Liver Cancer最新文献

{"title":"A Phase 1b Study of Lenvatinib Plus Pembrolizumab in Patients With Unresectable Hepatocellular Carcinoma: Extended Analysis of Study 116","authors":"Masatoshi Kudo, Richard S. Finn, Masafumi Ikeda, Max W. Sung, Ari D. Baron, Takuji Okusaka, Masahiro Kobayashi, Hiromitsu Kumada, Shuichi Kaneko, Marc Pracht, Tim Meyer, Satoshi Nagao, Kenichi Saito, Kalgi Mody, Zahra Ramji, Leonid Dubrovsky, Josep M. Llovet","doi":"10.1159/000535154","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1159/000535154","url":null,"abstract":"Background: Treatment with lenvatinib (dosing for patients who weigh ≥60 kg was 12 mg/day; for patients who weigh <60 kg, the dose was 8 mg/day) plus pembrolizumab 200 mg once every 3 weeks demonstrated antitumor activity and a manageable safety profile in patients with first-line unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (uHCC) in the open-label phase 1b Study 116/KEYNOTE-524 (primary analysis data cutoff date: October 31, 2019; median follow-up: 10.6 months). Objective: This analysis (updated data cutoff date: March 31, 2021) reports efficacy results from 17 months of additional follow-up time. Methods: 100 Patients with uHCC were included in the primary analysis (median follow-up: 27.6 months). Endpoints included overall survival (OS) and investigator-assessed progression-free survival (PFS), objective response rate (ORR), and duration of response (DOR) per modified RECIST. Landmark analyses of OS by best response at 3 and 9 months were performed. Pembrolizumab antidrug antibodies (ADAs) and concentrations were also measured (cutoff date: August 7, 2020). Results: ORR was 43.0% (95% CI 33.1% to 53.3%) and median DOR was 17.1 months (95% CI 6.9 to 19.3 months). Median PFS and OS were 9.3 months (95% CI 7.4 to 9.8 months) and 20.4 months (95% CI 14.4 to 25.9 months), respectively. No treatment-emergent ADAs were detected. Conclusion: Results show a sustained treatment effect with lenvatinib plus pembrolizumab in patients with uHCC in the first-line setting.","PeriodicalId":18156,"journal":{"name":"Liver Cancer","volume":"56 2","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-11-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"136282546","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Impact of liver fibrosis severity on oncological prognosis in hepatocellular carcinoma","authors":"Koya Yasukawa, Akira Shimizu, Koji Kubota, Tsuyoshi Notake, Kiyotaka Hosoda, Hikaru Hayashi, Yuji Soejima","doi":"10.1159/000533857","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1159/000533857","url":null,"abstract":"Introduction: Cirrhosis is deemed to be a contributing factor to the postoperative recurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), however, the precise impact of liver fibrosis on both cancer-specific prognosis remains unclear. This investigation sought to elucidate the effect of liver fibrosis severity on the cancer-specific prognosis. Methods: A total of 524 consecutive patients were included. Recurrence-free survival (RFS) and disease-specific survival (DSS) were compared according to fibrosis stage. Moreover, postoperative outcomes were subjected to analysis in cohorts of patients with F0 and F1-3, as well as in those with F1-3 and F4, who were carefully matched for background factors. Results: The five-year RFS exhibited a significantly worse outcome in the F4 group compared to other stages of fibrosis [5-year RFS: F0 (46.6%), F1-3 (33.1%) and F4 (23.5%), P=0.03 (F0 vs. F1-3) and P<0.01 (F1-3 vs. F4)]. Additionally, the five-year DSS also presented a significantly worse prognosis in the F4 group (5-year DSS: F0 (82.9%), F1-3 (73.6%) and F4 (57.4%), P=0.04 (F0 vs. F1-3) and P<0.01 (F1-3 vs. F4)]. In multivariate analysis, fibrosis 1, 2, 3, and 4 stage (compared with F0) (HR: 1.70, 1.81, 1.89, and 3.99, 95 % CI: 1.10–1.99, 1.39–2.22, 1.41–2.55, and 2.25–5.01, P=0.022, P=0.008, P<0.001, and P<0.001, respectively) was independent risk factor for RFS. After matched analysis, both RFS and DSS exhibited significantly worse prognoses in the presence of more advanced fibrosis. There was a significantly higher incidence of multiple recurrences in the F4 group than the F1–3 group, and a number of recurrences were observed both in the same hepatic