Retrospective Analysis of Advanced Hepatocellular Carcinoma in the Elderly Treated with Domestic PD-1 Inhibitors combined with Lenva-tinib / 医学研究杂志

Objective To explore the clinical efficacy and safety of domestic programmed death-1(PD-1)ingibitor combined with lenvatinib in the treatment of advanced hepatocellular carcinoma in the elderly.Methods The clinical data of 37 elderly patients(o-ver 60 years old)with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma,who received domestic PD-1 inhibitors combined with lenvatinib in Zhengzhou Yihe Hospital from September 2021 to July 2022 were collected.Modified Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors(mRECIST)was used to evaluate the efficacy of intrahepatic lesions,and Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors(RECIST)1.1 was used to evaluate the efficacy of extrahepatic metastatic lesions.Kaplan-Meier method was used to evaluate the survival curve.Results Among the 37 elderly patients with hepatocellular carcinoma,8 patients achieved partial response,15 patients achieved stabilization,and 14 patients a-chieved disease progression.The objective response rate and the disease control rate were 21.6％(8/37)and 62.2％(23/37),respec-tively,and the median progression-free survival time was 5.885months(95％CI:5.374-6.397 months).The overall incidence rate of treatment-related adverse events was 51.4％(19/37).The most common adverse events were fatigue 27.0％(10/37),rash 27.0％(10/37)and hypertension 21.6％(8/37).Conclusion Domestic PD-1 inhibitors combined with lenvatinib is an effective and safe therapy for elderly patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma.

Efficacy and safety of anti-PD-1 monoclonal antibody combined with sorafenib or lenvatinib in treatment of patients with Child-Pugh class B unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma / 临床肝胆病杂志

ObjectiveTo investigate the safety and efficacy of tyrosine kinase inhibitors combined with immune checkpoint inhibitors in the treatment of patients with Child-Pugh class B unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma （uHCC）. MethodsA total of 96 patients with Child-Pugh class B uHCC who were admitted to Beijing Ditan Hospital， Capital Medical University， from December 31， 2020 to March 30， 2023 were enrolled as subjects， among whom 63 patients receiving lenvatinib combined with programmed death-1 （PD-1） inhibitor were enrolled as L group and 33 patients receiving sorafenib combined with PD-1inhibitor were enrolled as S group. The primary endpoint was objective response rate （ORR）， and secondary endpoints included time to progression （TTP）， overall survival （OS）， toxicity， drug withdrawal rate， and dose adjustment rate. The The independent-samples t test was used for comparison of normally distributed continuous data between two groups， and the Mann-Whitney U test was used for comparison of non-normally distributed continuous data between two groups； the chi-square test was used for comparison of categorical data between two groups. Survival curves were plotted， and the Kaplan-Meier method was used to calculate the survival rate of patients in both groups， while the Log-rank test was used for comparison between the two groups. The Cox regression model was used to calculate hazard ratio （HR） and its 95% confidence interval （CI） and perform the multivariate analysis of influencing factors for prognosis. ResultsAmong the 96 patients with uHCC， 55 （57.3%） had Child-Pugh class B （7 points） uHCC and 41 （42.7%） had Child-Pugh class B （8—9 points） uHCC. The L group had a significantly higher ORR than the S group （46.0% vs 15.2%， P=0.003）， and there were no significant differences between the L group and the S group in median TTP （6.6 months vs 3.5 months， P=0.48） or OS （13.8 months vs 13.2 months， P=0.95）. There was no significant difference in median TTP between the patients with Child-Pugh class B （7 points） uHCC and those with Child-Pugh class B （8—9 points） uHCC （6.6 months vs 4.8 months， P=0.35）， while there was a significant difference in OS between these two groups of patients （14.5 months vs 8.8 months， P=0.045）. The multivariate analysis showed that ORR was a protective factor for both TTP （HR=0.18， 95%CI： 0.09 ‍—‍ 0.36， P<0.001） and OS （HR=0.20， 95%CI： 0.09 ‍—‍ 0.43， P<0.001）. There were no significant differences between the L group and the S group in the overall incidence rate of adverse reactions （98.4% vs 97.0%） and the incidence rate of grade≥3 adverse reactions （68.3% vs 63.6%）， and there were also no significant differences between the two groups in dose adjustment rate （84.8% vs 70.2%） and drug withdrawal rate （56.1% vs 72.7%）. ConclusionCompared with the regimen of sorafenib combined with PD-1 inhibitor， the regimen of lenvatinib combined with PD-1 inhibitor can improve the ORR of patients with Child-Pugh class B uHCC， with similar prognosis and safety profile between the two groups.

