The purpose of this study was to compare the safety and efficacy of drug-eluting bead (DEB) transarterial chemoembolization combined with lenvatinib and camrelizumab (DEB-TACE-Len-C) and DEB-TACE-Len for the treatment of unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (uHCC).

This retrospective study consecutively included uHCC patients who underwent DEB-TACE-Len-C or DEB-TACE-Len treatment at our hospital and Qujing Second People's Hospital from April 2020 to April 2022. In total, 85 patients were enrolled. There were 42 patients in the DEB-TACE-Len-C group and 43 patients in the DEB-TACE-Len group. The disease control rate (DCR), objective response rate (ORR), overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), and adverse events (AEs) were compared between the two groups, and the factors influencing OS and PFS were analysed.

The ORR, DCR, PFS and OS were significantly greater in the DEB-TACE-Len-C group than in the DEB-TACE-Len group (ORR: 76.2% vs. 46.5%, P = 0.005; DCR: 88.1% vs. 67.8%, P = 0.039; PFS: 10 months vs. 6 months, P <0.0001; OS: 24 months vs. 16 months, P = 0.0038). Multivariate Cox proportional hazard regression analysis revealed that portal tumour thrombus (PVTT) and therapeutic approach were independent factors affecting PFS and OS. There were no statistically significant differences in the incidence of AEs between the two groups (P > 0.05).

Compared with DEB-TACE-Len, DEB-TACE-Len-C is an effective treatment option that can improve the tumour therapeutic response and prolong the OS and PFS in uHCC patients.

To compare the efficacy of transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) combined with tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) plus immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) (TACE-TKI-ICI) versus TKIs plus ICIs (TKI-ICI) for unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with first- or lower-order portal vein tumor thrombosis (PVTT).

A retrospective study was performed in HCC patients with first- or lower-order PVTT receiving TKIs (Lenvatinib or sorafenib) plus ICIs (camrelizumab, sintilimab, or atezolizumab) with or without TACE from four institutions between January 2019 and January 2022. Propensity score-based method was performed to minimize bias by confounding factors. Tumor response, progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), and adverse events (AEs) were evaluated and compared between the two groups.

After inverse probability of treatment weighting, two balanced pseudopopulations were created: 106 patients in the TACE-TKI-ICI group and 109 patients in the TKI-ICI group. The objective response rate was higher in the TACE-TKI-ICI group (50.9% vs. 28.4%, P < 0.001). The median PFS and OS were significantly longer in the TACE-TKI-ICI group than in the TKI-ICI group (PFS: 9.1 vs. 5.0 months, P = 0.005; OS: 19.1 vs. 12.7 months, P = 0.002). In Cox regression, TACE-TKI-ICI treatment was an independent predictor of favorable OS. Treatment-related grade 3/4 AEs were comparable between the two groups (22.6% vs. 17.9%, P = 0.437).

TACE-TKI-ICI therapy contributed to better tumor control, PFS and OS than TKI-ICI therapy in unresectable HCC patients with first- or lower-order PVTT.

The efficacy and safety of transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) combined with lenvatinib plus programmed cell death protein-1 (PD-1) for unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) have rarely been evaluated and it is unknown which factors are related to efficacy.

To evaluate the efficacy and independent predictive factors of TACE combined with lenvatinib plus PD-1 inhibitors for unresectable HCC.

This study retrospectively enrolled patients with unresectable HCC who received TACE/lenvatinib/PD-1 treatment between March 2019 and April 2022. Overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) were determined. The objective response rate (ORR) and disease control rate (DCR) were evaluated in accordance with the modified Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors. Additionally, the prognostic factors affecting the clinical outcome were assessed.

One hundred and two patients were enrolled with a median follow-up duration of 12.63 months. The median OS was 26.43 months (95%CI: 17.00-35.87), and the median PFS was 10.07 months (95%CI: 8.50-11.65). The ORR and DCR were 61.76% and 81.37%, respectively. The patients with Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer Classification (BCLC) B stage, early neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) response (decrease), or early alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) response (decrease > 20%) had superior OS and PFS than their counterparts.

This study showed that TACE/lenvatinib/PD-1 treatment was well tolerated with encouraging efficacy in patients with unresectable HCC. The patients with BCLC B-stage disease with early NLR response (decrease) and early AFP response (decrease > 20%) may achieve better clinical outcomes with this triple therapy.

