantly better median OS than regorafenib group, whereas median OS was not significantly different between the two groups in patients with NLR >3.5 (8.4 vs 7.0 months; P =.288). The incidences of grade 3/4 adverse events were similar between the two groups (39.4% vs 34.1%; P =.445).Conclusion: Rego-sintilimab was tolerable and led to better OS than regorafenib as second-line treatment for advanced HCC patients, especially in those with NLR ≤3.5.


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