Clinical efficacy of transcatheter arterial chemoembolization combined with lenvatinib and camrelizumab in the treatment of advanced hepatocellular carcinoma / 介入放射学杂志

Objective To evaluate the safety and efficacy of transcatheter arterial chemoembolization(TACE)combined with lenvatinib and camrelizumab in the treatment of advanced hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC).Methods The clinical data of a total of 63 patients with advanced HCC,who received TACE combined with lenvatinib and camrelizumab(triple therapy)or TACE combined with lenvatinib(dual therapy)at the Jingmen Municipal People's Hospital of China between April 2020 and December 2021,were retrospectively analyzed.Triple therapy group had 30 patients,and dual therapy group had 33 patients.The post-treatment tumor response,disease progression-free survival(PFS),overall survival(OS),and the incidence of adverse drug reactions were recorded.Results The median follow-up period of the two groups was 14 months(range of 4-26 months).Compared with the dual therapy group,in the triple therapy group the objective response rate(ORR)was remarkably higher(83.3%vs.57.6%,P=0.026),the disease control rate(DCR)was obviously higher(93.3%vs.69.7%,P=0.039),the median PFS was significantly longer(8.0 months vs.5.0 months,P＜0.01),and the median OS was strikingly longer(24.0 months vs.12.0 months,P=0.004).No statistically significant difference in the incidence of adverse drug reactions existed between the two groups(P＞0.05).Conclusion For the treatment of advanced HCC,TACE combined with lenvatinib and camrelizumab is clinically safe and effective.(J Intervent Radiol,2024,32:57-62)

Clinical efficacy of FOLFOX-HAIC combined with lenvatinib and PD-1 inhibitor in the treatment of inter-mediate and advanced Hepatocellular Carcinoma / 实用医学杂志

Objective To investigate the clinical efficacy and safety of nivolumab(PD-1 inhibitor)in combination with lenvatinib and FOLFOX regimen[5-fluorouracil(5-FU),oxaliplatin(L-OHP),and calcium folinate(LV)]in the treatment of intermediate and advanced hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC)via hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy(HAIC).Methods A total of 160 patients with intermediate and advanced HCC admitted to the Second Affiliated Hospital of Guilin Medical University from January 2021 to January 2023 were randomly divided into the control group and the observation group,with 80 patients in each group,using a random number table.The control group received once-daily oral lenvatinib and intravenous carrizumab infusions for 12 weeks as part of transcatheter arterial chemoembolization(TACE)therapy.The observation group was administered with FOLFOX regimen via HAIC chemotherapy,plus intravenous infusion of carrizumab for 12 weeks and once-daily oral lenvatinib.All the patients were followed up regularly.The clinical efficacy was evaluated using the mRECIST criteria.The objective response rate(ORR),disease control rate(DCR),overall survival(OS),progression-free survival(PFS),and incidence of adverse reactions were compared between the two groups.Results There were no significant differences in the objective response rate and incidence of adverse reactions between the groups.The disease control rate,overall survival,and progression-free survival in the observation group were significantly higher than those in the control group(P<0.05).Conclusions The FOLFOX-HAIC regimen in combination with nivolumab and lenvatinib is safe and effective for the treatment of intermediate and advanced HCC,without adverse reactions.It can prolong the overall survival and progression-free survival,and improve the patient's quality of life.

A multidimensional platform of patient-derived tumors identifies drug susceptibilities for clinical lenvatinib resistance

Lenvatinib, a second-generation multi-receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor approved by the FDA for first-line treatment of advanced liver cancer, facing limitations due to drug resistance. Here, we applied a multidimensional, high-throughput screening platform comprising patient-derived resistant liver tumor cells (PDCs), organoids (PDOs), and xenografts (PDXs) to identify drug susceptibilities for conquering lenvatinib resistance in clinically relevant settings. Expansion and passaging of PDCs and PDOs from resistant patient liver tumors retained functional fidelity to lenvatinib treatment, expediting drug repurposing screens. Pharmacological screening identified romidepsin, YM155, apitolisib, NVP-TAE684 and dasatinib as potential antitumor agents in lenvatinib-resistant PDC and PDO models. Notably, romidepsin treatment enhanced antitumor response in syngeneic mouse models by triggering immunogenic tumor cell death and blocking the EGFR signaling pathway. A combination of romidepsin and immunotherapy achieved robust and synergistic antitumor effects against lenvatinib resistance in humanized immunocompetent PDX models. Collectively, our findings suggest that patient-derived liver cancer models effectively recapitulate lenvatinib resistance observed in clinical settings and expedite drug discovery for advanced liver cancer, providing a feasible multidimensional platform for personalized medicine.

