Favorable survival time provided with radioembolization in hepatocellular carcinoma patients with and without portal vein thrombosis

Selective internal radiation therapy for hepatocellular carcinoma: A 15-year multicenter Australian cohort study

BACKGROUND AND AIM

The exact place for selective internal radiation therapy (SIRT) in the therapeutic algorithm for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is debated. There are limited data on its indications, efficacy, and safety in Australia.

METHODS

We performed a multicenter retrospective cohort study of patients undergoing SIRT for HCC in all Sydney hospitals between 2005 and 2019. The primary outcome was overall survival. Secondary outcomes were progression-free survival and adverse events.

RESULTS

During the study period, 156 patients underwent SIRT across 10 institutions (mean age 67 years, 81% male). SIRT use progressively increased from 2005 (n = 2), peaking in 2017 (n = 42) before declining (2019: n = 21). Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer stages at treatment were A (13%), B (33%), C (52%), and D (2%). Forty-four (28%) patients had tumor thrombus. After a median follow-up of 13.9 months, there were 117 deaths. Median overall survival was 15 months (95% confidence interval 11-19). Independent predictors of mortality on multivariable analysis were extent of liver involvement, Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer stage, baseline ascites, alpha fetoprotein, and model for end-stage liver disease score. Median progression-free survival was 6.0 months (95% confidence interval 5.1-6.9 months). Following SIRT, 11% of patients were downstaged to curative therapy. SIRT-related complications occurred in 17%: radioembolization-induced liver disease (11%), pneumonitis (3%), gastrointestinal ulceration, and cholecystitis (1% each). Baseline ascites predicted for radioembolization-induced liver disease.

CONCLUSION

We present the largest Australian SIRT cohort for HCC. We have identified several factors associated with a poor outcome following SIRT. Patients with early-stage disease had the best survival with some being downstaged to curative therapy.

Recent Advances in Hepatocellular Carcinoma Treatment with Radionuclides

As the third leading cause of cancer death worldwide, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is characterized by late detection, difficult diagnosis and treatment, rapid progression, and poor prognosis. Current treatments for liver cancer include surgical resection, radiofrequency ablation, liver transplantation, chemotherapy, external radiation therapy, and internal radionuclide therapy. Radionuclide therapy is the use of high-energy radiation emitted by radionuclides to eradicate tumor cells, thus achieving the therapeutic effect. Recently, with the continuous development of biomedical technology, the application of radionuclides in treatment of HCC has progressed steadily. This review focuses on three types of radionuclide-based treatment regimens, including transarterial radioembolization (TARE), radioactive seed implantation, and radioimmunotherapy. Their research progress and clinical applications are summarized. The advantages, limitations, and clinical potential of radionuclide treatment of HCC are discussed.

Efficacy and safety of selective internal radiation therapy with yttrium-90 for the treatment of unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma

Background

This retrospective analysis was undertaken to evaluate the efficiency of SIRT with Y-90 microspheres and determined prognostic factors affecting patients with unresectable HCC.

Methods

A total of 97 patients diagnosed with unresectable HCC who underwent SIRT with Y-90 microspheres. Patient survival was assessed using the Kaplan–Meier method, and prognostic factors affecting survival were assessed using log-rank tests and Cox proportional hazards regression.

Results

Among the 97 patients (90 males, mean age 60.4 ± 12.3 years) who underwent SIRT, the median clinical follow-up was 16.4 (1.8–62) months. The median overall survival (OS) was 23.9 ± 2.4 months. Tumor response according to the Modified RECIST in patients followed up beyond 6 months included a complete response (CR) to treatment in 12 patients (18.8%), partial response (PR) in 23 (35.8%), stable disease (SD) in 8 (12.5%), and progressive disease (PD) in 21 (32.8%). Factors associated with longer OS included age > 65 years, BCLC stage B, tumor size < 5 cm, tumor burden < 25%, and tumor response (CR/PR). In multivariate analysis, unilobar disease and objective tumor response (CR/PR) were predictors of longer OS.

Conclusion

SIRT was an effective treatment for unresectable HCC. Unilobar disease before SIRT and tumor response (CR/PR) were positive prognostic factors.

Evidence of Prostate-Specific Membrane Antigen Expression in Hepatocellular Carcinoma Using 68Ga-PSMA PET/CT

Prostate specific membrane antigen (PSMA) expression has been demonstrated in tumor neovasculature of many solid tumors, including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The purpose of this study is to evaluate PSMA expression in patients with HCC.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Nineteen HCC patients who underwent F-fluorodeoxyglucose (F-FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) as part of restaging procedure also underwent Ga-PSMA PET. F-FDG PET and Ga-PSMA findings were compared visually as well as quantitatively using maximized standardized uptake values (SUVmax).