Transarterial interventional therapy combined with tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) and anti-Pd-1 antibodies (triplet regimen) has shown promising results in advanced HCC. However, the clinical utility of the triplet regimen in patients with HCC and major portal vein tumor thrombosis (PVTT) remains unclear. This study compared the efficacy and safety of the triplet regimen versus transarterial interventional therapy combined with TKIs (double regimen) for such patients. Thirty-nine patients treated with the triplet regimen were retrospectively compared with 37 patients treated with the double regimen. The objective response rate (ORR), the response rate of PVTT treatment, and safety were observed; progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were assessed using the Kaplan‒Meier method and log-rank test. Predictors of survival were identified using multivariate analysis. Median OS and median PFS were significantly improved in the Triplet Group compared with the Double Group (482 vs. 310 days; 208 vs. 85 days). The ORR and the response rate of PVTT were significantly higher in the Triplet Group than in the Double Group (59% vs. 35%; 62% vs. 35%). There was no significant difference in the incidence of grade 3/4 adverse events between the two groups (33% vs. 21%). The most frequent grade 3/4 adverse events were thrombocytopenia (10%) in the Triplet Group and hand-foot syndrome (14%) in the Double Group. Multivariable analysis showed that treatment method and PVTT treatment response were significant predictors of OS. The triplet regimen showed superiority over the doublet regimen in improving OS and PFS and had acceptable safety in patients with HCC and major PVTT.

The introduction of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) has reshaped the therapy of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). ICIs are a novel therapy with frequent adverse events (AEs), including treatment-related adverse events (trAEs) and immune-related adverse events (irAEs). However, no comprehensive overview of the toxicity spectrum of ICIs in HCC patients has been provided. Electronic databases were searched to identify eligible studies. A meta-analysis of the incidence rate of AEs in HCC patients treated with ICIs was performed. Lastly, the prognostic value of irAEs in HCC patients treated with ICIs was verified. Forty-seven studies with 6472 participations met the inclusion criteria. The pooled all-grade trAEs incidence rate was 83.4% (95% confidence interval [95% CI] 77.0-89.1%), ≥ grade 3 trAEs incidence rate was 33.0% (95% CI 26.9-39.5%), all-grade irAEs incidence rate was 34% (95% CI 22-47%), and ≥ grade 3 irAEs incidence rate was 9% (95% CI 5-14%). Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) increase (38%, 95% CI 35-40%) is the most common trAEs. Fatigue (14%, 95% CI 7-23%) is the most common irAEs. The pooled results also showed that 18.8% (95% CI 13.2-25.2%) of patients required systemic steroid therapy due to AEs, while 6.6% (95% CI 4.6-9.0%) of patients withdrew from treatment due to AEs. Additionally, patients experiencing irAEs may have a better progression-free survival (PFS) (multivariate analysis: hazard ratio [HR] = 0.41, 95% CI 0.27-0.61, I2 = 36.3%) but not overall survival (OS) (multivariate analysis: HR = 0.54, 95% CI 0.22-1.36, I2 = 83.2%) than those with no irAEs. Our study presents a systemic assessment of the AEs profile in HCC patients receiving ICIs, providing important reference for clinicians on toxicity profile. Besides, patients with irAEs may have a better PFS. More large-scale and prospective studies are needed to confirm our conclusions.

Hepatocellular carcinoma is a common gastrointestinal malignancy with a high mortality rate and limited treatment options. Molecularly targeted drugs combined with immune checkpoint inhibitors have shown unique advantages over single-agent applications, significantly prolonging patient survival. This paper reviews the research progress of molecular-targeted drugs combined with immune checkpoint inhibitors in the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma and discusses the effectiveness and safety of the combination of the two drugs to provide a reference for the further application of molecular-targeted drugs combined with immune checkpoint inhibitors in clinical practice.

Primary squamous cell carcinoma of the breast is a rare subtype of carcinoma of chemosis for which there is no effective chemotherapy regimen. Breast squamous cell carcinoma is usually "triple negative", with poor chemotherapy effects and poor prognosis. Here, we report a successful case of primary breast squamous cell carcinoma treated with apatinib. The patient was treated with 2 cycles of apatinib. The efficacy was evaluated as partial remission, and a sublesion of approximately 4 cm fell off.