Efficacy and safety of cryoablation combined with lenvatinib and anti-PD-1 monoclonal antibody in treatment of unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma / 临床肝胆病杂志

ObjectiveTo investigate whether anti-PD-1 monoclonal antibody can improve the efficacy and safety of cryoablation combined with lenvatinib in the treatment of unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma （HCC）. MethodsA retrospective analysis was performed for 232 patients with unresectable HCC who were treated at The Fifth Medical Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital from January 2018 to December 2022， among whom 128 received cryoablation combined with lenvatinib （double combination） and 104 received cryoablation combined with lenvatinib and anti-PD-1 monoclonal antibody （triple combination）. Propensity score matching was performed at a ratio of 1∶1， and finally there were 86 patients in each group. The two groups were evaluated in terms of objective response rate （ORR）， disease control rate （DCR）， overall survival （OS）， progression-free survival （PFS）， and adverse events （AEs）. The independent-samples t test was used for comparison of normally distributed continuous data between two groups， and the Mann-Whitney U test was used for comparison of non-normally distributed continuous data between two groups； the chi-square test was used for comparison of categorical data between two groups. Survival curves were plotted， and the Kaplan-Meier method was used to calculate the survival rate of patients in both groups， while the log-rank test was used for comparison between the two groups. The Cox regression model was used to calculate hazard ratio （HR） and 95% confidence interval （CI） and perform the univariate and multivariate analyses of influencing factors for prognosis. ResultsThe median follow-up time was 28 months， and there were 33 deaths （38.0%） in the triple combination group and 40 deaths （46.0%） in the double combination group. Compared with the double combination group， the triple combination group had significantly higher ORR （35.6% vs 14.5%， P=0.008） and DCR （86.1% vs 64.1%， P=0.003）. OS and PFS in the triple combination group were significantly higher than those in the double combination group （P=0.045 and 0.026）. The univariate and multivariate Cox proportional-hazards regression model analyses showed that treatment regimen （HR=0.60， P=0.038） and alpha-fetoprotein level （HR=2.37， P=0.001） were independent risk factors for OS， and treatment regimen （HR=0.65， P=0.025）， diabetes mellitus （HR=1.94， P=0.005）， whether or not to have received local treatment （HR=0.63， P=0.014）， and distant metastasis （HR=0.58， P=0.009） were independent risk factors for PFS. There was no significant difference in the incidence rate of AEs between the two groups （P>0.05）. ConclusionFor patients with unresectable HCC， the triple combination of cryoablation， lenvatinib， and anti-PD-1 monoclonal antibody significantly improves the treatment outcome and survival of patients compared with the double combination of cryoablation and lenvatinib， without increasing AEs， which provides a clinical basis for optimizing the treatment regimen for unresectable HCC.

Regulatory effect of autophagy on the resistance of human liver cancer cell Huh7 to lenvatinib / 中国药房

OBJECTIVE To investigate the regulatory effect of autophagy on the resistance of human liver cancer cell Huh7 to lenvatinib. METHODS Using human liver cancer cell Huh7 as subject， the lenvatinib-resist cell model （Huh7-LR） was generated by the low-dose gradient method combined with long-term administration. The sensitivity of parental cell Huh7 and drug-resistant cell Huh7-LR to lenvatinib was detected by using CCK-8 assay and flow cytometry. Western blot assay and GFP-mCherry-LC3 plasmid transfection were performed to detect the expression levels of autophagic protein Beclin-1， autophagic adapter protein sequestosome 1 （p62）， microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3 （LC3） and autophagic level. Furthermore， an autophagy activation model was constructed by cell starvation， the protein expression of p62 and autophagy level were detected by using Western blot assay and GFP-mCherry-LC3 plasmid transfection， and the effect of autophagy activation on the sensitivity of Huh7-LR cells to lenvatinib was detected by flow cytometry. RESULTS Compared with parental cells， the drug resistance index of Huh7-LR cells was 6.2； protein expression of p62 was increased significantly， while apoptotic rate， protein expression of Beclin-1 and LC3Ⅱ/ LC3Ⅰ ratio were all reduced significantly （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）； the level of autophagy was decreased to some extent. Autophagy activation could significantly increase the protein expression of p62 in Huh7-LR cells （P＜0.05） and autophagy level， and significantly increase its apoptotic rate （P＜0.05）. CONCLUSIONS Autophagy is involved in lenvatinib resistance， and activating autophagy can reverse the resistance of liver cancer cells to lenvatinib to some extent.

