Acta OncologicaPub Date : 2025-05-15DOI: 10.2340/1651-226X.2025.43399
Ulf Strömberg, Carl Bonander, Hans Garmo, Mats Lambe, Pär Stattin, Ola Bratt
{"title":"Sociodemographic disparities in incidence rates of advanced and low-risk prostate cancer as a proxy for diagnostic activity.","authors":"Ulf Strömberg, Carl Bonander, Hans Garmo, Mats Lambe, Pär Stattin, Ola Bratt","doi":"10.2340/1651-226X.2025.43399","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2340/1651-226X.2025.43399","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Inequity in prostate cancer detection can be assessed by relating the diagnostic intensity to the incidence rate of advanced disease in different population groups, according to factors such as socioeconomic status or ethnicity.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We used nationwide Swedish register data from Prostate Cancer data Base Sweden 5.0 and Statistics Sweden, which enabled us to estimate incidence rates of low-risk prostate cancer (a proxy for diagnostic activity) and advanced disease (locally advanced and/or metastatic) across population groups according to household income, country of birth, and neighborhood-level characteristics.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>We found a gradient in the age-standardized incidence of low-risk prostate cancer across income groups, from 60 per 100,000/year in men with high to 34 per 100,000/year in men with low household income: adjusted incidence rate ratio (IRR) 0.65 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.59-0.71). The gradient in the incidence of advanced disease had the opposite direction, from 44 to 60 per 100,000/year, IRR 1.43 (95% CI 1.31-1.56). Immigrants from a non-Nordic country (nearly 40% from Asia) had lower incidence rates of both low-risk (IRR 0.47, 95% CI 0.42-0.53) and advanced disease (IRR 0.65, 95% CI 0.58-0.73) than men born in a Nordic country. Neighborhood-level analysis considering economic standard, share of immigrants, and degree of urbanization did not clearly differentiate the incidence of advanced disease.</p><p><strong>Interpretation: </strong>Our results suggest that measures to facilitate early detection of prostate cancer should be targeted to men with a low income. A low diagnostic activity for prostate cancer among immigrants from countries with low background risk may not imply unjustified social disparity.</p>","PeriodicalId":7110,"journal":{"name":"Acta Oncologica","volume":"64 ","pages":"677-684"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-05-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144075233","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Gender differences in palliative care needs among Swedish cancer patients prior to specialist palliative care referral.","authors":"Karin Boo Hammas, Juliet Jacobsen, Rebecca Selberg, Sanjoy Mahajan, Jenny Klintman","doi":"10.2340/1651-226X.2025.43308","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2340/1651-226X.2025.43308","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background and purpose: </strong>Few studies, in Sweden or internationally, have examined gender differences regarding the use of palliative care. This study investigates gender differences in palliative care needs prior to referral in a regional cohort of Swedish cancer patients. Patient/material and methods: Adult cancer patients who died throughout 1 year and were referred to a specialized palliative care service in southern Sweden during their last 3 years of life (n = 192) were included. Information on gender, age, diagnosis, performance status, admissions to hospital, and serious illness conversations was collected through chart review.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Ninety-nine (52%) women and 93 (48%) men were included. Survival from diagnosis until death was comparable (p = 0.27) for women (341.0 days, IQR 77.0-902.0) and men (463.0 days, IQR 141.0-1035.0), as was survival from palliative care referral (p = 0.06) (women 48.0 days, IQR 19.0‑107.5; men 36.0 days, IQR 17.0‑85.0). Performance status at the time of referral was also comparable (p = 0.59). Gender differences were observed in healthcare utilization with fewer hospitalizations and emergency department visits for women in the 6 months prior to referral (p = 0.03) and significantly more men among those with the highest healthcare utilization (≥4 hospitalizations and emergency department visits) (p = 0.005). During the month before referral, women were more likely to have a serious illness conversation (p = 0.01).</p><p><strong>Interpretation: </strong>Compared to women, men have more hospitalizations and fewer serious illness conversations prior to referral to specialized palliative care, suggesting greater unmet palliative care needs.</p>","PeriodicalId":7110,"journal":{"name":"Acta Oncologica","volume":"64 ","pages":"672-676"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-05-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144075327","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Acta OncologicaPub Date : 2025-05-12DOI: 10.2340/1651-226X.2025.42529
