Xiao Shen,1 Jin-Xing Zhang,1 Jin Liu,2 Sheng Liu,1 Hai-Bin Shi,1 Yuan Cheng,3 Qing-Qiao Zhang,4 Guo-Wen Yin,5 Qing-Quan Zu1 

1Department of Interventional Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital with Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 210029, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Clinical Medicine Research Institution, The First Affiliated Hospital with Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 210029, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Medical Oncology, Jinling Hospital, Affiliated Hospital of Medical School, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210002, People’s Republic of China; 4Department of Interventional Radiology and Vascular Surgery, The Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, 221006, People’s Republic of China; 5Department of Interventional Radiology, The Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 210009, People’s Republic of China

Correspondence: Qing-Quan Zu, Department of Interventional Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital with Nanjing Medical University, No. 300, Guangzhou Road, Nanjing, 210029, People’s Republic of China, Tel +86-13913807470, Fax +86-25-83724440, Email zuqingquan@njmu.edu.cn

Purpose: Transarterial chemoembolization (TACE), when used in combination with immunotherapy and antiangiogenic therapy, has been shown to have synergistic anticancer effects. The aim of this study was to further assess the efficacy and safety of TACE combined with atezolizumab and bevacizumab in the treatment of unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in the real world.
Methods: Between August 2021 and September 2023, clinical information was collected from consecutive HCC patients who received treatment via TACE-Atezo/Bev at four tertiary institutions. This study evaluated the objective response rate (ORR), overall survival (OS), and progression-free survival (PFS) as outcomes. Predictors for OS and PFS were also analyzed. Treatment-related adverse events (TRAEs) were recorded and assessed.
Results: Ninety-two patients were enrolled in this study, with a median follow-up duration of 14.1 months. The ORRs based on the modified Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST) and RECIST 1.1 criteria were 54.3% and 41.3%, respectively. The median OS and PFS of the patients were 15.9 months [95% confidence interval (CI), 14.5– 17.2 months] and 9.1 months (95% CI, 7.4– 10.8 months), respectively. Multivariate analyses revealed that the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group score and neutrophil‒lymphocyte ratio were independent risk factors for OS, whereas tumor size and extrahepatic metastasis were independent risk factors for PFS. Grade 3/4 TRAEs occurred in 16.3% (15/92) of the patients and were controlled conservatively.
Conclusion: The combination of Atezo/Bev with TACE demonstrated acceptable synergistic therapeutic effects and manageable safety profiles in patients with unresectable HCC.

Keywords: atezolizumab, bevacizumab, efficacy, hepatocellular carcinoma, transarterial chemoembolization