Analysis on Efficacy of Hepatic Artery Infusion Chemotherapy with or without Lenvatinib for Unresectable Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Abstract

Introduction: For patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), hepatic artery infusion chemotherapy (HAIC) is a common and mature treatment, but the safety and efficacy of HAIC combined with lenvatinib for advanced HCC patient treatment remains unclear. Therefore, this study compared the safety and efficacy of HAIC with or without lenvatinib in unresectable HCC patients. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 13 unresectable advanced HCC patients who received HAIC monotherapy or combination therapy of HAIC and lenvatinib. Overall survival (OS), disease control rate (DCR), objective response rate (ORR), progression-free survival (PFS), incidence of adverse events (AEs), and changes in liver function were compared between the two groups. We applied a Cox regression analysis to evaluate the independent risk factors affecting survival outcomes. Results: The ORR in the HAIC+lenvatinib group was markedly increased compared to the HAIC group (p < 0.05), while the DCR in the HAIC group was higher (p > 0.05). No notable difference was found between the two groups in median OS and PFS (p > 0.05). Compared to the HAIC+lenvatinib group, more patients had improved liver function in the HAIC group after treatment, but the difference was not dramatical (p > 0.05). The AEs incidence was 100.00% in both groups, which was relieved with corresponding treatment. Besides, Cox regression analysis did not identify independent risk factors related to OS and PFS. Conclusion: Combination therapy of HAIC and lenvatinib notably performed better than the HAIC monotherapy in patients with unresectable HCC in terms of ORR and was well tolerated, which deserves further investigation with large-scale clinical trials.