Safety and efficacy of accelerated hypofractionation and stereotactic body radiotherapy for hepatocellular carcinoma in the setting of advanced liver dysfunction.

Abstract

403 Background: To report toxicities and outcomes for stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) and accelerated hypofractionated radiotherapy (AHRT) in patients with Child-Pugh (CP) A/B/C and Albumin-Bilirubin (ALBI) score 1/2/3 hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 151 patients with HCC treated with SBRT (50 Gy in 5 fractions) or AHRT (45 Gy in 18 fractions) between 2007 and 2015. Primary endpoint was incidence of grade 3 or higher toxicities within 6 months of radiotherapy (RT). Patients were censored for toxicity upon local progression, further liver-directed therapy, or if they exhibited grade 3 or higher toxicities prior to RT, unless RT elevated the grading or a new toxicity class was observed. Secondary endpoints of overall survival and local control were calculated. Results: Median follow-up was 11 months (1 – 90 months). Most received SBRT (72%), while 28% received AHRT due to size criteria ( > 5 cm) or proximity to a critical organ-at-risk. Grade 3 or higher hyperbilirubinemia and hypoalbuminemia was greater in the CP-B8/B9/C patients (42% and 22%) or ALBI-3 patients (45% and 31%) compared to patients with CP-A/B7 (11% and 4%, p < 0.001) or ALBI-1/2 (14% and 4%, p < 0.001). For all other toxicity classes, no difference between liver functionality groups was seen. Eleven grade 4 and no grade 5 toxicities were observed. For all pts, 1- and 2-year treated-lesion local control (LC) rates were greater for SBRT as compared to AHRT (2-year LC 95% vs. 66%, p < 0.0001). When excluding patients with planning treatment volumes > 115 cc (equivalent to a 6 cm sphere), SBRT still yielded superior outcomes. Conclusions: Other than higher rates of grade 3+ hypoalbuminemia and hyperbilirubinemia, highly conformal RT appears to be a potentially safe and effective treatment option for HCC patients with advanced liver dysfunction. Compared to AHRT, SBRT is associated with superior local control.