A real-world study of tyrosine kinase inhibitors plus anti-PD-1 immunotherapy with or without chemoembolization for hepatocellular carcinoma patients with main portal vein invasion

Background

Although systemic therapies are recommended for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients with main portal vein (MPV) invasion and preserved liver function, the outcome is limited. In the real-world, chemoembolization is a commonly used local treatment for advanced HCC.

Purpose

To evaluate whether the additional chemoembolization treatment yields survival benefits compared to systemic therapy for HCC patients with MPV invasion and preserved liver function (Child–Pugh score ≤ B7) in a real-world study from multiple centers.

Patients and methods

Between January 2020 and December 2022, 91 consecutive HCC patients with MPV invasion who received either systemic medical therapy (i.e., tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) plus anti-PD-1 immunotherapy, S group, n = 43) or in combination with chemoembolization treatment (S-T group, n = 48) from five centers were enrolled in the study. The primary outcome was overall survival (OS), and the secondary outcomes were progression-free survival (PFS) and treatment response. Adverse events (AEs) related to treatment were also recorded. Survival curves were constructed with the Kaplan–Meier method and compared using the log-rank test.

Results

The baseline characteristics were comparable between the two groups. The mean number of chemoembolization sessions per patient was 2.1 (range 1–3). The median OS was 10.0 months and 8.0 months in the S-T group and S group, respectively (P = 0.254). The median PFS between the two groups was similar (4.0 months vs. 4.0 months, P = 0.404). The disease control rate between the S-T and S groups were comparable (60.4% vs. 62.8%, P = 0.816). Although no chemoembolization-related deaths occurred, 13 grade 3–4 AEs occurred in the S-T group.

Conclusions

The results of the real-world study demonstrated that additional chemoembolization treatment did not yield survival benefits compared to TKIs plus anti-PD-1 immunotherapy for the overall patients with advanced HCC and MPV invasion.

Graphical Abstract