Adjuvant lenvatinib after radical resection in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC): Preliminary analysis of a prospective, multi-center, single-arm study.

Abstract

e16158 Background: Chinese guidelines recommend surgical resection for patients with China Liver Cancer (CNLC) Stage Ia−IIIa HCC (equal to BCLC stage A/B and selected patients with BCLC stage C). Despite treatment, however, patients with CNLC stage IIb (tumor number > 3) and IIIa (vascular invasion) disease have a high recurrence risk and poor overall survival (OS). Here we assessed the efficacy and safety of adjuvant lenvatinib in patients with high risk of disease recurrence. Methods: In this multi-center, single-arm, prospective clinical trial (NCT04227808), patients underwent radical (R0) resection for CNLC Stage IIb/IIIa HCC within 4-6 weeks were eligible and received treatment of lenvatinib (8 or 12 mg/day for body weight < 60 and ≥60 kg, respectively. Dose modifications were permitted due to adverse reactions) until disease recurrence, intolerable toxicity or death. The primary endpoint was 1-year recurrence-free survival (RFS), and secondary endpoints included OS and safety. The total planned enrollment for this study is 50 patients and here we report our preliminary analysis results. Results: A total of 59 patients were screened from Mar 2020 to Dec 2021 and 50 were enrolled in the study. By the cut of date (Dec 31, 2021), 42 patients had at least one set of follow-up data and were included in the present analysis. The 42 patients were predominantly male (83.3%, n = 35), and the median age was 55.5 years (range: 26–73). 78.6% (n = 33) were HBV-positive and 21.4% (n = 9) of disease were non-viral. Five patients (11.9%) had CNLC Stage IIb and 37 (88.1%) had CNLC Stage IIIa HCC. The median duration of treatment was 8.4 months (range: 1.7-18.7) with a median follow-up of 11.3 months (95% CI: 6.6−15.9). 24% (n = 10) had experienced dose reduction or delay. The 1-year RFS rate was 50.5%, while the median RFS was 16.5 months (95% CI: 11.3–21.7). Two deaths occurred: one secondary to disease recurrence and one from hepatic encephalopathy without recurrence. In total, 90.5% (n = 38) of patients experienced ≥1 treatment-related adverse events (AE) of any grade, and five patients (11.9%) had grade 3 treatment-related AEs (thrombocytopenia in two cases, proteinuria in two cases, and elevated aspartate aminotransferase in one case). There was no treatment-related death. Conclusions: Adjuvant lenvatinib was well-tolerated in patients with CNLC Stage IIb/IIIa HCC after R0 resection. The median RFS was longer than our historical data (mRFS = 9.03 months), and these findings warrant further investigation in a controlled study. Funding: Eisai Co., Ltd. Clinical trial information: NCT04227808.