Abstract 4728: Plasma interleukin-6 level predicts prognosis of patients who received sorafenib for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma

Abstract

Abstract Background: No biomarker has been proven to predict the treatment outcomes of sorafenib, the only approved first-line therapy for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We explored predictive and prognostic values of plasma interleukin (IL)-6 levels for patients who received sorafenib as first-line therapy for advanced HCC. Methods: This study had 2 patient cohorts. The exploration cohort consisted of patients who were previously enrolled in a phase 2 clinical trial that examined sorafenib with tegafur/uracil as first-line therapy for advanced HCC. The validation cohort consisted of patients who received sorafenib alone as first-line therapy for advanced HCC under reimbursement of National Health Insurance of Taiwan. Pretreatment plasma IL-6 levels were determined. We used the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve in the exploration cohort to determine the best cut point for IL-6 levels to predict overall survival (OS). We then confirmed the cut point in the validation cohort. Results: There were 55 and 73 patients in the exploration and validation cohort, respectively. In the exploration cohort, there was no complete response but 3 (6%) partial response. The median OS was 8.1 months. In the validation cohort, there was no complete response but 7 (10%) partial response. The median OS was 10.3 months. In the exploration cohort, we found 4.28 pg/ml was the best cut point in defining high and low IL-6 levels because it could differentiate OS (p = 0.042) with the best sensitivity and specificity. Applying the cut point on the validation cohort, patients with high pretreatment plasma IL-6 levels, compared with patients with low IL-6 levels, exhibited significantly poorer OS (median, 8.0 vs. 13.9 months, p = 0.031). After adjusting for age, gender, hepatitis etiology, tumor characteristics, α-fetoprotein level, performance status, and prior treatment, a high plasma IL-6 level remained an independent predictor for poor OS (hazard ratio 2.594, p = 0.005). By contrast, the plasma IL-6 level was not associated with progression-free survival, treatment response, disease control, or other patient characteristics. Conclusion: High pretreatment plasma IL-6 level predicted prognosis of patients who received sorafenib as first-line therapy for advanced HCC. Citation Format: Yu-Yun Shao, Hang Lin, Yong-Shi Li, Ying-Hui Lee, Ho-Min Chen, Ann-Lii Cheng, Chih-Hung Hsu. Plasma interleukin-6 level predicts prognosis of patients who received sorafenib for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2017; 2017 Apr 1-5; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 4728. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2017-4728