Comparing the effectiveness and safety of Sorafenib plus TACE with Apatinib plus TACE for treating patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma: a multicentre propensity score matching study

Prognostic Evaluation for Hepatocellular Carcinoma with Portal Vein Tumor Thrombus Patients Treated with Transarterial Chemoembolization Plus Molecular Targeted Therapies-Development and Validation of the ABPS Score

RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES

Transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) plus molecular targeted therapies has emerged as the main approach for treating hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with portal vein tumor thrombus (PVTT). A robust model for outcome prediction and risk stratification of recommended TACE plus molecular targeted therapies candidates is lacking. We aimed to develop an easy-to-use tool specifically for these patients.

METHODS

A retrospective analysis was conducted on 384 patients with HCC and PVTT who underwent TACE plus molecular targeted therapies at 16 different institutions. We developed and validated a new prognostic score which called ABPS score. Additionally, an external validation was performed on data from 200 patients enrolled in a prospective cohort study.

RESULTS

The ABPS score (ranging from 0 to 3 scores), which involves only Albumin-bilirubin (ALBI, grade 1: 0 score; grade 2: 1 score), PVTT(I-II type: 0 score; III-IV type: 1 score), and systemic-immune inflammation index (SII,<550 × 1012: 0 score; ≥550 × 1012: 1 score). Patients were categorized into three risk groups based on their ABPS score: ABPS-A, B, and C (scored 0, 1-2, and 3, respectively). The concordance index (C-index) of the ABPS scoring system was calculated to be 0.802, significantly outperforming the HAP score (0.758), 6-12 (0.712), Up to 7 (0.683), and ALBI (0.595) scoring systems (all P < 0.05). These research findings were further validated in the external validation cohorts.

CONCLUSION

The ABPS score demonstrated a strong association with survival outcomes and radiological response in patients undergoing TACE plus molecular targeted therapy for HCC with PVTT. The ABPS scoring system could serve as a valuable tool to guide treatment selection for these patients.

The long-term efficacy and safety of apatinib are inferior to sorafenib in the first-line treatment of advanced hepatocellular carcinoma: A systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Apatinib, a novel tyrosine kinase inhibitor independently developed by China, has been widely used in the treatment of advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in recent years. For more than a decade, sorafenib has been the classic first-line treatment option for patients with advanced HCC. However, the results of clinical studies comparing the efficacy and safety of these 2 drugs are still controversial. Therefore, the aim of this meta-analysis is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of apatinib versus sorafenib as first-line treatment for advanced HCC.

METHODS

Up to August 14, 2023, the databases of PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, ClinicalTrials.gov, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, and Wanfang were searched, and clinical studies of experimental group (apatinib or apatinib plus transarterial chemoembolization [TACE]) versus control group (sorafenib or sorafenib plus TACE) in the first-line treatment of advanced HCC were included. Two researchers evaluated the quality of the included studies and extracted the data. Revman 5.4 software was used for meta-analysis.

RESULTS

A total of 12 studies involving 1150 patients were included. Five studies are apatinib alone versus sorafenib alone, and the other 7 studies are apatinib plus TACE versus sorafenib plus TACE. The results of the meta-analysis showed that compared with sorafenib alone, apatinib could improve (OR = 3.06, 95%CI: 1.76-5.31), had no advantage in improving DCR (OR = 1.52, 95%CI: 0.86-2.68) and prolonging PFS (HR = 1.35, 95%CI: 0.94-1.96), and was significantly worse in prolonging OS (HR = 1.43, 95%CI: 1.08-1.88). Similarly, apatinib plus TACE was inferior to sorafenib plus TACE in prolonging OS (HR = 1.15, 95%CI: 1.03-1.28), although it improved ORR (OR = 1.49, 95%CI: 1.03-2.16). In terms of adverse drug events, the overall incidence of adverse events, and the incidence of drug reduction and discontinuation in the experimental group were significantly higher than those in the control group (P < .05). The incidence of hypertension, proteinuria, and oral mucositis in the experimental group was significantly higher than that in the control group (P < .05).

CONCLUSION

In the setting of first-line treatment of advanced HCC, apatinib has improved short-term efficacy (ORR) compared with sorafenib, but the safety and long-term efficacy of apatinib are inferior to sorafenib.

Hepatocellular Carcinoma with Radiological Progression: Lenvatinib Plus PD-1 Inhibitor Combined with Microwave Ablation and Synchronous Transarterial Chemoembolization

Purpose

To determine the clinical outcomes of lenvatinib plus PD-1 inhibitor combined with microwave ablation (MWA) and synchronous transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) in patients with progressive hepatocellular carcinoma (pHCC).

Materials and Methods

This retrospective study enrolled pHCC patients who underwent lenvatinib plus PD-1 inhibitor combined with MWA and TACE (LP-MT) or lenvatinib combined with MWA and TACE (L-MT) from January 2019 to December 2022. Treatment-related adverse events (AEs) were recorded during the follow-up. Progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were the primary outcomes. The prognostic analyses for survival were performed using Cox proportional hazard regression model.

Results

In total, 90 eligible patients with pHCC who received combination therapy were included in the study. Among them, 42 patients received LP-MT and 48 patients received L-MT. There were no significant differences in the baseline characteristics between the two groups. Patients who underwent lenvatinib plus PD-1 inhibitor combined with MWA and TACE had better PFS (median, 10.0 vs 7.4 months, P = 0.03) than those who underwent combination therapy without PD-1 inhibitor, although no significant difference was found in OS (median, 22.5 vs 20.0 months, P = 0.19) between the two groups. The disease control rate of LP-MT group was higher than that of L-MT group (88.1% vs 64.6%, P = 0.01), especially in patients with BCLC stage C (89.3% vs 70.0%, P = 0.03). Univariate and multivariate analyses indicated that treatment method and Child-Pugh class were independent prognostic factors for PFS. The AEs of LP-MT group were comparable and tolerable to those of L-MT group (Any grade, 78.6% vs 62.5%, P = 0.10; Grade 3, 23.8% vs 12.5%, P = 0.16).

Conclusion

Lenvatinib plus PD-1 inhibitor may be slightly superior to lenvatinib alone when combined with local interventional therapy for progressive HCC, especially in patients with BCLC stage C.