Comparative Outcome Analysis of Lenvatinib Versus Sorafenib for Recurrence of Hepatocellular Carcinoma After Liver Transplantation.

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) recurs after liver transplantation (LT) in ~17% of patients. We aimed to retrospectively compare the outcomes of patients treated with different tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) for recurrent HCC post-LT.

Methods: Patients with recurrent HCC post-LT between 2006 and 2019 were included. The impact of sorafenib and lenvatinib treatment for recurrent disease was assessed using survival analysis with an a priori multivariable Cox regression (alpha-fetoprotein [AFP] at recurrence, recurrence lesion diameter, single-site versus multisite metastases).

Results: Seven hundred fifty-four patients underwent LT for HCC, of whom 120 (15.9%) developed recurrence. Of these patients, 56 received TKIs: sorafenib (n = 42) or lenvatinib (n = 14). The median age at LT was 60.8 y (interquartile range, 54.0-66.2); 52 (93%) were men and 26 (46%) were within Milan criteria at listing. Baseline characteristics at recurrence were comparable between the 2 groups, including largest tumor diameter (P = 0.15), receipt of local therapies before TKI (P = 0.33), and single-site recurrence (P = 0.75), and time from interventional treatment to start of TKI (P = 0.44). The AFP at recurrence was higher in the sorafenib group (95.0 versus 3.0 µg/L, P < 0.001). The median overall survival (OS) after initiation of TKI treatment was longer in the lenvatinib group (15.0 mo [95% confidence interval [CI], 11.5-31.5] versus 7.8 mo [95% CI, 4.0-15.4]; P = 0.02) with a 2.3-fold a priori adjusted effect on OS (adjusted hazard ratio 2.32 [95% CI, 1.03-5.20], P = 0.04).

Conclusions: Our findings suggest lenvatinib is a valuable treatment option for patients with HCC recurrence after LT.