Differentiated thyroid carcinoma: what the nonspecialists needs to know

ABSTRACT Differentiated thyroid carcinoma (DTC) accounts for most cases of thyroid cancer, and the heterogeneity of DTC requires that management decisions be taken by a multidisciplinary team involving endocrinologists, head and neck surgeons, nuclear medicine physicians, pathologists, radiologists, radiation oncologists, and medical oncologists. It is important for nonspecialists to recognize and refer patients with DTC who will benefit from a specialized approach. Recent advances in knowledge and changes in management of DTC call for the need to raise awareness on the part of these nonspecialist physicians, including general endocrinologists and medical oncologists at large. We provide an overview of diagnostic and therapeutic principles in DTC, especially those that bear direct implication on day-to-day management of these patients by generalists. Patients with DTC may be broadly categorized as having localized, locally persistent/recurrent, or metastatic disease. Current recommendations for DTC include a three-tiered system that classifies patients with localized disease into low, intermediate, or high risk of persistent or recurrent disease. Risk stratification should be performed at baseline and repeated on an ongoing basis, depending on clinical evolution. One of the overarching goals in the management of DTC is the need to personalize treatment by tailoring its modality and intensity according to ongoing prognostic stratification, evolving knowledge about the disease, and patient characteristics and preference. In metastatic disease that is refractory to radioactive iodine, thyroid tumors are being reclassified into molecular subtypes that better reflect their biological properties and for which molecular alterations can be targeted with specific agents.

Efficacy and safety of radiotherapy combined with targeted therapy, immunotherapy and chemotherapy for unresectable intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma / 中华放射医学与防护杂志

Objective:To evaluate the efficacy and safety of quadruple therapy involving radiotherapy (RT), lenvatinib, anti-PD-1 antibody and GEMOX (oxaliplatin and gemcitabine) chemotherapy (quadruple therapy) in treatment cohort of patients with unresectable intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC).Methods:The patients with recurrent, metastatic, or unresectable ICC underwent quadruple therapy at Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University between September 2018 and May 2022 were selected. The data about efficacy and safety of quadruple therapy were collected in the hospital electronic medical record system. All patients were followed up regularly to obtain the long-term prognostic data until December 31, 2022. The efficacy, prognosis, and toxicity data were collected and analyzed.Results:A total of 41 patients were included in the analysis. After a median follow-up period of 15 months, disease progression was diagnosed in 36 patients (18 patients died), while 3 patients were lost to follow-up. The causes of death included liver failure induced by intrahepatic tumor progression ( n=6), distant metastases (lungs or brain, n=6), abdominal lymph node metastases ( n=3), cancer cachexia ( n=2), and unknown cause ( n=1). The median progression-free survival (PFS) was 11 months (95% CI: 9.2-12.8), and the median overall survival (OS) was 35 months (95% CI: 17.0-52.0). All patients experienced treatment-related adverse events (AEs) during the study treatment period. Of the 41 patients, 13 patients experienced at least once grade 3 or worse treatment-related AE, but all were manageable with symptomatic treatment. No treatment-related deaths were reported during the follow-up period. Conclusions:Radiotherapy (RT), lenvatinib, anti-PD-1 antibody and GEMOX in the treatment of unresectable ICC shows significant efficacy and good safety, which is worthy of clinical application.

Renal injury induced by lenvatinib in advanced hepatocellular carcinoma treated with multi- drug combination: a case report and literature review / 中华肾脏病杂志

The article reported one case of renal damage caused by lenvatinib in the treatment of advanced primary liver cancer. The patient was a 63-year-old male who was admitted to the hospital due to "liver cancer for 4 years, blood pressure elevation for nearly 2 years, and edema for 7 months". During the treatment of liver tumors with atezolizumab combined with lenvatinib, blood pressure increased and renal insufficiency aggravated progressively. Pathological light microscopy of renal biopsy showed endothelial cell lesion and tubulointerstitial damage, and electron microscopy showed moderate proliferation of mesangial cells and deposition of mesangial matrix. There were many agglomerated low-electron density deposits in the mesangial area, and a small amount of electron dense deposits in the subendothelium. The pathological diagnosis was endothelial cell disease (thrombotic microangiopathy) and secondary focal segmental glomerulosclerosis. Renal injury was considered as secondary to lenvatinib. After discontinuing lenvatinib and giving angiotensin receptor antagonist treatment, blood pressure was normal, urine protein turned negative, and renal function improved significantly after 8 months of outpatient follow-up.

