This study aimed to compare the prognosis and characteristics of patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma treated with first-line atezolizumab plus bevacizumab (AB) combination therapy and hepatic artery infusion chemotherapy (HAIC). We retrospectively assessed 193 and 114 patients treated with HAIC and AB combination therapy, respectively, between January 2018 and May 2023. The progression-free survival (PFS) of patients treated with AB combination therapy was significantly superior to that of patients treated with HAIC (p < 0.05), but there was no significant difference in overall survival (OS). After propensity score matching, our data revealed no significant differences in OS and PFS between patients who received AB combination therapy and those who received HAIC therapy (p = 0.5617 and 0.3522, respectively). In conclusion, our propensity score study reveals no significant differences in OS and PFS between patients treated with AB combination therapy and those treated with HAIC.
Keywords: atezolizumab plus bevacizumab; hepatic artery infusion chemotherapy; hepatocellular carcinoma; overall survival; progression-free survival.