Ghida Khalife, Matilda Nilsson, Lotta Peltola, Juho Waris, Antti Jekunen, Riikka-Leena Leskelä, Heidi Andersén, Mikko Nuutinen, Eija Heikkilä, Susanna Nurmi-Rantala, Paulus Torkki
{"title":"A systematic review and meta-analysis of lung cancer risk prediction models.","authors":"Ghida Khalife, Matilda Nilsson, Lotta Peltola, Juho Waris, Antti Jekunen, Riikka-Leena Leskelä, Heidi Andersén, Mikko Nuutinen, Eija Heikkilä, Susanna Nurmi-Rantala, Paulus Torkki","doi":"10.2340/1651-226X.2025.42529","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2340/1651-226X.2025.42529","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Lung cancer (LC) remains the leading cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide. Early detection through targeted screening significantly improves patient outcomes. However, identifying high-risk individuals remains a critical challenge.</p><p><strong>Purpose: </strong>This systematic review evaluates externally validated LC risk prediction models to assess their performance and potential applicability in screening strategies.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Of the 11,805 initial studies, 66 met inclusion criteria and 38 published mainly between 2020 and 2024 were included in the final analysis. Model methodologies, validation approaches, and performance metrics were extracted and compared.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The review identified 18 models utilising conventional machine learning, six employing neural networks, and 14 comparing different predictive frameworks. The Prostate Lung Colorectal and Ovarian Cancer Screening Trial (PLCOm2012) demonstrated superior sensitivity across diverse populations, while newer models, such as Optimized Early Warning model for Lung cancer risk (OWL) and CanPredict, showed promising results. However, differences in population demographics and healthcare systems may limit the generalisability of these models.</p><p><strong>Interpretation: </strong>While LC risk prediction models have advanced, their applicability to specific healthcare systems, such as Finland's, requires further adaptation and validation. Future research should focus on optimising these models for local contexts to improve clinical impact and cost-effectiveness in targeted screening programmes.</p><p><strong>Systematic review registration: </strong>PROSPERO CRD42022321391.</p>","PeriodicalId":7110,"journal":{"name":"Acta Oncologica","volume":"64 ","pages":"661-671"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-05-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143956114","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Acta OncologicaPub Date : 2025-05-12DOI: 10.2340/1651-226X.2025.42001
Helge Henjum, Karoline Mo Feten, Erlend Hartvigsen, Kristian S Ytre-Hauge, Camilla G Boer, Camilla H Stokkevåg
{"title":"Dosimetric comparison of intensity-modulated proton therapy and proton arc therapy for pediatric ependymoma.","authors":"Helge Henjum, Karoline Mo Feten, Erlend Hartvigsen, Kristian S Ytre-Hauge, Camilla G Boer, Camilla H Stokkevåg","doi":"10.2340/1651-226X.2025.42001","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2340/1651-226X.2025.42001","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background and purpose: </strong>Proton Arc Therapy (PAT) is an emerging proton therapy treatment modality with the potential to reduce radiation exposure to healthy tissues compared to conventional Intensity-Modulated Proton Therapy (IMPT) with fewer beams. This is an attractive option for treating pediatric patients, who are vulnerable to radiation-induced side effects. There is, however, a need to investigate the redistribution of dose to the target volume and organs at risk. In this study, we therefore explored the potential of PAT in proton therapy of pediatric ependymoma.