Efficacy and safety of 125I intraluminal irradiation combined with lenvatinib in treatment of progressive extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma / 临床肝胆病杂志

ObjectiveTo investigate the efficacy and safety of 125I intraluminal irradiation combined with lenvatinib in the treatment of progressive extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma. MethodsA retrospective analysis was performed for 25 patients with progressive extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma who attended Department of Interventional Radiology， The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University， from January 2018 to November 2021， and according to the treatment modality， they were divided into combination group with 13 patients （125I intraluminal irradiation combined with lenvatinib） and control group （125I intraluminal irradiation alone）. The two groups were compared in terms of technical success rates， changes in liver function， stent patency， survival time， and incidence rates of adverse events. The independent－samples t test was used for comparison of normally distributed continuous data between two groups， and the Wilcoxon rank－sum test was used for comparison of continuous data with skewed distribution between two groups； the Fisher’s exact test was used for comparison of categorical data between groups. The Kaplan－Meier method and the log－rank test were used to evaluate survival time and stent patency. ResultsAll patients had successful implantation of biliary stents and 125I particles， with a technical success rate of 100%. After 1 month of treatment， both groups had significant improvements in the serum levels of total bilirubin， direct bilirubin， alanine aminotransferase， and aspartate aminotransferase （all P<0.05）. There were significant differences between the control group and the combination group in the duration of stent patency （7.0 months vs 9.5 months， P=0.022） and median survival time （11.5 months vs 15.6 months， P=0.008）. There were no intolerable adverse events in the combination group during treatment. ConclusionCompared with 125I intraluminal irradiation alone， 125I intraluminal irradiation combined with lenvatinib has better efficacy and is a safe and effective treatment regimen for progressive extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma.

Chinese expert guidance on overall application of lenvatinib in hepatocellular carcinoma / 中华消化外科杂志

Lenvatinib mesylate is an oral receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor against targets of vascular endothelial growth factor receptors 1-3, fibroblast growth factor receptors 1-4, platelet-derived growth factor receptor α, stem cell growth factor receptor, and rearranged during transfection, et al. Lenvatinib has been approved by the National Medical Products Administration of China on September 4,2018, for the first-line treatment of patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma who have not received systematic treatment before. Up to February 2023, Lenvatinib has been listed in China for more than 4 years, accumulating a series of post-marketing clinical research evidences. Based on the clinical practice before and after the launch of lenvatinib and referring to the clinical experience of other anti-angiogenesis inhibitors, domestic multidisciplinary experts and scholars adopt the Delphi method to formulate the Chinese Expert Guidance on Overall Application of Lenvatinib in Hepatocellular Carcinoma after repeated discussions and revisions, in order to provide reference for reasonable and effective clinical application of lenvatinib for clinicians.

Lenvatinib down-regulates IGF1R/Mek/Erk signaling pathway in the treatment of regorafenib-resistant hepatocellular carcinoma / 中华肿瘤杂志

Objective: To investigate the therapeutic effect and mechanism of lenvatinib on regorafenib-resistant hepatocellular carcinoma cells. Methods: CCK-8 and clone formation assay were used to observe the inhibitory effect of lenvatinib on the growth of hepatocellular carcinoma cells. Flow cytometry was used to detect the apoptosis of regorafenib-resistant hepatocellular carcinoma cells treated with lenvatinib. The expression levels of related proteins were detected by western blot and immunohistochemical staining. The inhibitory effect of lenvatinib on the tumor formation ability of regorafenib-resistant hepatocellular carcinoma cells in vivo was observed by subcutaneous tumor formation experiment in mice. Results: CCK-8 and clone formation assay showed that lenvatinib could inhibit the proliferation of regorafenib-resistant hepatocellular carcinoma cells. The number of clones of HepG2, SMMC7721 and regorafenib-resistant HepG2, SMMC7721 cells in lenvatinib group (120.67±11.06, 53.00±11.14, 55.00±9.54, 78.67±14.64) were all lower than those in control group (478.00±24.52, 566.00±27.87, 333.67±7.02, 210.00±12.77, all P<0.05). Flow cytometry showed that lenvatinib could promote apoptosis of regorafenib-resistant hepatocellular carcinoma cells, the apoptosis rates of HepG2, SMMC7721 and regorafenib-resistant HepG2, SMMC7721 cells in lenvatinib group [(12.30±0.70)%, (9.83±0.38)%, (15.90±1.32)%, (10.60±0.00)%] were all higher than those in control group [(7.50±0.87)%, (5.00±1.21)%, (8.10±1.61)%, (7.05±0.78)%, all P<0.05]. The apoptosis-related protein levels suggested that apoptosis was increased in the treatment of lenvatinib. The animal study showed that lenvatinib can inhibit the growth of regorafenib-resistant cells in vivo. Immunohistochemistry and western blot results showed that lenvatinib could down-regulate the abnormally activated IGF1R/Mek/Erk signaling pathway in regorafenib-resistant cells. Conclusion: Lenvatinib can reverse regorafenib resistance in hepatocellular carcinoma, possibly by down-regulating IGF1R/Mek/Erk signaling pathway.