RESULTS

FDG was positive in 15 patients while 16 patients demonstrated PSMA expression. The only extrahepatic finding was one metastatic lymph node detected by both tracers. Mean SUVmax of liver lesions on FDG PET/CT was 8.3 ± 2.3 and mean tumor to background ratio was 2.3 ± 1.5. Respective values for Ga-PSMA PET/CT were 17.4 ± 9 and 3.3 ± 2.2. On visual and quantitative evaluation uptake was higher with PSMA in nine patients and higher with FDG in four patients. PSMA and FDG activity were similar in three patients. One of the FDG positive patients was PSMA negative whereas two patients were PSMA positive but FDG negative. Heterogeneous uptake pattern was observed in three patients. Comparison of mean SUVmax and T/B values between PET studies revealed no statistically significant difference (P > 0.1). The mean survival was 25 months (range: 18-32 months) and SUVmax of PSMA (P = 0.05) and FDG (P = 0.012) showed medium strength of correlation with overall survival.

CONCLUSION

PSMA expression in advanced HCC can be demonstrated by Ga-PSMA PET but is not superior to FDG PET however it could be useful for identifying patients with limited therapeutic options.

Current State of Liver-Directed Therapies and Combinatory Approaches with Systemic Therapy in Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC)

The increasing set of liver-directed therapies (LDT) have become an integral part of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) treatment. These range from percutaneous ablative techniques to arterial embolization, and varied radiotherapy strategies. They are now used for local disease control, symptom palliation, and bold curative strategies. The big challenge in the face of these innovative and sometimes overlapping technologies is to identify the best opportunity of use. In real practice, many patients may take benefit from LDT used as a bridge to curative treatment such as resection and liver transplantation. Varying trans-arterial embolization strategies are used, and comparison between established and developing technologies is scarce. Also, radioembolization utilizing yttrium-90 (Y-90) for locally advanced or intermediate-stage HCC needs further evidence of clinical efficacy. There is increasing interest on LDT-led changes in tumor biology that could have implications in systemic therapy efficacy. Foremost, additional to its apoptotic and necrotic properties, LDT could warrant changes in vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression and release. However, trans-arterial chemoembolization (TACE) used alongside tyrosine-kinase inhibitor (TKI) sorafenib has had its efficacy contested. Most recently, interest in associating Y-90 and TKI has emerged. Furthermore, LDT-led differences in tumor immune microenvironment and immune cell infiltration could be an opportunity to enhance immunotherapy efficacy for HCC patients. Early attempts to coordinate LDT and immunotherapy are being made. We here review LDT techniques exposing current evidence to understand its extant reach and future applications alongside systemic therapy development for HCC.

Comparison of intra-arterial chemoembolization with and without radiotherapy for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma with portal vein tumor thrombosis: a meta-analysis

Purpose

Numerous studies have tried to combine transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) or hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy (HAIC) with radiotherapy (RT) for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients with portal vein tumor thrombus (PVTT). However, the efficacy of TACE or HAIC combined with RT versus TACE or HAIC alone remains controversial. Thus, we performed a meta-analysis to compare the efficacy and safety of intra-arterial chemoembolization combined with RT versus intra-arterial chemoembolization alone for the treatment of HCC patients with PVTT.

Methods

PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library databases were systematically searched for eligible studies. Two authors independently reviewed the abstracts, extracted relevant data and rated the quality of studies. The major end points were objective response rate (ORR), overall survival (OS), and adverse events.

Results

Eight studies with a total of 1,760 patients were included in this meta-analysis. The pooled results showed that intra-arterial chemoembolization combined with RT significantly improved ORR of PVTT (OR, 4.22; 95% CI, 3.07–5.80; P<0.001) and OS (HR, 0.69; 95% CI, 0.57–0.83; P=0.001), but did not affect ORR of primary liver tumor (OR, 1.37; 95% CI, 0.67–2.79; P=0.390). The incidence of grade 3 or 4 leukopenia (OR, 5.80; 95% CI, 2.478–13.56; P<0.001) and thrombocytopenia (OR, 3.77; 95% CI, 1.06–13.43; P=0.041) was higher in the intra-arterial chemoembolization plus RT group than in the intra-arterial chemoembolization group.

Conclusion

Combination therapy of intra-arterial chemoembolization and RT for HCC patients with PVTT could bring higher ORR of PVTT and better survival benefits. This combination therapy was also associated with a significantly increased risk of adverse events. However, they were mostly mild to moderate and successfully treated with conservative treatment.