</p><p><strong>Methods and materials: </strong>Three-field IMPT and PAT treatment plans for 10 pediatric ependymoma patients were optimized using the Eclipse treatment planning system. The PAT plans consisted of 8 fields, spanning 170 degrees. Both modalities were robustly optimized with a ± 2 mm isocenter shift and a ± 3% range uncertainty.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>PAT showed improved CTV coverage compared to three-field IMPT, with a distinct increase in D98%. A clear dose reduction was found for the cochleae, with median values of 9.32 Gy(Relative Biological Effectiveness [RBE]) [0.76 - 30.40 Gy(RBE)] and 18.30 Gy(RBE) [1.24 - 29.75 Gy(RBE)] for PAT and IMPT, respectively, for the right cochlea. For the left cochlea, the respective doses were 12.34 Gy(RBE) [2.81 - 30.94 Gy(RBE)] and 18.49 Gy(RBE) [4.27 - 31.97 Gy(RBE)]. No significant difference for the brain integral dose was found between the two modalities.</p><p><strong>Interpretation: </strong>PAT can improve the dosimetric outcome of proton therapy in pediatric ependymoma patients. Organs at risk dose varied on a patient-to-patient basis; thus, individual treatment plan comparisons are recommended.</p>","PeriodicalId":7110,"journal":{"name":"Acta Oncologica","volume":"64 ","pages":"654-660"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-05-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143955521","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Acta OncologicaPub Date : 2025-05-08DOI: 10.2340/1651-226X.2025.42551
Ellen Lund Schaldemose, Christine Vestergaard Madsen, Ahmed Hussein Zedan, Martin Berg, Henrik Dahl Nissen, Terje Andersen, Bjarke Mortensen, Lars Ulrik Fokdal
{"title":"Risk factors for rectal bleeding in prostate cancer after radiotherapy with a validation of current rectal dose constraints.","authors":"Ellen Lund Schaldemose, Christine Vestergaard Madsen, Ahmed Hussein Zedan, Martin Berg, Henrik Dahl Nissen, Terje Andersen, Bjarke Mortensen, Lars Ulrik Fokdal","doi":"10.2340/1651-226X.2025.42551","DOIUrl":"10.2340/1651-226X.2025.42551","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Rectal bleeding is a well-known adverse event following pelvic external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) for prostate cancer. This study investigates risk factors for rectal bleeding and validate our current rectal dose constraints in a real-world setting.</p><p><strong>Material and methods: </strong>This prospective study includes 248 prostate cancer patients who received EBRT between 2017-2022. EBRT consisted of 56 Gy/39 fractions to the prostate, elective lymph nodes, and seminal vesicles with an integrated boost of 78 Gy to the prostate alone (≤T3a) or to the prostate and seminal vesicles (T3b). Rectal dose constraints were V50 Gy ≤50%, V70 Gy ≤20%, and V74 Gy ≤12%. Rectal bleeding was recorded at baseline and regularly duringfollow-up and included staff reported morbidity and patient reported outcome measures. Risk factors were evaluated in multivariate cox regression analysis.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Median follow-up was 18 months (range 1-61 months). Sixteen percent (CI:11%;22%) of patients reported rectal bleeding as \"rarely\", 4%(CI:2%;8%) \"about half the time\", 0% \"usually\", and 2%(CI:0%;4%) \"always\". Five percent reported rectal bleeding as bothersome. It was possible to comply with current rectal dose constraint (V74 Gy ≤12%) in 99.6% of all patients. Body mass index (BMI) (BMI:25-29.9, HR:0.54(CI:0.30;0.98), p=.044 or BMI>29.9, HR:0.40(CI:0.20;0.79), p=0.008)) were predictors for rectal bleeding.</p><p><strong>Interpretation: </strong>Patient-reported rectal bleeding is common after prostate cancer radiotherapy. High BMI was a protective factor against rectal bleeding. No correlation was observed between rectal dose-volume constraints and the occurrence of rectal bleeding, suggesting that a rectal high-dose constraint of V74 Gy ≤12% is an adequate threshold to minimize patient-reported rectal bleeding.</p>","PeriodicalId":7110,"journal":{"name":"Acta Oncologica","volume":"64 ","pages":"644-653"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-05-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12079044/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143960602","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Acta OncologicaPub Date : 2025-05-07DOI: 10.2340/1651-226X.2025.43320
Emma Skovgaard Pedersen, Christoffer Johansen, Mette Kielsholm Thomsen