segment as the resected side and in the contralateral lobe in F4 group. Discussion/Conclusion: The hazard and recurrence pattern of HCC signifies that the prognosis could potentially be poor, as the hepatic fibrosis likely owing to a higher hepatocarcinogenic potential, even in the absence of progression to cirrhotic condition. The risk of de novo recurrence may also increase with the progression of this fibrosis.","PeriodicalId":18156,"journal":{"name":"Liver Cancer","volume":"17 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-10-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135808406","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Hepatocellular Carcinoma Patients with Hepatitis B Virus Infection Exhibited Favorable Survival from Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis","authors":"Qi Du, Jia Yuan, Zhenggang Ren","doi":"10.1159/000534446","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1159/000534446","url":null,"abstract":"Background Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have demonstrated effectiveness for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, the discrepancy in the efficacy of ICIs in HCC patients with distinct etiologies has not been systematically validated. Methods PubMed, MEDLINE, EMBASE, clinicaltrials.gov and abstracts from ASCO and ESMO conferences were searched for eligible trials that explored the impact of etiology factor on the ICI treatment in HCC patients. The pooled hazard ratio (HR) of overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS), as well as the pooled odds ratio (OR) of objective response rate (ORR) were calculated with stratification of hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV) and nonviral subgroup, and the heterogeneity between different etiological subgroup were assessed by using an interaction test. Results Eight eligible studies with a total of 5646 patients were identified from searching published articles and conference abstracts. ICI therapies were associated with significantly prolonged OS with the pooled HRs of 0.78 (95%CI 0.73-0.84, p < 0.001), 0.71 (95%CI 0.65-0.79, p < 0.001), 0.80 (95%CI 0.69-0.93, p = 0.003) and 0.87 (95%CI 0.77-0.97, p = 0.011) for the whole population, HBV subgroup, HCV subgroup and non-viral subgroup, respectively. In addition, this analysis reported a significant PFS improvement with ICI therapies with HRs of 0.78 (p = 0.004), 0.53 (p < 0.001), 0.65 (p = 0.011) and 0.81 (p = 0.107) for whole population, HBV, HCV and nonviral subgroup, respectively. The HBV-related HCC patients showed the more distinctive HRs for OS and PFS than other etiology subgroups, and this difference was significant in PFS (p for heterogeneity = 0.001) and there was a tendency of significance in OS (p for heterogeneity = 0.079). Furthermore, the ORR advantages of ICI therapies over control were also confirmed with the pooled ORs of 3.62 (p < 0.001), 3.84 (p < 0.001), 3.05 (p < 0.001) and 2.99 (p < 0.001) for whole population, HBV, HCV and nonviral subgroup, respectively (p for heterogeneity = 0.743). Conclusions ICI therapies significantly improve OS, PFS and ORR for HCC patients with different etiologies. HBV-related HCC patients could be the highlighted population to benefit from ICI treatment.","PeriodicalId":18156,"journal":{"name":"Liver Cancer","volume":"433 ","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-10-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"136067994","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"SAFETY AND EFFICACY OF ATEZOLIZUMAB/ BEVACIZUMAB IN PATIENTS WITH HEPATOCELLULAR CARCINOMA AND IMPAIRED LIVER FUNCTION: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS","authors":"Andrea Pasta, Francesco Calabrese, Ariel Jaffe, Sara Labanca, Simona Marenco, Giulia Pieri, Maria Corina Plaz Torres, Mario Strazzabosco, Edoardo G. Giannini","doi":"10.1159/000533991","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1159/000533991","url":null,"abstract":"<b><i>Background:</i></b> Safety and outcome of atezolizumab/bevacizumab in Child-Pugh B patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) have not been completely characterized. <b><i>Objectives:</i></b> In this study, we aimed at addressing safety and efficacy of atezolizumab/bevacizumab in Child-Pugh B patients by reviewing the available data and analyzing them by meta-analysis. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> We compared the safety and efficacy of atezolizumab/becavizumab treatment in patients with unresectable HCC and various degrees of liver dysfunction. A total of 8 retrospective, non-randomized, cohort studies were included in this meta-analysis, for a total of 1,071 Child-Pugh A and 225 Child-Pugh B patients. The albumin-bilirubin (ALBI) grade was also used to assess liver function, when available. <b><i>Results:</i></b> Grade ≥3 adverse events were observed in 11.8% of Child-Pugh class A and 26.8% class B patients (<i>p</i> = 0.0001), with an odds ratio (OR) of 0.43 (confidence interval [CI] 0.21–0.90; <i>p</i> = 0.02). Progression-free survival (PFS) at both 6 months (4.90 ± 2.08 vs. 4.75 ± 2.08 months; <i>p</i> = 0.0004) and 12 months (8.83 ± 2.32 vs. 7.26 ± 2.33 months; <i>p</i> = 0.002) was lower in Child-Pugh class B patients. A trend toward a higher objective response rate (ORR) was observed in Child-Pugh class A patients (219/856, 25.6%) as compared to Child-Pugh class B patients (25/138, 18.1%; <i>p</i> = 0.070), while the probability of obtaining an ORR was significantly greater in Child-Pugh A patients (OR 1.79, CI 1.12–2.86; <i>p</i> = 0.02). Median overall survival (OS) was 16.8 ± 2.0 and 6.8 ± 3.2 months in Child-Pugh A and B patients, respectively (mean difference 9.06 months, CI 7.01–11.1, <i>p</i> &amp;lt; 0.0001). Lastly, OS was longer in patients with ALBI grades 1–2 than in those with grade 3 (8.3 ± 11.4 vs. 3.3 ± 5.0 months, <i>p</i> = 0.0008). <b><i>Conclusions:</i></b> Oncological efficacy of atezolizumab/bevacizumab is moderate in Child-Pugh class B patients, and the shorter PFS and OS associated with the greater likelihood of experiencing treatment-related adverse events observed in these patients suggest great caution and individualization of treatment, possibly with the support of the ALBI grade.","PeriodicalId":18156,"journal":{"name":"Liver Cancer","volume":"24 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-10-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135803622","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Two distinct characteristics of immune microenvironment in human hepatocellular carcinoma with Wnt/β-catenin mutations","authors":"Tomoko Aoki, Naoshi Nishida, Yutaka Kurebayashi, Kazuko Sakai, Masahiro Morita, Hirokazu Chishina, Masahiro Takita, Satoru Hagiwara, Hiroshi Ida, Kazuomi Ueshima, Yasunori Minami, Masakatsu Tsurusaki, Takuya Nakai, Michiie Sakamoto, Kazuto Nishio, Masatoshi Kudo","doi":"10.1159/000533818","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1159/000533818","url":null,"abstract":"Introduction Immunotherapy is becoming a promising approach for unresectable-hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC); the anti-tumor response is affected by the tumor microenvironment (TME). Although Wnt/β-catenin mutations are reported to cause non-inflamed phenotype, their role on TME remains controversial. We aimed to clarify the heterogeneity of immunophenotype in HCC with Wnt/β-catenin mutations. Methods This study includes 152 resected HCCs; mutations in the catenin beta-1, adenomatous polyposis coli, or AXIN1, or AXIN2 genes were defined as Wnt/β-catenin mutations. With hierarchical cluster analyses, TME were classified into inflamed or non-inflamed classes based on the gene expressions associated with T-cell activation. Expression profiles of molecules related to cell differentiation and biliary-stem cell markers were compared between the TME classes to investigate whether differences in tumor traits were associated with TME. Results Forty of 152 (26.3%) HCCs carried the Wnt/β-catenin mutations. Of these, 33 were classified as non-inflamed (33/40, 82.5%) and 7 as inflamed (7/40, 17.5%). Non-inflamed class was characterized by low number of CD3+, CD4+, and CD8+ cells on immunostaining, and high mRNA expressions of AXIN2 and GLUL, which are involved in the canonical Wnt/β-catenin signaling and hepatocyte differentiation, respectively. Non-inflamed tumors showed higher enhancement on the hepatobiliary-phase of gadolinium-ethoxybenzyl-diethylenetriamine (Gd-EOB-DTPA)-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) compared