Results of lenvatinib as first-line targeted therapy for advanced hepatocellular cancer: a retrospective study

Background. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most aggressive tumor diseases, with an annual increase in morbidity and mortality. Therefore, the studies for effective treatment options is crucial. The evolution of HCC treatment and the priority of immunotherapy in the first line of advanced HCC leave questions about the place and effectiveness of tyrosine kinase inhibitors in the first line of antitumor therapy.

Aim. This study evaluated the efficacy and tolerability of lenvatinib in patients in the first line treatment advanced HCC in real clinical practice.

Materials and methods. The retrospective study included 41 patients who received targeted therapy with lenvatinib as the first line for unresectable HCC in medical institutions of the Russian Federation and were observed at Blokhin National Medical Research Center of Oncology.

Results. The median progression-free survival in patients treated with lenvatinib was 13.9 months. The median overall survival (OS) was 27.3 months. One-year OS was 80%. Two-year OS was 56%. The best response to treatment in our study was stabilization in 67% of cases, and disease progression during therapy was observed in 23% of cases, assessed using mRECIST.

Conclusion. In a selected cohort of patients with advanced HCC, tyrosine kinase inhibitors (in particular lenvatinib) was studied and the efficacy of lenvatinib treatment was demonstrated in key survival indicators in the first line of HCC therapy in real clinical practice. There was also a low incidence of adverse events leading to discontinuation of therapy and dose reduction.