scholarly journals Exploratory Analysis of Lenvatinib Therapy in Patients with Unresectable Hepatocellular Carcinoma Who Have Failed Prior PD−1/PD-L1 Checkpoint Blockade

Cancers ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (10) ◽  
pp. 3048
Author(s):  
Tomoko Aoki ◽  
Masatoshi Kudo ◽  
Kazuomi Ueshima ◽  
Masahiro Morita ◽  
Hirokazu Chishina ◽  
...  

Although programmed cell death protein 1 (PD−1)/PD-ligand 1 (PD-L1) blockade is effective in a subset of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), its therapeutic response is still unsatisfactory. Alternatively, the potential impact of the lenvatinib in patients who showed tumor progression on PD−1/PD-L1 blockade is unknown. In this work, we evaluated the safety and efficacy of lenvatinib administration after PD-1/PD-L1 checkpoint blockade. The outcome and safety of lenvatinib administered after PD-1/PD-L1 blockade failure was analyzed retrospectively in 36 patients. Tumor growth was assessed every 4–8 weeks using modified Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors. The mean relative dose intensity of lenvatinib was 87.6% and 77.8% in patients receiving a starting dose of 8 (interquartile range (IQR), 77.5–100.0) mg and 12 (IQR, 64.4–100.0) mg, respectively. Since lenvatinib therapy initiation, the median progression-free survival was 10 months (95% confidence interval (CI): 8.3–11.8) and the median overall survival was 15.8 months (95% CI: 8.5–23.2). The objective response rate was 55.6%, and the disease control rate was 86.1%. No particular safety concerns were observed. Lenvatinib demonstrated considerable antitumor effects with acceptable safety in patients with progressive and unresectable HCC when administered right after PD-1/PD-L1 blockade failure.

Oncology ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Teiji Kuzuya ◽  
Naoto Kawabe ◽  
Senju Hashimoto ◽  
Ryoji Miyahara ◽  
Akira Sawaki ◽  
...  

<b><i>Introduction:</i></b> The aim of this study was to investigate the early changes in alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) and des-γ-carboxy prothrombin (DCP) levels in patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) treated with atezolizumab plus bevacizumab and to evaluate the relationship between changes in these tumor markers and treatment efficacy. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> Of 58 consecutive patients who started atezolizumab plus bevacizumab at our institution, 50 patients with information on antitumor response obtained at 6 weeks after therapy were enrolled in this study and their treatment outcomes were retrospectively evaluated. <b><i>Results:</i></b> According to the Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors at 6 weeks, the objective response (OR) rate was 22.0% and the disease control (DC) rate was 78.0%. In patients who achieved OR at 6 weeks, median AFP and DCP ratios at weeks 1, 2, 3, and 6 were significantly lower than those in patients who did not achieve OR. AFP ratios in patients who did not achieve DC at 6 weeks (Non-6W-DC group) were significantly higher than in those who achieved DC at week 6 (6W-DC group). Median overall survival in the Non-6W-DC group was significantly shorter than in the 6W-DC group (156 days vs. not reached, <i>p</i> = 0.0008). An AFP ratio of 1.4 or higher at 3 weeks had a specificity of 88.0% and a sensitivity of 88.9% for predicting Non-6W-DC. Median progression-free survival was significantly shorter in patients with an AFP ratio of 1.4 or higher at 3 weeks than in those with an AFP ratio of &#x3c;1.4 (42 days vs. 210 days, <i>p</i> = 0.0003). <b><i>Conclusion:</i></b> Early changes in AFP might be useful for predicting the antitumor efficacy of atezolizumab plus bevacizumab in patients with advanced HCC. An AFP ratio of 1.4 or higher at 3 weeks might be an early predictor of refractoriness to atezolizumab plus bevacizumab therapy.


Cancers ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (11) ◽  
pp. 1769 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sasaki ◽  
Fukushima ◽  
Haraguchi ◽  
Miuma ◽  
Miyaaki ◽  
...  