to inflamed tumors. HCCs classified as inflamed class are revealed to have high numbers of CD3+, CD4+, and CD8+ tumor infiltrating lymphocytes on immunostaining. This class is associated with increased expression of anti-epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM) and FOXM1 accompanied by upregulation of genes related to interferon-gamma signaling, dendritic cell migration, regulatory T cells and MDSC activation and recognized as low enhancement nodule on Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced MRI. Conclusion Heterogeneity of tumor traits and TME was observed in HCC with Wnt/β-catenin mutation. The potential was indicated that tumor traits and TME are determined not only by the activation of the HNF4A but also by FOXM1, both of which are downstream transcription factor of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway.","PeriodicalId":18156,"journal":{"name":"Liver Cancer","volume":"43 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-10-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135147252","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Real-world Data on the Diagnosis, Treatment and Management of Hepatocellular Carcinoma in the Asia-Pacific: The INSIGHT study","authors":"Yu Ki Sim, Ming Chuen Chong, Mihir Gandhi, Yogesh Mahadev Pokharkar, Yanan Zhu, Luming Shi, Li Lequn, Chien-Hung Chen, Masatoshi Kudo, Joon Hyeok Lee, Simone I Strasser, Rawisak Chanwat, Pierce K.H. Chow","doi":"10.1159/000534513","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1159/000534513","url":null,"abstract":"<b><i>Introduction:</i></b> Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the sixth most commonly diagnosed cancer and the third leading cause of cancer death worldwide. While there has been rapid evolution in the treatment paradigm of HCC across the past decade, the extent to which these newly approved therapies are utilized in clinical practice in the real world is, however, unknown. The INSIGHT study was an investigator-initiated, multi-site longitudinal cohort study conducted to reflect real-world epidemiology and clinical practice in Asia-Pacific in the immediate 7-year period after the conclusion of the BRIDGE study. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> Data were collected both retrospectively (planned 30% of the total cohort size) and prospectively (planned 70%) from January 2013 to December 2019 from eligible patients newly diagnosed with HCC from 33 participating sites across 9 Asia-Pacific countries. <b><i>Results:</i></b> A total of 2,533 newly diagnosed HCC patients (1,052 in retrospective cohort and 1,481 in prospective cohort) were enrolled. The most common risk factor was hepatitis B in all countries except Japan, Australia, and New Zealand, where the prevalence of hepatitis C and diabetes were more common. The top three comorbidities reported in the INSIGHT study include cirrhosis, hypertension, and diabetes. We observe high heterogeneity in the first-line treatment recorded across countries and across disease stages, which significantly affects survival outcomes. Stratification by factors such as etiologies, tumor characteristics, the presence of extrahepatic metastases or macrovascular invasion, and the use of subsequent lines of treatment were performed. <b><i>Conclusion:</i></b> The INSIGHT study describes a wide spectrum of clinical management practices in HCC, where patient demographics, differential costs, and patient access to therapies may lead to wide geographical variations through the patient’s treatment cycle, from diagnosis to clinical outcome. The high heterogeneity in patient outcomes demonstrates the need for more robust and clinical management strategies to be designed and adopted to bring about better patient outcomes.","PeriodicalId":18156,"journal":{"name":"Liver Cancer","volume":"60 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-10-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135146198","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Genetic/epigenetic alteration and tumor immune microenvironment in intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma: Transforming the immune microenvironment with molecular targeted agents","authors":"Naoshi Nishida, Masatoshi