The Impact of Geography in Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Retrospective Population Based Study.

BACKGROUND: The treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) includes different therapeutic modalities and multidisciplinary tumor board reviews. The impact of geography and treatment center type (quaternary vs. non-quaternary) on access to care is unclear. METHODS: A retrospective chart review was performed on HCC patients who received sorafenib in British Columbia from 2008 to 2016. Patients were grouped by Statistics Canada population center (PC) size criteria: large PC (LPC), medium PC (MPC), and small PC (SPC). Access to specialists, receipt of liver-directed therapies, and survival outcomes were compared between the groups. RESULTS: Of 286 patients, the geographical distribution was: LPC: 75%; MPC: 16%; and SPC: 9%. A higher proportion of Asians (51% vs. 9% vs. 4%; p < 0.001), Child-Pugh A (94% vs. 83% vs. 80%; p = 0.022), and hepatitis B (37% vs. 15% vs. 4%; p < 0.001) was observed in LPC vs. MPC vs. SPC, respectively. LPC patients were more likely referred to a hepatologist (62% vs. 48% vs. 40%; p = 0.031) and undergo transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) (43% vs. 24% vs. 24%; p = 0.018). Sixty percent were treated at a quaternary center, and the median overall survival (OS) was higher for patients treated at a quaternary vs. non-quaternary center (28.0 vs. 14.6 months, respectively; p < 0.001) but similar when compared by PC size. Treatment at a quaternary center predicted an improved survival on multivariate analysis (hazard ratio (HR): 0.652; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.503-0.844; p = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Geography did not appear to impact OS but patients from LPC were more likely to be referred to hepatology and undergo TACE. Treatment at a quaternary center was associated with an improved survival.

Second-line treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma after sorafenib: Characterizing treatments used over the past 10 years and real-world eligibility for cabozantinib, regorafenib, and ramucirumab.

BACKGROUND: The CELESTIAL, RESORCE, and REACH-2 trials showed survival benefit of cabozantinib, regorafenib, and ramucirumab, respectively, in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients treated with sorafenib who had good performance status (ECOG 0-1) and liver function (Child-Pugh-A). This study characterizes subsequent treatments received by HCC patients after sorafenib, and determines the proportion of patients eligible for novel therapies if strict eligibility criteria (SEC) were utilized compared to more liberal modified eligibility criteria (MEC, including ECOG 2, Child-Pugh-B7). METHODS: HCC patients who received sorafenib between 2008 and 2017 were included from the Canadian HCC CHORD Database. Patients were classified as eligible or ineligible based on available CELESTIAL, RESORCE, and REACH-2 trial SEC or MEC. Median overall survival (mOS) was assessed using the Kaplan-Meier method. RESULTS: A total of 730 patients were identified; and 172 (23.6%) received subsequent treatment. Patients who received subsequent treatment had longer mOS than those who did not (12.1 vs 3.3 months; P < .001). Using SEC, only 13.1% of patients would be eligible for cabozantinib, regorafenib, or ramucirumab. Expanding eligibility to include patients who meet MEC increased the proportion of eligible patients to 31.7%. Higher ineligibility for regorafenib and ramucirumab was driven by trial-specific criteria, including sorafenib intolerance (28%) for RESORCE and AFP <400 (58.9%) for REACH-2. CONCLUSIONS: A small proportion of real-world HCC patients would be eligible for cabozantinib, regorafenib, or ramucirumab if SEC in clinical trials were followed, while more than double would be eligible if MEC were applied. Patients who received subsequent treatment had improved mOS, regardless of whether they met SEC or MEC.