{"title":"Balancing between A and I.","authors":"Emma Skovgaard Pedersen, Christoffer Johansen, Mette Kielsholm Thomsen","doi":"10.2340/1651-226X.2025.43320","DOIUrl":"10.2340/1651-226X.2025.43320","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":7110,"journal":{"name":"Acta Oncologica","volume":"64 ","pages":"641-643"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-05-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12078944/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143958042","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Acta OncologicaPub Date : 2025-05-07DOI: 10.2340/1651-226X.2025.42422
Emelie C Rotbain, Klaus Rostgaard, Katja Kaastrup, Stine Ulrik Mikkelsen, Henrik Hjalgrim, Kirsten Grønbæk
{"title":"The risk of myelodysplastic syndrome and acute myeloid leukemia by metformin use and type 2 diabetes status - a Danish nation-wide cohort study.","authors":"Emelie C Rotbain, Klaus Rostgaard, Katja Kaastrup, Stine Ulrik Mikkelsen, Henrik Hjalgrim, Kirsten Grønbæk","doi":"10.2340/1651-226X.2025.42422","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2340/1651-226X.2025.42422","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background and purpose: </strong>The treatment options for myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) and acute myeloid leukemia (AML) have increased recently. However, drug resistance persists and patients who are ineligible for curative treatments still have a very poor prognosis. Previous studies support a general anti-neoplastic effect of metformin, and a recent preclinical investigation has shown that metformin may control the expansion of Dnmt3a clonal hematopoiesis, which is known to precede MDS and AML.</p><p><strong>Patients/material and methods: </strong>In this study we investigated the effect of metformin and type 2 diabetes (T2D) on the risk of developing MDS or AML. T2D was defined based on hospital diagnosis codes and glucose-lowering drug prescriptions. The study was performed as a cohort study with follow-up from 1 January 2000 to 31 December 2017 using Danish national, population-based register data.</p><p><strong>Results and interpretation: </strong>In all, 6,031,132 persons contributed to the study of whom 302,403 had T2D, and 295,365 received metformin. Median follow-up time among individuals with T2D was more than 5 years, and among individuals without T2D more than 15 years. Our analyses revealed no association between T2D (hazard ratio [HR] 1.02 [95% confidence intervals (CI) 0.92-1.13]) or metformin use (HR 1.21 [95% CI 0.91-1.60]) and the risk of MDS or AML. However, when outcomes were studied separately, T2D was associated with an increased risk of MDS (HR 1.24 [95% CI 1.08-1.32]) but not with AML. Metformin use was not associated with MDS nor AML. Future studies should determine which patient groups may benefit from metformin to prevent MDS or AML development.</p>","PeriodicalId":7110,"journal":{"name":"Acta Oncologica","volume":"64 ","pages":"623-629"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-05-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12067982/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143960018","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Treatment patterns in patients with locally advanced and metastatic bladder cancer in Denmark 2015-2023 - an updated analysis.","authors":"Mette Nørgaard, Aurélie Mailhac, Karin Fagerlund, Torsten Strunz-McKendry, Mads Agerbæk, Jørgen Bjerggaard Jensen","doi":"10.2340/1651-226X.2025.43484","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2340/1651-226X.2025.43484","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":7110,"journal":{"name":"Acta Oncologica","volume":"64 ","pages":"630-632"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-05-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12067985/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143955155","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Acta OncologicaPub Date : 2025-05-07DOI: 10.2340/1651-226X.2025.42498
Catherine Burgos, Calin Radu, Sofia Heyman, Nina Cavalli-Björkman, Peter Nygren
