Phase 2 study of lenvatinib in patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma

Kenji Ikeda1, Masatoshi Kudo2, Seiji Kawazoe3

  • 1Department of Hepatology, Toranomon Hospital, Toranomon 2-2-2, Minato-ku, Tokyo, 105-8470, Japan. ikedakenji@tora.email.ne.jp.

Abstract

Insights

Lenvatinib demonstrated clinical activity in advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), with a median time to progression of 7.4 months. Early dose modification based on body weight is recommended for lenvatinib in HCC treatment.

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Pharmacology
  • Clinical Trials

Background:

  • Lenvatinib is an oral multi-targeted tyrosine kinase inhibitor.
  • It targets VEGFR, FGFR, PDGFRα, RET, and KIT.
  • This study investigated lenvatinib in advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the efficacy and safety of lenvatinib in patients with advanced HCC.
  • To determine time to progression (TTP) as the primary endpoint.
  • To assess objective response rate (ORR), disease control rate (DCR), and overall survival (OS).

Main Methods:

  • A phase 2, single-arm, open-label, multicenter study.
  • 46 patients with advanced HCC received lenvatinib 12 mg once daily.
  • Efficacy assessed by TTP, ORR, DCR, OS; safety by adverse events (AEs).

Main Results:

  • Median TTP was 7.4 months; ORR was 37%, DCR was 78%.
  • Median OS was 18.7 months.
  • Common AEs included hypertension (76%), palmar-plantar erythrodysesthesia (65%), decreased appetite (61%), and proteinuria (61%). 74% required dose modification.

Conclusions:

  • Lenvatinib 12 mg QD showed clinical activity and acceptable toxicity in advanced HCC.
  • Early dose modification was necessary for patients with lower body weight.
  • Future lenvatinib development in HCC should consider body weight-based dose adjustments.