Strategy for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma based on liver function and portal vein tumor thrombosis

Tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) therapy resulted in better prognosis for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, some cases with Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) stage C disease still had poor prognosis. This study aimed to investigate prognosis and characteristics of patients with HCC treated with TKI based on liver function and the extent of portal vein tumor thrombosis (PVTT).

Patients receiving TKI therapy (n = 345) were recruited retrospectively. Child-Pugh score and albumin-bilirubin (ALBI) score were used for assessment of liver function. The extent of PVTT was classified from Vp0 to Vp4. Radiotherapy or hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy were carried out as additional therapy to TKI. The end-point for this analysis was overall survival (OS).

A total of 291 and 54 patients received sorafenib and lenvatinib as first-line TKI therapy, respectively. The median OS of patients treated with TKI were significantly stratified by ALBI grade (grade 1, 20.1 months; grade 2a, 16.3 months; grades 2b and 3, 9.8 months; P = 0.0003). The classification of PVTT significantly stratified the prognosis of patients treated with TKI (median OS: Vp0, 18.5 months; Vp1/2, 14.4 months; Vp3/4, 5.5 months; P < 0.0001). In the ALBI 2b/3 and Vp3/4 groups, the median OS of patients treated with TKI and additional therapies was significantly longer than those treated with TKI only (9.2 months vs.. 3.6 months; P = 0.0129).

Liver function and PVTT are useful for stratifying prognosis of HCC patients treated with TKI. The applicative classification could lead to appropriate therapy and better prognosis.