TACE Empowers Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors and Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors in Unresectable HCC: A Multicenter Retrospective Study.

Abstract

Purpose: The aim of this multicenter retrospective study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) combined with tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI) and immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) in treating advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) compared to treatment with TKI and ICI alone. Methods: The study included 286 patients with advanced HCC, of which 210 were treated with TACE, TKI, and ICI (TACE+T+I group) and 76 with TKI and ICI alone (T+I group). Progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), overall response rate (ORR), and disease control rate (DCR) were assessed. A nomogram was developed to stratify patients into high-risk and low-risk groups based on their one-year and two-year survival probabilities. Results: Patients in the TACE+T+I group demonstrated significantly longer PFS (8.4 months vs. 4.0 months, Log-rank P = 0.0016) and median OS (14.5 months vs. 10.0 months, Log-rank P < 0.0001) compared to the T+I group. Additionally, the TACE+T+I group had a higher ORR (56.7% vs. 21.1%, P = 0.002) and DCR (84.3% vs. 72.4%, P = 0.023). Both groups exhibited good tolerance to adverse events. A nomogram incorporating factors such as therapeutic strategy, prothrombin time (PT), age, and tumor size effectively categorized patients into low- and high-risk groups with notably different survival outcomes. Conclusion: These findings suggest that TACE combined with TKI and ICI significantly improved survival outcomes and showed good safety compared to TKI and ICI alone in the treatment of advanced HCC.