Background: Lenvatinib is currently available as the first-line treatment for advanced unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma. We evaluated the relationship between its relative dose intensity (RDI) and response in clinical settings. Methods: From March 2018 to May 2019, 93 patients were administered lenvatinib at the Nagasaki University Hospital and its related facilities. Among these, 81 patients (66 men, 15 women, median age 72.0) who received lenvatinib were analyzed retrospectively. Results: Fourteen patients were Child–Pugh grade B, and 15 had received other systemic therapy. According to Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST), the objective response (OR) rate was 17.3%. The overall survival (OS) was significantly better in the OR group (p = 0.011). There was a significant difference in RDI between the OR and non-OR groups (p < 0.05). The area under the receiver operating characteristics curve for OR prediction by the 4, 8, 12, and 16-week RDI were 0.666, 0.747, 0.731, and 0.704, respectively. In the 8-week RDI 67.0% group, OS was significantly better than in the 8-week RDI< 67.0% group (p = 0.003). Conclusions: Because a sufficient RDI is required to achieve an OR, it is strongly recommended that lenvatinib should be administered to patients with good hepatic function and status.


Cancers ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 754 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aya Takahashi ◽  
Michihisa Moriguchi ◽  
Yuya Seko ◽  
Toshihide Shima ◽  
Yasuhide Mitsumoto ◽  
...  

We investigated the association between early tumor shrinkage (ETS) and treatment outcome in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma treated with lenvatinib (LEN). A retrospective analysis was performed in 104 patients. ETS was defined as tumor shrinkage at the first evaluation in the sum of target lesions’ longest diameters from baseline according to the Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST). The median overall survival (OS) was not reached, whereas the median progression-free survival (PFS) was 5.0 months. The receiver operating characteristic curve analysis in differentiating long-term responders (PFS ≥ 5.0 months) from short-term responders (PFS < 5.0 months) revealed an ETS cut-off value of 10%. ETS ≥ 10% was significantly correlated with better PFS and OS compared with ETS < 10%. Additionally, ETS ≥ 10% showed a better discrimination ability on prognosis compared with modified RECIST-based objective response at the first evaluation. Multivariate analysis confirmed ETS ≥ 10% as an independent predictor of better OS, as well as a Child–Pugh score of 5 and macrovascular invasion. In conclusion, ETS ≥ 10% was strongly associated with outcome in patients treated with LEN. This biomarker could allow earlier assessment of the treatment response and guide treatment decision-making for HCC.


2006 ◽  
Vol 24 (18_suppl) ◽  
pp. 3584-3584
Author(s):  
B. F. El-Rayes ◽  
A. F. Shields ◽  
U. Vaishampayan ◽  
L. K. Heilbrun ◽  
M. M. Zalupski ◽  
...  

3584 Background: The cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) enzyme is overexpressed in the majority of colorectal cancers. Inhibition of the COX-2 enzyme can sensitize colorectal cancer cells to the apoptotic effects of chemotherapeutic agents and block angiogenesis. This phase II study was undertaken to determine the effects of adding celecoxib to a dose attenuated irinotecan and capecitabine regimen. Methods: The primary objective was to estimate the objective response rate of patients with metastatic colorectal cancer treated with irinotecan, capecitabine, and celecoxib. Previously untreated patients, except for adjuvant therapy, with metastatic colorectal adenocarcinoma were eligible for this study. Patients received irinotecan 70 mg/m2 (over 30 minutes) on days 1 and 8, and capecitabine 2,000 mg/m2/day from day 1 to 14 of a 21-day cycle. Celecoxib was administered at a dose of 400 mg twice-daily starting on day -7 until termination from study. Results: A total of 51 patients (median age 58 years) have been enrolled on the study. The results presented are for the first 48 patients registered to the study. Median performance status was 1. A median number of 5.5 cycles (range 0- 18) were administered. In an intention to treat analysis, objective response rate was 50%. The median progression free survival was 6.9 months (90%CI; 4.7–8.2). Median survival is ≥19.4 months. No treatment related deaths were observed. The only grade 4 toxicity was diarrhea in 2 (4%) patients. Grade 3 toxicities were diarrhea (33%), hand-foot syndrome (8%), nausea (13%), vomiting (8%) and neutropenia (12%). Conclusion: Lowering the dose intensity of irinotecan in this study did not appear to compromise the treatment outcome and markedly improved the therapeutic index of this combination. Celecoxib can be safely administered in combination with irinotecan and capecitabine. Based on the observed progression free survival and response rate, the regimen has promising activity. No significant financial relationships to disclose.