The regulation of APGAT4 on the growth and lenvatinib resistance of hepatocellular carcinoma / 中华肝脏病杂志

Objective: To investigate the effect of 1-acyl-sn-glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferaseδ (APGAT4) on the growth and lenvatinib resistance of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and provide novel targets for HCC treatment. Methods: Using the bioinformatics methods to screen out upregulated genes in lenvatinib resistant cell lines from GEO dataset and survival related genes from TCGA dataset. Immumohistochemical staining was used to detect the expression AGPAT4 in HCC tissues, and its correlation with patients' survival. CCK8, EdU, cell cycle, and cell apoptosis assays were used to investigate the impact of role AGPAT4 on the proliferation and lenvatinib reistance of HCC cells. AGPAT4 stable knockdown cell line and subcutaneous nude mouse model were established to test the therapeutic effects of Lenvatinib. Analysis of variance was used to compare the differences between data sets. Results: APGAT4 was the common factor that predicted poor survival and Lenvatinib resistance. The mRNA and protein levels of APGAT4 were significantly upregulated in HCC tissues compared to the para-tumor tissues (P < 0.05). Using siRNA could significantly knocked down the mRNA and protein expression of APGAT4 in HCC cell lines Hep3B and HCCLM3. Compared with the control group, the proliferation ability of HCC cell lines (Hep3B and HCCLM3) in APGAT4 knockdown group was significantly inhibited, and the cell cycle was arrested in G2/M phase (P < 0.05). In addition, compared to the control group, HCC cell lines (Hep3B and HCCLM3) in APGAT4 knockdown group showed significant decrease in the Lenvatinib half maximal inhibitory concentration, and were more sensitive to lenvatinib-induced apoptosis (P < 0.05). In HCC subcutaneous nude mouse model, compared to the control group, the growth of tumor in APGAT4 knockdown group was significantly suppressed, and more apoptosis cells were induced (P < 0.05). Conclusion: APGAT4 promotes the growth and Lenvatinib resistance of HCC, which is a potential target for HCC treatment. Targeting APGAT4 treatment is conducive to inhibit the growth and Lenvatinib resistance of HCC.

Efficacy and safety of lenvatinib combined with sintilimab as the second-line therapy for intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma / 临床肝胆病杂志

Objective To investigate the efficacy and safety of lenvatinib combined with sintilimab as the second-line therapy for advanced intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC). Methods A retrospective analysis was performed for the clinical data of the patients with advanced ICC who were admitted to Beijing Ditan Hospital from October 31, 2019 to October 31, 2021 and could not undergo surgery or experienced metastasis after surgery. All patients were treated with lenvatinib combined with sintilimab as the second-line therapy. The patients were followed up, and the RECIST1.1 criteria were used to assess treatment outcome. The primary endpoint was time to progression (TTP), and the secondary endpoints were tumor objective response rate (ORR), disease control rate (DCR), overall survival (OS) time, and safety. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to plot survival curves, and the log-rank test was used for comparison between groups. Results A total of 27 patients were enrolled, among whom there were15 male patients (55.6%) and 12 female patients (44.4%), with a median age of 58 years (range 33-73 years). The median TTP for these patients was 5.5 (95% confidence interval [ CI ]: 1.7-9.3) months, and 13 patients (48.1%) died of disease progression, with a median OS time of 11.2 (95% CI : 5.0-17.4) months. The overall ORR and DCR were 40.7% and 70.3%, respectively. Of all patients, 66.7% experienced varying degrees of adverse events, and among these patients, 44.4% had an increase in alanine aminotransferase, 44.4% had an increase in aspartate aminotransferase, 37.0% had hypertension, 29.6% had an increase in bilirubin, 29.6% experienced diarrhea, and 25.9% each experienced proteinuria, anorexia, and weakness. No treatment-related death was observed, and only 1 patient developed grade Ⅳ immune-related hepatotoxicity and was relieved without sequelae after corticosteroid therapy, resulting in permanent withdrawal of sintilimab. The patients with lymph node metastasis had a significantly shorter median TTP than those without lymph node metastasis (4.5 months vs 18.8 months, P =0.035), and the patients who achieved disease remission had a significantly longer median TTP [11.6 months (95% CI : 5.6-17.6) vs 2.8 months (95% CI : 1.8-3.8), P < 0.001]; the patients with lymph node metastasis had a shorter median OS time [9.6 months (95% CI: 7.9-11.3) vs 21.9 months (95% CI : 0-44.9), P =0.053], and the patients who achieved disease remission had a significantly longer median OS time [16.6 months (95% CI : 9.0-24.2) vs 6.9 months (95% CI : 3.6-10.2), P =0.011]. Conclusion Lenvatinib combined with sintilimab has a marked clinical effect and a low incidence rate of serious adverse events as the second-line therapy for advanced ICC, and therefore, it is a safe and effective treatment regimen.