Polyvinyl alcohol terminal chemoembolization for hepatocellular carcinoma with hepatic arteriovenous shunts: Safety, efficacy, and prognostic factors

PURPOSE

To evaluate the safety and efficacy of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) terminal chemoembolization and to identify the prognostic factors associated with survival in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients with hepatic arteriovenous shunts (HAVS).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Of 133 patients' managements were retrospectively analyzed. HAVS was classified into three types: slow-flow, intermediate-flow and high-flow. The size of the PVA used was determined following the scheme: slow-flow HAVS: 300-500μm PVA; intermediate-flow HAVS: 500-710μm PVA; high-flow HAVS: 710-1000μm PVA. The HCCs with slow-flow and intermediate-flow HAVS were embolized by PVA plus chemotherapeutic agents lipiodol emulsion, while the high-flow HAVS were treated by PVA with chemotherapeutic agents. Survival curves were calculated by Kaplan-Meier method and compared by log-rank test. The influence of possible prognostic factors on survival were analyzed by multivariate Cox proportional-hazards method.

RESULTS

The median overall survival (OS) of 133 patients was 9.1 months. The median OS of the slow-flow type, intermediate-flow type and high-flow type patients were 10.8, 9.1 and 7.3 months, respectively. There was no statistically significant difference among different HAVS types (P=0.239). The 30-day mortality was 3.8%. Cox multivariate survival analysis revealed that initial preoperative AFP value≥400ng/ml (HR=2.105, P=0.006) was an independent risk factor. While multiple embolization (HR=0.482, P=0.011), tumor remission (HR=0.431, P=0.041) and multimodality therapy (HR=0.416, P=0.004) were independent protection factors.

CONCLUSION

It is safe and effective for HCCs with HAVS treated by terminal chemoembolization therapy with PVA plus chemotherapeutic agents lipiodol emulsion (or PVA plus chemotherapeutic agents). The HCCs with HAVS achieves good prognosis with multiple embolization, tumor remission and multimodality therapy, while achieves poor prognosis with inital preoperative high AFP value (≥400ng/ml).

Trans-arterial radioembolization in intermediate-advanced hepatocellular carcinoma: systematic review and meta-analyses

Trans-arterial radioembolization (TARE) is a recognized, although not explicitly recommended, experimental therapy for unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).A systematic literature review was performed to identify published studies on the use of TARE in intermediate and advanced stages HCC exploring the efficacy and safety of this innovative treatment.Twenty-one studies reporting data on overall survival (OS) and time to progression (TTP), were included in a meta-analysis. The pooled post-TARE OS was 63% (95% CI: 56-70%) and 27% (95% CI: 21-33%) at 1- and 3-years respectively in intermediate stage HCC, whereas OS was 37% (95% CI: 26-50%) and 13% (95% CI: 9-18%) at the same time intervals in patients with sufficient liver function (Child-Pugh A-B7) but with an advanced HCC because of the presence of portal vein thrombosis. When an intermediate and advanced case-mix was considered, OS was 58% (95% CI: 48-67%) and 17% (95% CI: 12-23%) at 1- and 3-years respectively. As for TTP, only four studies reported data: the observed progression probability was 56% (95% CI: 41-70%) and 73% (95% CI: 56-87%) at 1 and 2 years respectively. The safety analysis, focused on the risk of liver decompensation after TARE, revealed a great variability, from 0-1% to more than 36% events, influenced by the number of procedures, patient Child-Pugh stage and treatment duration.Evidence supporting the use of radioembolization in HCC is mainly based on retrospective and prospective cohort studies. Based on this evidence, until the results of the ongoing randomized trials become available, radioembolization appears to be a viable treatment option for intermediate-advanced stage HCC.

Management of hepatocellular carcinoma with portal vein tumor thrombosis: Review and update at 2016

Portal vein tumor thrombosis (PVTT) is a common phenomenon in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Compared to HCC without PVTT, HCC with PVTT is characterized by an aggressive disease course, worse hepatic function, a higher chance of complications related to portal hypertension and poorer tolerance to treatment. Conventionally, HCC with PVTT is grouped together with metastatic HCC during the planning of its management, and most patients are offered palliative treatment with sorafenib or other systemic agents. As a result, most data on the management of HCC with PVTT comes from subgroup analyses or retrospective series. In the past few years, there have been several updates on management of HCC with PVTT. First, it is evident that HCC with PVTT consists of heterogeneous subgroups with different prognoses. Different classifications have been proposed to stage the degree of portal vein invasion/thrombosis, suggesting that different treatment modalities may be individualized to patients with different risks. Second, more studies indicate that more aggressive treatment, including surgical resection or locoregional treatment, may benefit select HCC patients with PVTT. In this review, we aim to discuss the recent conceptual changes and summarize the data on the management of HCC with PVTT.

Outcomes and Predictors of Toxicity after Selective Internal Radiation Therapy Using Yttrium-90 Resin Microspheres for Unresectable Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Purpose

We sought to report outcomes and toxicity in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) who received resin yttrium-90 selective internal radiation therapy (⁹⁰Y-SIRT) and to identify factors associated with declining liver function.