2020 ◽  
Vol 38 (4_suppl) ◽  
pp. 548-548
Author(s):  
Kaoru Tsuchiya ◽  
Masayuki Kurosaki ◽  
Azusa Sakamoto ◽  
Hiroyuki Marusawa ◽  
Chikara Ogawa ◽  
...  

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.


2020 ◽  
Vol 38 (4_suppl) ◽  
pp. 531-531
Author(s):  
David James Pinato ◽  
Ahmed Omar Kaseb ◽  
Yinghong Wang ◽  
Anwaar Saeed ◽  
David Szafron ◽  
...  

531 Background: The impact of corticosteroid treatment (CT) on the efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is undefined. We evaluated whether CT administered at baseline (bCT) or concurrently to ICI (cCT) influences clinical outcomes of HCC patients treated with ICI. Methods: This retrospective, multi-center observational study was conducted across 9 tertiary academic referral centers collected 341 HCC patients who received ICI across 3 continents between January 1, 2016 and April 1, 2019. Outcome measures included overall (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) calculated from time of ICI commencement and overall response rates (ORR) defined by Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (v1.1) on 6-8 weekly periodic restaging. Results: Of 331 eligible patients, 254 (76%) had BCLC-C stage HCC and received mostly PD(L)-1 ICI monotherapy (n=250, 85%). Median OS was 12.1 months (95%CI 9.2-15.0 months) and median PFS was 8.1 months (95%CI 6.3-10 months). In total 81 patients (24%) received >10 mg prednisone equivalent daily either as bCT (n=15, 4%) or cCT (n=66, 20%). Indications for CT included procedure/prophylaxis (n=37, 45%), management of irAE (n=31, 37%), cancer-related symptoms (n=5, 2%) or comorbidities (n=8, 3%). Neither overall CT, bCT nor cCT predicted for worse OS, PFS nor ORR in uni- and multi-variable analyses (p>0.05). CT for cancer-related indications predicted for shorter PFS (2.4 vs. 11.3 months, p=0.01), OS (4.5 vs. 12.8 months, p=0.05) and reduced ORR (p=0.03) compared to cancer-unrelated indications. Conclusions: This is the first study to demonstrate that neither bCT nor cCT appear to influence response and OS following ICI in HCC. Worse survival and ORR in CT recipients for cancer-related indications appears driven by the poor prognosis associated with symptomatic HCC.


Liver Cancer ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 1-14
Author(s):  
Tomoko Aoki ◽  
Naoshi Nishida ◽  
Kazuomi Ueshima ◽  
Masahiro Morita ◽  
Hirokazu Chishina ◽  
...  

<b><i>Introduction:</i></b> Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) are promising agents for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, the establishment of noninvasive measure that could predict the response to ICIs is challenging. This study aimed to evaluate tumor responses to ICIs using the hepatobiliary phase of gadolinium-ethoxybenzyl-diethylenetriamine (Gd-EOB-DTPA)-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), which was shown to reflect Wnt/β-catenin activating mutation. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> A total of 68 intrahepatic HCC nodules from 18 patients with unresectable HCC and Child-Pugh class A liver function who received anti-programmed cell death 1 (PD-1)/programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) monotherapy were enrolled in this study. All patients had viable intrahepatic lesions evaluable using the hepatobiliary phase of Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced MRI within the 6 months prior to the treatment. The relative enhancement ratio was calculated, and the time to nodular progression (TTnP) defined as 20% or more increase in each nodule was compared between higher or hypo-enhancement HCC nodules. Then, the progression-free survival (PFS) and objective response rate (ORR) per Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors version 1.1 (RECIST v1.1) were compared between patients with and without HCC nodules with higher enhancement on hepatobiliary phase images. <b><i>Results:</i></b> The median PFS was 2.7 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.4–4.0) months in patients with HCC nodules with higher enhancement (<i>n</i> = 8) and 5.8 (95% CI: 0.0–18.9) months in patients with hypointense HCC nodules (<i>n</i> = 10) (<i>p</i> = 0.007). The median TTnP of HCC nodules with higher enhancement (<i>n</i> = 23) was 1.97 (95% CI: 1.86–2.07) months and that of hypointense HCC nodules (<i>n</i> = 45) was not reached (<i>p</i> = 0.003). The ORR was 12.5% (1/8) versus 30.0% (3/10); the disease control rate was 37.5% (3/8) versus 70.0% (7/10), respectively, in patients with or without higher enhancement intrahepatic HCC nodules. <b><i>Conclusion:</i></b> The TTnP on HCC nodules with higher enhancement and the median PFS in patients who carried higher enhancement intrahepatic HCC nodules were significantly shorter than those in hypointense HCC nodules with anti-PD-1/PD-L1 monotherapy. The intensity of the nodule on the hepatobiliary phase of Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced MRI is a promising imaging biomarker for predicting unfavorable response with anti-PD-1/PD-L1 monotherapy in patients with HCC.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Meng Zhou ◽  
Chunhui Zhang ◽  
Jianhua Nie ◽  
Yajuan Sun ◽  
Ye Xu ◽  
...  

