Key clinical point: Radiotherapy (RT) plus monoclonal antibody against programmed cell death 1 (anti-PD1) has a better efficacy and safety profile than transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) plus sorafenib for the treatment of advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).
Major finding: Patients receiving RT+anti-PD1 vs TACE+sorafenib showed significantly higher objective response (54.05% vs 12.20%; P < .001), disease control (70.27% vs 46.34%; P = .041), and 9-month overall survival (75.50% vs 60.60%; P < .001) rates. They also had a longer progression-free survival (hazard ratio 0.51; P = .017); and a lower grade ≥3 treatment-related adverse event rate (29.70% vs 75.60%; P < .001).
Study details: Findings are from a retrospective real-world study that included 78 adult patients with advanced HCC who received RT+anti-PD1 (n = 37) or TACE+sorafenib (n = 41).
Disclosures: This study was sponsored by the Development and Application Project for the Appropriate Technology of Health of Guangxi Province, China, among others. The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
Source: Li JX et al. Efficacy and safety of radiotherapy plus anti-PD1 versus transcatheter arterial chemoembolization plus sorafenib for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma: a real-world study. Radiat Oncol. 2022;17:106 (Jun 11. Doi: 10.1186/s13014-022-02075-6
