Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) in combination with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) plus tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) (TACE+IT) versus ICIs plus TKIs (IT) for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).
Materials and methods: Data of consecutive advanced HCC patients receiving TACE+IT or IT between January 2019 and December 2021 were included and were retrospectively analyzed. Propensity score matching (PSM) was performed to reduce bias due to confounding variables. The primary outcome of the study was overall survival (OS). The secondary outcomes were progression-free survival (PFS), objective response rate (ORR), disease control rate (DCR), and adverse events (AEs), respectively.
Results: Sixty-four patients were enrolled in the study, among which 24 and 40 received TACE+IT and IT, respectively. The PSM cohort included 24 patients receiving TACE+IT (TACE+IT group) and 24 patients receiving IT (IT group) alone. During a median follow-up of 23 months, patients in TACE+IT group had significantly longer OS (median, 17.3 vs 11.8 months, P = 0.023), better ORR (41.7% vs 12.5%, P = 0.023) and DCR (79.2% vs 50.0%, P = 0.035) than those in the IT group, whereas a non-significant trend in PFS (median, 7.4 vs 6.7 months, P = 0.23) was observed. According to multivariable cox regression analysis, it was found that treatment modality was the only independent risk factor for OS (HR = 0.404, 95% CI = 0.179-0.911, P < 0.05). There were no remarkable differences in AEs associated with ICIs and TKIs between the two groups, with the exception of gastrointestinal reaction.
Conclusion: TACE combined with ICIs plus TKIs significantly improved OS, ORR, and DCR and showed a relatively longer PFS trend over ICIs combined with TKIs for advanced HCC.
Keywords: hepatocellular carcinoma; immune checkpoint inhibitors; transarterial chemoembolization; tyrosine kinase inhibitors.
© 2022 Huang et al.