Immune checkpoint inhibitor plus tyrosine kinase inhibitor for unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma in the real world

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to evaluate safety and efficacy of programmed death-1 (PD-1) inhibitor sintilimab plus tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI) in a real-word cohort of patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (uHCC). METHODS: A total of 60 patients treated with sintilimab plus TKI between February 2019 and December 2019 were enrolled. Radiological response was recorded by computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at baseline and every 6–12 weeks after treatment initiation. Tumor response was assessed according to the Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST) 1.1 and HCC-specific modified RECIST (mRECIST). RESULTS: As of the data cutoff on September 30st, 2020, the median duration of follow-up was 10.4 (4.3–23.9) months. The objective response rate (ORR) and disease control rate (DCR) were 36.7% (95% CI: 24.9–48.5%), 81.7% (95% CI: 71.9–91.5%) according to the RECIST 1.1, and 52.8% (95% CI: 39.1–66.5%), 83.0% (95% CI: 73.2–93.8%) according to mRECIST criteria. Among 36 HCC patients with multinodular HCC or locally-advanced HCC with portal vein tumor thrombus (PVTT), 14 patients received one session of transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) within 1 month before or after the combinational systemic therapies, and the rest 22 patients did not receive any local regional therapies. After propensity score matching, patients from the TACE group tended to have a longer PFS (median, 10.1 vs. 9.1 months, P=0.73) than those from the non-TACE group but without significant differences. A total of 8 patients received surgical resection after the combined systemic therapies and 3 patients achieved pathological CR. No recurrence or metastasis was observed in 6 patients. A total of 46 (76.7%) patients reported adverse event (AE) with any grade and 8 (13.3%) patients discontinued the combination therapy due to grade 3/4 severe adverse events. CONCLUSIONS: PD-1-targeted immunotherapy sintilimab plus TKIs exhibited promising efficacy with tolerable toxicity in unresectable HCC. The addition of TACE to the combined systemic therapies also resulted in a favorable tumor control and safety. For select responders, surgical resection might be a choice for radical treatment.