Efficacy and safety of camrelizumab plus transarterial chemoembolization in intermediate to advanced hepatocellular carcinoma patients: A prospective, multi-center, real-world study

Ran You; Qingyu Xu; Qi Wang; Qingqiao Zhang; Weizhong Zhou; Chi Cao; Xiangzhong Huang; Honghai Ji; Penghua Lv; Hao Jiang; You Lu; Yong Jin; Yongjun Li; Long Cheng; Weidong Wang; Hao Xu; Xiaoli Zhu; Guowen Yin

doi:10.3389/fonc.2022.816198

Efficacy and safety of camrelizumab plus transarterial chemoembolization in intermediate to advanced hepatocellular carcinoma patients: A prospective, multi-center, real-world study

Front Oncol. 2022 Aug 2:12:816198. doi: 10.3389/fonc.2022.816198. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Ran You¹, Qingyu Xu¹, Qi Wang², Qingqiao Zhang³, Weizhong Zhou⁴, Chi Cao⁵, Xiangzhong Huang⁶, Honghai Ji⁷, Penghua Lv⁸, Hao Jiang¹, You Lu¹, Yong Jin⁹, Yongjun Li¹⁰, Long Cheng⁵, Weidong Wang¹¹, Hao Xu³, Xiaoli Zhu¹², Guowen Yin¹

Affiliations

¹ Interventional Radiology Department, Jiangsu Cancer Hospital and Jiangsu Institute of Cancer Research and The Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China.
² Interventional Radiology Department, The First People's Hospital of Changzhou, Changzhou, China.
³ Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, China.
⁴ Interventional Radiology Department, Jiangsu Province Hospital, Nanjing, China.
⁵ Interventional Radiology Department, Xuzhou Central Hospital, Xuzhou, China.
⁶ Interventional Radiology Department, Jiangyin People's Hospital, Jiangyin, China.
⁷ Interventional Radiology Department, Yancheng No. 1 People's Hospital, Yancheng, China.
⁸ Interventional Radiology Department, The Northern Jiangsu People's Hospital, Yangzhou, China.
⁹ Interventional Radiology Department, The Second Affiliated Hospital of SooChow University, Suzhou, China.
¹⁰ Interventional Radiology Department, Nantong Tumor Hospital, Nantong, China.
¹¹ Interventional Radiology Department, Wuxi People's Hospital, Wuxi, China.
¹² Interventional Radiology Department, The First Affiliated Hospital of SooChow University, Suzhou, China.

Abstract

Objective: Camrelizumab is a newly developed program-death receptor one inhibitor; the real-world evidence about its application in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) treatment is lacking. Therefore, this prospective, multi-center, real-world study evaluated the efficacy and safety of camrelizumab plus transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) in treating intermediate-to-advanced HCC patients.

Methods: This study consecutively enrolled 101 intermediate to advanced HCC patients. All patients received camrelizumab-based treatment within 30 days of the perioperative period of the TACE operation. The primary outcome was progression-free survival (PFS), and the secondary effects were overall survival (OS), objective response rate (ORR), disease control rate (DCR), and AEs.

Results: Specifically, the median PFS was 9.7 (95% confidence interval: 7.4-12.0) months, with a 1-year PFS rate of 30.6%. Meanwhile, the median OS was not reached (NR) yet, with a 1-year OS rate of 61.9%. Besides, the CR, PR, SD, and PD rates were 12.8%, 44.9%, 29.5%, and 12.8%, respectively. The ORR and DCR were 57.7% and 87.2%, respectively. More cycles of camrelizumab were independently correlated with prolonged PFS (hazard ratio (HR): 0.415, P = 0.002), whereas longer intervals between camrelizumab administration and TACE were independently associated with unfavorable PFS (HR: 1.873, P = 0.032). The incidence of total AEs was 90.1%; most AEs were grade 1 (20.8%), grade 2 (28.7%) and grade 3 (37.6%), while only 3 (3.0%) patients had grade 4 AEs.

Conclusion: The camrelizumab plus TACE regimen is effective and safe, indicating its potential to serve as a promising treatment choice for intermediate to advanced HCC patients.

Keywords: adverse event; camrelizumab; hepatocellular carcinoma; survival; transarterial chemoembolization.