Lenvatinib plus transarterial chemoembolization improves clinical outcomes of advanced hepatocellular carcinoma

Transarterial Chemoembolization (TACE) combined with Lenvatinib (LEN) improves clinical outcomes and is a promising first-line treatment for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). This study was published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

A multicenter, randomized phase III trial compared 170 advanced HCC patients receiving LEN plus on-demand TACE (LEN-TACE) and 168 advanced HCC patients receiving just LEN monotherapy. LEN was given within 3 days after random assignment and TACE was given one day after the LEN initiation. The primary end point was the overall survival (OS).

After a median follow-up of 17.0 months, the median OS was longer in the LEN-TACE group (17.8 months) than in the LEN monotherapy group (11.5 months) (hazard ratio, 0.45; p < .001). The median progression-free survival in the LEN-TACE group was 10.6 months, whereas in the LEN monotherapy group, it was 6.4 months (hazard ratio, 0.43; p < .001)

This study showed that a combination of TACE and LEN improves clinical outcomes and is a potential first-line treatment for advanced HCC patients.