Efficacy and safety of targeted therapy plus immunotherapy combined with hepatic artery infusion chemotherapy (FOLFOX) for unresectable hepatocarcinoma

Abstract

BACKGROUND The advent of cutting-edge systemic therapies has driven advances in the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and therapeutic strategies with multiple modes of delivery have been shown to be more efficacious than monotherapy. However, the mechanisms underlying this innovative treatment modality have not been elucidated. AIM To evaluate the clinical efficacy of targeted therapy plus immunotherapy combined with hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy (HAIC) of FOLFOX in patients with unresectable HCC. METHODS We enrolled 53 patients with unresectable HCC who received a combination of targeted therapy, immunotherapy, and HAIC of FOLFOX between December 2020 and June 2021 and assessed the efficacy and safety of the treatment regimen. RESULTS The objective response rate was 60.4% (32/53), complete response was 24.5% (13/53), partial response was 35.9% (19/53), and stable disease was 39.6% (21/53). The median duration of response and median progression-free survival were 9.1 and 13.9 months, respectively. The surgical conversion rate was 34.0% (18/53), and 1-year overall survival was 83.0% without critical complicating diseases or adverse events (AEs). CONCLUSION The regimen of HAIC of FOLFOX, targeted therapy, and immunotherapy was curative for patients with unresectable HCC, with no serious AEs and a high rate of surgical conversion.