Transarterial chemoembolization combined with lenvatinib plus programmed death 1 inhibitor for the treatment of unresectable intermediate-advanced hepatocellular carcinoma / 中华放射学杂志

Objective:To investigate the clinical efficacy and safety of transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) combined with lenvatinib plus PD-1 inhibitor (TACE+Len+PD-1) versus TACE combined with lenvatinib (TACE+Len) for patients with unresectable intermediate-advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).Methods:The data of 94 patients with intermediate-advanced HCC who received TACE+Len+PD-1 (One week after TACE, the patient were treated with lenvatinib and PD-1 inhibitor. lenvatinib, 8 or 12 mg/d, orally; PD-1 inhibitor, 200 mg/3 weeks, iv) or TACE+Len (One week after TACE, the patient were treated with lenvatinib.lenvatinib, 8 or 12 mg/d, orally) in the Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University from June 2019 to February 2021 were collected and retrospectively analyzed. Among these patients, 44 were in the TACE+Len+PD-1 group and 50 were in the TACE+Len group. Tumor responses were evaluated according to modified response evaluation criteria in solid tumors. Objective response rate (ORR), disease control rate (DCR), progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS) and adverse events (AEs) were compared between the two groups. The potential prognostic factors for PFS and OS were determined.Results:The ORR of TACE+Len+PD-1 group and TACE+Len group was 72.8% (32/44) and 52.0% (26/50) (χ2=4.25, P=0.039), respectively. The DCR of TACE+Len+PD-1 group and TACE+Len group was 86.4% (38/44) and 62.0% (31/50) (χ2=7.12, P=0.008), respectively. The median PFS and median OS in TACE+Len+PD-1 group were significantly longer than those in TACE+Len group (PFS, 7.9 vs. 5.6 months, χ2=7.91, P=0.005; OS, 18.5 vs. 13.6 months, χ2=4.40, P=0.036). Multivariate Cox regression analyses showed that TACE+Len (HR=2.184,95%CI 1.366-3.493), incomplete tumor capsule (HR=2.002,95%CI 1.294-3.209) and extrahepatic metastasis (HR=1.765,95%CI 1.095-2.844) were the independent risk factors for PFS, while TACE+Len (HR=2.081,95%CI 1.097-3.948) and BCLC stage C (HR=7.325,95%CI 2.260-23.746) were the independent risk factors for OS. The incidence of ≥grade 3 AEs in TACE+Len+PD-1 group was similar to that in TACE+Len group (χ2=0.45, P=0.501). Conclusion:Compared with TACE+Len, TACE+Len+PD-1 resulted in a better tumor response and a longer PFS and OS in patients with intermediate-advanced HCC.

The use of portal vein embolization combined with lenvatinib and a PD-1 inhibitor to treat patients with initially unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma / 中华肝胆外科杂志

Objective:To study the safety and treatment outcomes of portal vein embolization (PVE) combined with lenvatinib plus an anti-programmed death-1(PD-1) antibody to treat patients with initially unreasectable hepatocellular carcinoma (uHCC).Methods:This study retrospectively analyzed the data of six patients with uHCC who received first-line combined systemic therapy with lenvatinib plus an anti-PD-1 antibody, and then underwent pre-hepatectomy PVE at the Department of Liver Surgery at Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University from May 2019 to November 2020. All enrolled patients were males, aged (54.6±6.2) (ranged 46 to 63) years. Tumor response and liver volume were evaluated by medical imagings once every 2 months (±2 weeks) and evaluated using the Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumours (version 1.1). Patients were followed-up by outpatient interviews or by phone calls to record their survival and tumor outcome status.Results:Three of the six enrolled patients had Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer stage A and three had stage B disease. One patient achieved a partial response and five patients had stable diseases. The mean ± s. d. future liver remnant (FLR) percentage was (29.0±8.9) % before PVE and the combination therapy, and was (41.3±10.8) % before the last evaluation for liver surgery ( t=10.79, P<0.001). Hepatectomy was carried out in five patients, and one patient who failed to develop significant FLR hypertrophy did not undergo hepatectomy. Grade B post-hepatectomy liver failure and major postoperative complications (i.e. pleural effusion requiring additional percutaneous drainage) occurred in one patient. After a median post-operative follow-up of 4.5 (range: 1.0-12.3) months, all five patients were alive and were tumor free. Conclusion:PVE followed by hepatectomy is feasible in a uHCC patients receiving systemic therapy with lenvatinib and an anti-PD-1 antibody.