Methods

Patients treated with ⁹⁰Y-SIRT were retrospectively evaluated. Radiographic response was assessed using RECIST 1.1. Median liver progression-free survival (LPFS) and overall survival (OS) were calculated using the Kaplan–Meier method. Bivariate analysis was used to examine associations between change in Child-Pugh (CP) score/class and patient characteristics and treatment parameters.

Results

Twenty-seven patients with unresectable HCC underwent SIRT, 52% were CP Class A, 48% were Class B, 11% were BCLC stage B, and 89% were stage C. Forty-four percent of patients had portal vein thrombus at baseline. One-third of patients received bilobar treatment. Median activity was 32.1 mCi (range 9.18–43.25) and median-­absorbed dose to the liver was 39.6 Gy (range 13.54–67.70). Median LPFS and OS were 2.5 and 11.7 months, respectively. Three-month disease control rate was 63 and 52% in the target lesions and whole liver, respectively. New onset or worsened from baseline clinical toxicities were confined to Grade 1–2 events. However, new or worsened Grade 3–4 laboratory toxicities occurred in 38% of patients at 3 months and 43% of patients at 6 months following SIRT (six had lymphocytopenia, three had hypoalbuminemia, and two had transaminasemia). After 3 months, six patients had worsened in CP score and five had worsened in class from baseline. After 6 months, four patients had worsened in CP score and one had worsened in class from baseline. Pretreatment bilirubinemia was associated with a 2+ increase in CP score within 3 months (P = 0.001) and 6 months (P = 0.039) of ⁹⁰Y-SIRT. Pretreatment transaminasemia and bilirubinemia were associated with increased CP class within 3 months of SIRT (P = 0.021 and 0.009, respectively).

Conclusion

⁹⁰Y-SIRT was well-tolerated in patients with unresectable HCC, with no Grade 3–4 clinical toxicities. However, Grade 3–4 laboratory toxicities and worsened CP scores were more frequent. HCC patients with pretreatment bilirubinemia or transaminasemia may be at higher risk of experiencing a decline in liver function following ⁹⁰Y-SIRT.

Semi-Quantitative Analysis of Post-Transarterial Radioembolization (90)Y Microsphere Positron Emission Tomography Combined with Computed Tomography (PET/CT) Images in Advanced Liver Malignancy: Comparison With (99m)Tc Macroaggregated Albumin (MAA) Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT)

OBJECTIVES

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the correlation between pretreatment planning technetium-99m ((99m)Tc) macroaggregated albumin (MAA) SPECT images and posttreatment transarterial radioembolization (TARE) yttirum-90 ((90)Y) PET/CT images by comparing the ratios of tumor-to-normal liver counts.

METHODS

Fifty-two patients with advanced hepatic malignancy who underwent (90)Y microsphere radioembolization from January 2010 to December 2012 were retrospectively reviewed. Patients had undergone (99m)Tc MAA intraarterial injection SPECT for a pretreatment evaluation of microsphere distribution and therapy planning. After the administration of (90)Y microspheres, the patients underwent posttreatment (90)Y PET/CT within 24 h. For semiquantitative analysis, the tumor-to-normal uptake ratios in (90)Y PET/CT (TNR-yp) and (99m)Tc MAA SPECT (TNR-ms) as well as the tumor volumes measured in angiographic CT were obtained and analyzed. The relationship of TNR-yp and TNR-ms was evaluated by Spearman's rank correlation and Wilcoxon's matched pairs test.

RESULTS

In a total of 79 lesions of 52 patients, the distribution of microspheres was well demonstrated in both the SPECT and PET/CT images. A good correlation was observed of between TNR-ms and TNR-yp (rho value = 0.648, p < 0.001). The TNR-yp (median 2.78, interquartile range 2.43) tend to show significantly higher values than TNR-ms (median 2.49, interquartile range of 1.55) (p = 0.012). The TNR-yp showed weak correlation with tumor volume (rho = 0.230, p = 0.041).

CONCLUSIONS

The (99m)Tc MAA SPECT showed a good correlation with (90)Y PET/CT in TNR values, suggesting that (99m)Tc MAA can be used as an adequate pretreatment evaluation method. However, the (99m)Tc MAA SPECT image consistently shows lower TNR values compared to (90)Y PET/CT, which means the possibility of underestimation of tumorous uptake in the partition dosimetry model using (99m)Tc MAA SPECT. Considering that (99m)Tc MAA is the only clinically available surrogate marker for distribution of microsphere, we recommend measurement of tumorous uptake using (90)Y PET/CT should be included routinely in the posttherapeutic evaluation.