Safety and efficacy of camrelizumab added to second-line therapy after drug-eluting bead transarterial chemoembolization combined with apatinib for unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma / 临床肝胆病杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To investigate the safety and efficacy of camrelizumab added to second-line therapy after drug- eluting bead transarterial chemoembolization (DTACE) combined with apatinib for unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Methods A retrospective analysis was performed for 89 HCC patients with camrelizumab added to second-line therapy who attended The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from December 2019 to December 2020. The primary endpoints were overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) after the application of camrelizumab, and the secondary endpoints were objective remission rate (ORR), disease control rate (DCR), and treatment-related adverse events (TRAEs). The Kaplan-Meier method was used to plot survival curves, the Log-rank test was used for stratified analysis of subgroups based on baseline characteristics, and the influencing factors for prognosis were analyzed. Results A total of 89 patients were screened and followed up in this study. The patients were followed up to December 2021, with a median follow-up time of 16 months, a median OS time of 17.0 (95% confidence interval [ CI ] 15.3-18.7) months, and a median PFS time of 7.0 (95% CI 6.2-7.8) months. There were significant differences in OS and PFS between the patients with different ECOG-PS scores, liver function Child-Pugh classes, portal vein invasion, patterns of progression, times of DTACE treatment, durations of oral administration of apatinib, and durations of application of camrelizumab (all P 4 months had significant improvements in median OS [21.0 (95% CI 19.1-22.9) months vs 14.0 (95% CI 10.4-17.6) months, χ 2 =19.399, P 5 months had significant improvements in median OS [22.0 (95% CI 20.2-23.8) months vs 13.0 (95% CI 9.3-16.7) months, χ 2 =22.336, P < 0.001] and PFS [9.0 (95% CI 7.0-11.0) months vs 5.0 (95% CI 4.1-5.9) months, χ 2 =26.141, P < 0.001]. Post-embolization syndrome was the adverse event after DTACE and resolved after symptomatic treatment. Adverse reactions related to targeted drugs and immunotherapy all resolved after symptomatic supportive treatment, with no grade ≥4 adverse reactions, and no patients withdrew from target-free therapy due to TRAEs. Conclusion As for DTACE combined with apatinib in the treatment of unresectable HCC, camrelizumab added after progression has a marked therapeutic efficacy with safe and controllable TRAEs.