Efficacy and safety of lenvatinib in patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma previously treated with tyrosine kinase inhibitor / 临床肝胆病杂志

Objective To investigate the efficacy and safety of lenvatinib in patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) previously treated with tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI). Methods A retrospective analysis was performed for the clinical data of 76 patients with unresectable HCC who were treated with lenvatinib in Beijing Ditan Hospital, Capital Medical University, from January 2019 to January 2020, and according to the treatment method, they were divided into TKI previously untreated group with 49 patients and TKI treatment-experienced group with 27 patients. The patients were observed till one year after enrollment, adjustment of treatment regimen, tumor progression, or death. The two groups were compared in terms of progression-free survival (PFS) time, objective response rate (ORR), disease control rate (DCR), and incidence rate of adverse events. The t -test or the Wilcoxon rank-sum test was used for comparison of continuous data between two groups, and the chi-square test or the Wilcoxon rank-sum test was used for comparison of categorical data between two groups; the Kaplan-Meier method was used for survival analysis, and the log-rank test was used for comparison between groups. Results There were no significant differences between the TKI previously untreated group and the TKI treatment-experienced group in median PFS time (115 days vs 72 days, P =0.148), ORR (36.7% vs 18.5%, P =0.098), DCR (65.3% vs 55.6%, P =0.402), and incidence rates of grade ≥3 adverse events (24.5% vs 18.5%, P =0.550). Conclusion Patients with unresectable HCC previously treated with TKI can benefit from lenvatinib and have good safety, with similar results to those treated with TKI for the first time.

The inhibitory effect of lenvatinib plus fluvastatin on liver transplantation tumor in mice and corresponding mechanism / 中国药理学通报

Aim To explore the inhibitory effect of lenvatinib plus fluvastatin on liver transplantation tumor in mice and the mechanism.Methods Mouse model of subcutaneous liver cancer was used.Single agent of lenvatinib, single agent of fluvastatin, a combination of lenvatinib and fluvastatin and control solvent were given to four groups of mice.Tumor volume was measured.Immunohistochemistry was used to examine proliferation of tumor cells.Tunel was employed to detect the cell apoptosis.qRT-PCR and immunohistochemistry were used to measure the expression of TLR4.Western blot was employed to determine β-catenin expression.Rescue experiment was done using human hepatoma cells cultured in vitro.Results Treatment with both lenvatinib and fluvastatin significantly suppressed tumor growth in nude mice.Combined treatment significantly decreased the expressions of PNCA and increased apoptosis in tumor cells.Mechanically combined treatment synergistically suppressed the mRNA and protein expression of TLR4 which further inhibited the expression of β-catenin in hepatoma cells.Conclusions A combination of lenvatinib and fluvastatin synergistically inhibits tumor growth and promotes tumor cell apoptosis.The combination treatment significantly inhibits TLR4/β-catenin signaling pathway.

Curative Effect of Lenvatinib Combined with Locoregional Therapy on PD-L1-positive Hepatocellular Carcinoma Patients with Type Ⅰ-Ⅲ Portal Vein Tumor Thrombus According to Cheng's Classification / 肿瘤防治研究

Objective To compare curative effect between lenvatinib combined with locoregional therapy and locoregional therapy on PD-L1-positive hepatocellular carcinoma patients with type Ⅰ-Ⅲ portal vein tumor thrombus according to Cheng's classification. Methods The patients in lenvatinib combined with locoregional therapy group received orally-administered lenvatinib at a dose of 12 mg qd for patients≥60 kg or 8 mg qd for patients < 60 kg. The locoregional therapy group only received locoregional therapy. We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data and prognosis of two groups. Results The CR+PR were 78.1% and 53.6% in the combination group and locoregional therapy group, respectively (P < 0.05). The response rate, disease control rate and overall survival of the combination group were higher than those in the locoregional therapy group (P < 0.05). Conclusion The curative effect and overall survival of lenvatinib combined with locoregional therapy is better than locoregional therapy on PD-L1-positive hepatocellular carcinoma patients with type Ⅰ-Ⅲ portal vein tumor thrombus according to Cheng's classification.