Therapeutic potential of lenvatinib for unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma in clinical practice: Multicenter analysis.

Abstract

Lenvatinib (LEN) has recently become available as a first-line tyrosine-kinase inhibitor (TKI) for unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (u-HCC). In patients who showed intolerability or failure in other TKI treatments, alternative treatment options are needed. This retrospective study evaluated the therapeutic potential of LEN in clinical practice. We enrolled 57 u-HCC patients treated with LEN from March to June 2018. Lenvatinib was given orally to patients weighing <60kg at 8mg/day and at 12mg/day to those ≥60kg. Following the exclusion of patients whose initial LEN dose was reduced, 49 patients were evaluated in regard to their characteristics and early therapeutic response using modified Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors for findings of follow-up computed tomography (CT)/magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examinations at 4weeks after introducing LEN. The average patient age was 72.4 ± 9.3years and 38 (77.6%) were men. The LEN dose was 8 and 12mg in 32 and 17 patients, respectively. Twenty-nine (59.2%) had history of treatment with sorafenib and six of them (20.7%) with regorafenib. Of the 49 patients, 27 were evaluated using findings obtained by enhanced CT/MRI at 4weeks after introducing LEN. Partial response was shown in 11, stable disease in 12, and progressive disease in four (overall response rate [ORR], 40.7%; disease control rate [DCR], 85.2%). The ORR and DCR of TKI-naïve patients (n= 8) were 50.0% and 87.5%, respectively, whereas those of TKI-experienced patients (n= 19) were 36.8% and 84.2%, respectively (P= 0.675 and P= 1.00, respectively). Early therapeutic response to LEN was favorable. This new TKI could have therapeutic potential both in patients with and without past TKI treatments.