Kudo","doi":"10.1159/000534443","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1159/000534443","url":null,"abstract":"Background Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (iCCA) is often diagnosed at an advanced stage, leading to limited treatment options and a poor prognosis. So far, standard systemic therapy for advanced iCCA has been a combination of gemcitabine and cisplatin. However, recent advancements in the understanding of the molecular characteristics of iCCA have opened new possibilities for molecular-targeted therapies and immunotherapy. Summary Reportedly, 9–36% of iCCA cases have an inflamed tumor immune microenvironment (TME) based on the immune gene expression signature, which is characterized by the presence of immune cells involved in anti-tumor immune responses. The majority of iCCA cases have a non-inflamed TME with a lack of effector T cells, rendering immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) ineffective in these cases. Interestingly, alterations in the fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR2) gene and IDH1/2 gene mutations are often observed in the non-inflamed TME in iCCA. Several mechanisms have been reported for the role of driver mutations on the establishment of TME unique for iCCA. For example, IDH1/2 mutations, which cause an increase in DNA methylation, are associated with the downregulation and hypermethylation of antigen processing and presentation machineries, which may contribute to the establishment of a non-inflamed TME. Therefore, inhibitors targeting IDH1/2 may restore the DNA methylation and expression status of molecules involved in antigen presentation, potentially improving the efficacy of ICIs. FGFR inhibitors may also have the potential to modulate immunosuppressive TME by inhibiting suppressor of cytokine signaling 1 and activating the interferon-γ signaling as a consequence of inhibition of FGFR signal. From this perspective, understanding the molecular characteristics of iCCA, including the TME and driver mutations, is essential for effective application of ICIs and molecular-targeted therapies. Key Messages Combination approaches that target both the tumor and immune system hold promise for improving the outcomes of patients with iCCA. Further research and clinical trials are needed to validate these approaches and optimize the treatment strategies for iCCA.","PeriodicalId":18156,"journal":{"name":"Liver Cancer","volume":"39 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-10-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135647519","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Current Therapeutic Strategies for Hepatocellular Carcinoma in Japan","authors":"Masatoshi Kudo","doi":"10.1159/000534304","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1159/000534304","url":null,"abstract":"<jats:p>N/A</jats:p>","PeriodicalId":18156,"journal":{"name":"Liver Cancer","volume":"44 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-10-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135789879","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Survival Outcome Analysis of Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy and Immunotherapy (SBRT-IO) versus SBRT-alone in Unresectable Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC)","authors":"Chi Leung Chiang, Francis Ann Shing Lee, Kenneth Sik Kwan Chan, Venus Wan Yan Lee, Keith Wan Hang Chiu, Ryan Lok Man Ho, John Ka Shun Fong, Natalie Sean Man Wong, Winnie Wing Ling Yip, Cynthia Sin Yu Yeung, Vince Wing Hang Lau, Man Kwan, Feng-Ming Spring Kong, Albert Chi Yan Chan","doi":"10.1159/000533425","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1159/000533425","url":null,"abstract":"<b><i>Introduction:</i></b> While combination of stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) and immunotherapy are promising, their efficacy and safety have not been compared with SBRT-alone in patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). <b><i>Methods:</i></b> This retrospective study included 100 patients with nonmetastatic, unresectable HCC in two hospitals. Eligible patients had tumor nodules ≤3 and Child-Pugh liver function score of A5 to B7. Seventy patients received SBRT-alone, and 30 patients underwent combined SBRT and immunotherapy (SBRT-IO). Overall survival (OS), time