Association Between Renal Adverse Effects and Mortality in Patients With Hepatocellular Carcinoma Treated With Lenvatinib

Risk Factors of Proteinuria in Patients with Hepatocellular Carcinoma Receiving Lenvatinib

Proteinuria is one of the most frequently reported adverse events leading to the discontinuation of lenvatinib treatment in patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, there are no reports regarding the risk factors of proteinuria in patients with HCC or patients receiving lenvatinib. We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of patients with HCC receiving lenvatinib at the Kobe City Medical Center General Hospital between April 2018 and December 2020. The severity of proteinuria was graded based on the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE) version 5.0. A multivariate Cox proportional hazards model was employed to identify the risk factors of developing grade ≥2 proteinuria. Among the 37 patients included, 3 patients had grade-1 proteinuria at baseline and 10 patients had estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) <60 mL/min/1.73 m² at baseline. Grades 1, 2, and 3 proteinuria were observed in 15 (40.5%), 10 (27.0%), and 2 (5.4%) patients, respectively, during lenvatinib treatment. The median value of eGFR was significantly lower in patients who developed grade ≥2 proteinuria than those with grade ≤1 proteinuria (59.6 vs. 78.1 mL/min/1.73 m², p = 0.045). Multivariate analysis revealed that pre-existing proteinuria at baseline (hazard ratio (HR), 9.72; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.29-52.21; p = 0.030), and eGFR <60 mL/min/1.73 m² at baseline (HR, 4.49; 95% CI, 1.32-16.07; p = 0.017) were significantly associated with developing grade ≥2 proteinuria. These patients should be monitored carefully, and our preliminary data should be confirmed by further studies.

Adverse events as potential predictive factors of activity in patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma treated with lenvatinib

BACKGROUND AND AIM

Lenvatinib is a standard of care option in first-line therapy of advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). In the present study, we aim to identify, in patients with HCC treated with lenvatinib, a possible association between occurrence and grading of adverse events (AEs) and outcome.

METHODS

We performed a retrospective analysis of 606 Japanese and Italian patients treated with lenvatinib in first-line setting and investigated the possible correlation between the onset of AEs, toxicity grade (G) and outcome measures such as overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS).

RESULTS

The appearance of arterial hypertension G ≥ 2 independently predicted prolonged OS [hazard ratio (HR) 0.66, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.46-0.93, P = .0188], whereas decreased appetite G ≥ 2 independently predicted decreased OS (HR 1.70, 95% CI 1.25-2.32, P = .0007) by multivariate analysis. Appearance of hand-foot skin reaction independently predicted prolonged PFS (HR 0.72, 95% CI 0.56-0.93, P = .0149), whereas decreased appetite G ≥ 2 predicted decreased PFS (HR 1.36, 95% CI 1.04-1.77, P = .0277).

CONCLUSIONS

Our main findings are that the occurrence of arterial hypertension G ≥ 2 is a predictor of longer survival, whereas decreased appetite G ≥ 2 predicts for a poor prognosis. A careful management of AEs under lenvatinib treatment for HCC is required, to improve patients' quality of life, minimize the need for treatment discontinuation and achieve optimal outcome.