Tyrosine-kinase inhibitor combined with iodine-125 seed brachytherapy for hepatocellular carcinoma refractory to transarterial chemoembolization: a propensity-matched study

PURPOSE: To investigate the efficacy and safety of tyrosine-kinase inhibitor (TKI) combined with iodine-125 seed brachytherapy (TKI-I) versus TKI alone for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) refractory to transarterial chemoembolization (TACE). METHODS: Data of patients with TACE-refractory HCC who received TKI (sorafenib or lenvatinib) or TKI-I from September 2018 to December 2020 were retrospectively analyzed. A propensity score matching (PSM) was performed to diminish potential bias. The primary endpoints were overall survival (OS) and time to progression (TTP). Tumor responses and treatment-related adverse events (TRAEs) were also compared between the two groups. RESULTS: A total of 132 patients were included in this study. Under PSM, 48 paired patients were selected for comparison. The median OS was 23.2 (95% CI 20.9–25.1) months in the TKI-I group versus 13.9 (95% CI 11.1–16.7) months in the TKI group (P < 0.001). The median TTP was 12.8 (95% CI 10.1–15.5) months in the TKI-I group versus 5.8 (95% CI 5.0-6.6) months in the TKI group (P < 0.001). Patients in the TKI-I group had higher objective response rate (68.8% vs. 33.3%, P = 0.001) and disease control rate (89.6% vs. 66.7%, P = 0.007) than those in the TKI group. The incidence and severity of TRAEs in the TKI-I group were comparable to those in the TKI group (any grade, 89.7% vs. 92.2%, P = 0.620; ≥grade 3, 33.8% vs. 32.8%, P = 0.902). CONCLUSIONS: TKI-I was safe and significantly improved survival over TKI alone in HCC patients with TACE refractoriness. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s40644-023-00604-4.