to progression (TTP), overall response rate (ORR), and toxicity were analyzed. We adjusted for the potential confounding factors using propensity score matching. <b><i>Results:</i></b> The median tumor size was 7.3 cm (range, 2.6–18 cm). Twenty-five (25%) of patients had vascular invasion. Before propensity score matching, the 1-year and 3-year OS rate was 89.9% and 59.8% in the SBRT-IO group and 75.7% and 42.3% in SBRT-alone group (<i>p</i> = 0.039). After propensity score matching (1:2), 25 and 50 patients were selected from the SBRT-IO and SBRT-alone group. The 1-year and 3-year OS was 92.0% and 63.9% in the SBRT-IO group versus 74.0% and 43.3% in the SBRT-alone group (<i>p</i> = 0.034). The 1-year and 3-year TTP was better in SBRT-IO group (1-year: 68.9% vs. 58.9% and 3-year: 61.3% vs. 32.5%, <i>p</i> = 0.057). The ORR of 88% (complete response [CR]: 56%, partial response [PR]: 22%) in SBRT-IO arm was significantly better than 50% (CR: 20%, PR: 30%) in the SBRT-alone arm (<i>p</i> = 0.006). Three patients (12%) developed ≥grade 3 immune-related treatment adverse events (<i>n</i> = 2 hepatitis, <i>n</i> = 1 dermatitis) leading to permanent treatment discontinuation. <b><i>Conclusion:</i></b> Adding immunotherapy to SBRT resulted in better survival with manageable toxicities. Prospective randomized trial is warranted.","PeriodicalId":18156,"journal":{"name":"Liver Cancer","volume":"42 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135660816","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"PHOCUS: A Phase 3, Randomized, Open-Label Study of Sequential Treatment with Pexa-Vec (JX-594) and Sorafenib in Patients with Advanced Hepatocellular Carcinoma","authors":"G. Abou-Alfa, Peter R. Galle, Yee Chao, Joseph Erinjeri, Jeong Heo, M. Borad, Angelo Luca, James M. Burke, Adina Pelusio, Delphine Agathon, Monika Lusky, C. Breitbach, S. Qin, Edward Gane","doi":"10.1159/000533650","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1159/000533650","url":null,"abstract":"Introduction: Intratumoral administration of pexa-vec (pexastimogene devacirepvec), an oncolytic and immunotherapeutic vaccinia virus, given to patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), is associated with both local and distant tumor responses. We hypothesized subsequent treatment with sorafenib could demonstrate superior efficacy. Methods: This random phase III open-label study evaluated the sequential treatment with pexa-vec followed by sorafenib compared to sorafenib in patients with advanced HCC and no prior systemic treatment. The primary endpoint is overall survival (OS). Key secondary endpoints included time to progression (TTP), progression-free survival, overall response rate (ORR), and disease control rate (DCR). Safety was assessed in all patients who received ≥1 dose of study treatment. Results: The study was conducted at 142 sites in 16 countries. From December 30, 2015, to the interim analysis on August 2, 2019, 459 patients were randomly assigned (pexa-vec plus sorafenib: 234, sorafenib: 225). At the interim analysis, the median OS was 12.7 months (95% CI: 9.89, 14.95) in the pexa-vec plus sorafenib arm and 14.0 months (95% CI: 11.01, 18.00) in the sorafenib arm. This led to the early termination of the study. The median TTP was 2.0 months (95% CI: 1.77, 2.96) and 4.2 months (95% CI: 2.92, 4.63); ORR was 19.2% (45 patients) and 20.9% (47 patients); and DCR was 50.0% (117 patients) and 57.3% (129 patients) in the pexa-vec plus sorafenib and sorafenib arms, respectively. Serious adverse events were reported in 117 (53.7%) patients in the pexa-vec plus sorafenib and 77 (35.5%) patients in the sorafenib arm. Liver failure was the most frequently reported in both groups. Conclusion: Sequential pexa-vec plus sorafenib treatment did not demonstrate increased clinical benefit in advanced HCC and fared worse compared to sorafenib alone. The advent of the added value of checkpoint inhibitors should direct any further development of oncolytic virus therapy strategies.","PeriodicalId":18156,"journal":{"name":"Liver Cancer","volume":"57 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":13.8,"publicationDate":"2023-09-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139333543","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}