BackgroundPrecise evaluation of the efficacy of immunotherapy is critical in the effective management and treatment of advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Therefore, the purpose of this study was to compare the response assessments achieved by different criteria and to evaluate the correlation between survival outcome and response assessment in HCC treated with programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) inhibitor.MethodsFifty patients with advanced HCC treated with first-line PD-1 inhibitor with baseline and follow‐up CT images were analyzed. The patients were categorized into responders and nonresponders according to the criteria.ResultsWhen the response assessments between RECIST 1.1 and mRECIST were compared, no statistically significant differences were observed. Overall response rate was 16% by RECIST 1.1 and iRECIST and was 24% by mRECIST. According to RECIST 1.1 and mRECIST, overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) were not statistically different between the complete response (CR) and partial response (PR) groups and the stable disease (SD) and progressive disease (PD) groups. The OS and PFS were significantly different between responders and nonresponders according to mRECIST. The Cohen’s Kappa for RECIST 1.1, iRECIST, and mRECIST was 0.534, 0.438, and 0.363, respectively.ConclusionThe mRECIST criteria have a powerful ability to discriminate between responders and nonresponders and demonstrated significantly longer OS and PFS in responders than in nonresponders. However, mRECIST needs to be further improved in order for it to be widely used in the clinical evaluation of immunotherapy in HCC.


Cancers ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (10) ◽  
pp. 1517 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wang ◽  
Tsuchiya ◽  
Kurosaki ◽  
Yasui ◽  
Inada ◽  
...  

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.


Cancers ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 36 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antonio Facciorusso ◽  
Mohamed A. Abd El Aziz ◽  
Rodolfo Sacco

Regorafenib showed promising results as a second-line agent after sorafenib failure in hepatocellular carcinoma patients. The aim of this meta-analysis was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of regorafenib in hepatocarcinoma patients. A computerized bibliographic search was performed on the main databases. The primary outcome was overall survival. Secondary outcomes were progression-free survival, tumor response, and the adverse events rate. Outcomes were pooled through a random-effects model and summary estimates were expressed in terms of median and 95% confidence interval or rates, as appropriate. One randomized-controlled trial and seven non-randomized studies with 809 patients were included. The great majority of recruited patients were in Child-Pugh A and ECOG 0 stage. Median overall survival was 11.08 months (9.46–12.71) and sensitivity analyses confirmed this finding, with a median survival ranging from 10.2 to 13.8 months. Duration of regorafenib therapy was 3.58 months, whereas median progression-free survival was 3.24 months (2.68–3.86). The pooled objective response rate was 10.1% (7.8–12.5%) while the disease control rate was 65.5% (61.3–69.7%) with no evidence of heterogeneity (I2 = 0%; Diarrhea, fatigue, and hand-foot skin reaction were the most frequent adverse events. The current meta-analysis shows that regorafenib represents a valuable and relatively safe therapeutic option in intermediate/advanced hepatocellular carcinomapatients who progress on sorafenib.


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