{"title":"Clinical characteristics and treatment outcome in p16 negative anal cancer.","authors":"Catherine Burgos, Calin Radu, Sofia Heyman, Nina Cavalli-Björkman, Peter Nygren","doi":"10.2340/1651-226X.2025.42498","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2340/1651-226X.2025.42498","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Anal squamous cell carcinoma (ASCC) is linked to human papillomavirus infection with p16 being positive in about 85% of cases. Overall survival (OS) of ASCC is 60%-80%. Prognosis in p16 negative (p16-) ASCC is worse with an OS of 30%-60%. It is important to elucidate differences in p16+ and p16- ASCC characteristics and outcome.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Consecutive ASCC patients (n = 380) treated with curative intent in Uppsala 2017-2022 were reviewed and analyzed retrospectively. A cohort of p16- patients (n = 30) from Gothenburg was included as a validation cohort.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Ninety-one per cent (n = 347) were p16+ and 9% (n = 33) p16-. Median follow-up was 33 months (range 4-78). p16- status was associated with higher age (≥65 years; p = 0.03), comorbidity (p = 0.03), male sex (p = 0.001) and perianal localization (p < 0.001). At 3 years progression free survival was 50% and 81% (p <0.0001) and OS 60% and 89% (p < 0.0001) for p16- and p16+ patients, respectively. Male sex, advanced T-stage (T3-4), N+ disease, advance treatment and p16- status were associated with inferior OS (p = 0.01 - p < 0.0001). In the p16- subgroup, advanced T-stage and intensive treatment were negative prognostic factors for OS (p = 0.007 and 0.009, respectively) but no clinical characteristic predicted persistent disease. The p16- validation cohort essentially confirmed the findings from the main cohort.</p><p><strong>Interpretation: </strong>p16- ASCC is a disease subset with specific clinical features and poor prognosis in need of improved treatment.</p>","PeriodicalId":7110,"journal":{"name":"Acta Oncologica","volume":"64 ","pages":"633-640"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-05-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12067988/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143958121","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Acta OncologicaPub Date : 2025-05-05DOI: 10.2340/1651-226X.2025.42652
Xiaoyan Ding, Xue Yin, Linlin Zheng, Lin Zhou, Junke Hu, Wei Sun, Lei Sun, Yanjun Shen, Ying Teng, Yawen Xu, Wendong Li, Mei Liu, Jinglong Chen
{"title":"Patients with uHCC and Child-Pugh B8/9 also benefit from a combination of antiangiogenic agents and PD-1 inhibitors: a multicenter real-world study.","authors":"Xiaoyan Ding, Xue Yin, Linlin Zheng, Lin Zhou, Junke Hu, Wei Sun, Lei Sun, Yanjun Shen, Ying Teng, Yawen Xu, Wendong Li, Mei Liu, Jinglong Chen","doi":"10.2340/1651-226X.2025.42652","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2340/1651-226X.2025.42652","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background and purpose: </strong>Patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (uHCC) and Child-Pugh grade B face limited treatment options and poor outcomes. This study aims to evaluate whether the effect and safety of combining tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) with progressive disease (PD)-1 inhibitors in uHCC patients with Child-Pugh B7 (CP7) and B8/9 (CP8/9) differ.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This multicenter retrospective study included 179 uHCC patients with Child-Pugh B (CP7 group: n = 106; CP8/9 group: n = 73), receiving a combination of lenvatinib/sorafenib/other TKIs and PD-1 inhibitors between December 2020 and March 2023. Progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were defined as the primary endpoint. Secondary endpoints included the objective response rate (ORR) and safety.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The median PFS and OS for the entire cohort were 7.3 months (95% confidence intervals [CI]: 6.3-8.3) and 16.0 months (95% CI: 12.9-19.1), respectively. No statistically significant differences were observed between CP7 and CP8/9 groups in PFS (7.8 vs. 6.3 months, p = 0.28), OS (17.8 vs. 14.0 months, p = 0.20), ORR (33.0% vs. 27.4%, p = 0.42), or safety profiles. However, the CP8/9 group had significantly higher rates of TKI dose reductions (46.6% vs. 31.1%, p = 0.04) and discontinuations (57.5% vs. 24.5%, p < 0.001). Notably, 30.2% of patients maintained sustained radiographic responses despite advanced liver dysfunction.</p><p><strong>Interpretation: </strong>Combining TKIs with PD-1 inhibitors is an effective and well-tolerated option for HCC patients with Child-Pugh B, including those with CP8/9.</p>","PeriodicalId":7110,"journal":{"name":"Acta Oncologica","volume":"64 ","pages":"607-615"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-05-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12067986/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143962493","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}