Impact of Post-progression Survival on Outcomes of Lenvatinib Treatment for Unresectable Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Systematic Review and Retrospective Cohort Study

Kazuto Tajiri*, Yoshiharu Tokimitsu, Kengo Kawai, Yuchi Motofuji, Eiji Shinno, Yoshiro Kashii, Nozomu Muraishi, Aiko Murayama, Yuka Hayashi, Masami Minemura, Terumi Takahara, Yukihiro Shimizu, Ichiro Yasuda

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

2 Scopus citations

Abstract

Background/Aim: Lenvatinib is a tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) more effective against hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) than sorafenib, making lenvatinib a first-line treatment option for patients with unresectable HCC. In patients treated with sorafenib, post-progression survival (PPS) rather than progression-free survival (PFS) is essential for overall survival (OS). However, the importance of PPS for OS in patients treated with lenvatinib is uncertain, and optimal treatment after lenvatinib failure has not yet been established. Patients and Methods: The present study investigated the correlations of PFS and PPS with OS in studies of HCC patients treated with lenvatinib by weighted linear regression analysis. Furthermore, the contribution of treatment regimens after lenvatinib failure to OS were evaluated in daily clinical practice. Results: An analysis of 20 studies with 4,054 patients found that PPS had a stronger correlation with OS (r=0.869, p<0.001) than did PFS (r=0.505, p=0.007). Analysis of 79 patients with unresectable HCC treated with first-line lenvatinib showed that subsequent treatment was the most significant contributor to OS. Second-line sorafenib was administered to 25 patients, with late transition to third-line treatment being highest among patients who received second-line treatment. Conclusion: PPS contributes significantly to OS in HCC treatment with TKIs, with multi-sequential treatment being a key determinant of longer OS.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)6007-6018
Number of pages12
JournalAnticancer Research
Volume42
Issue number12
DOIs
StatePublished - 2022/12

Keywords

  • Hepatocellular carcinoma
  • lenvatinib
  • post-progression survival
  • sequential therapy
  • sorafenib
  • tyrosine kinase inhibitor

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Oncology
  • Cancer Research

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