Concomitant administration of lenvatinib and camrelizumab for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma, and its effect on hepatocellular carcinoma control

Abstract

Purpose: To study the efficacy of combined use of lenvatinib and camrelizumab in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) therapy, and its impact on disease control rate (DCR). Methods: The medical records of 92 HCC patients treated at the Oncology Department of The People’s Hospital of Dongying, Dongying, China (April 2019-April 2020), were chosen for analysis, and assigned into study group (SG, n = 46) and reference group (RG, n = 46) based on odd and even hospital admission no. All patients received specific routine treatments. In addition, SG was treated with lenvatinib in combination with camrelizumab. After treatment, liver function and levels of serum tumor markers were determined. Results: Compared with RG, SG had significantly lower levels of liver function indices {alanine aminotransferase (ALT), total bilirubin (TBiL), and aspartate aminotransferase (AST)} and lower levels of serum tumor markers {alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), alpha-fetoprotein variant (AFP-L3) and Golgi protein 73 (GP73)} (p < 0.001); higher DCR (p < 0.05), lower score in Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG), and higher Karnofsky (KPS) score (p < 0.001). Conclusion: The combined use of lenvatinib and camrelizumab may be a reliable strategy for reducing serum tumor marker levels in HCC patients, improving liver function and patients’ performance status, and enhancing DCR.