The TAE score predicts prognosis of unresectable HCC patients treated with TACE plus lenvatinib with PD-1 inhibitors.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Transcatheter arterial chemoembolization combined with lenvatinib and PD-1 inhibitors (triple therapy) exhibits promising efficacy for unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (uHCC). We aimed to evaluate the prognosis of patients with uHCC who received triple therapy and develop a prognostic scoring model to identify patients who benefit the most from triple therapy. METHODS: A total of 246 patients with uHCC who received triple therapy at eight centers were included and assigned to the training and validation cohorts. Prognosis was evaluated by the Kaplan-Meier curves. The prognostic model was developed by utilizing predictors of overall survival (OS), which were identified through the Cox proportional hazards model. RESULTS: In the training cohort, the 3-year OS was 52.0%, with a corresponding progression-free survival (PFS) of 30.6%. The median PFS was 13.2 months [95% confidence interval, 9.7-16.7]. Three variables (total bilirubin ≥ 17 µmol/L, alpha-fetoprotein ≥ 400 ng/mL, and extrahepatic metastasis) were predictors of poor survival and were used for developing a prognostic model (TAE score). The 2-year OS rates in the favorable (0 points), intermediate (1 point), and dismal groups (2-3 points) were 96.9%, 61.4%, and 11.4%, respectively (p < 0.001). The PFS was also stratified according to the TAE score. These findings were confirmed in an external validation cohort. CONCLUSIONS: Triple therapy showed encouraging clinical outcomes, and the TAE score aids in identifying patients who would benefit the most from triple therapy.