Phase I Dose Escalation Study Of Nivolumab (Anti-Pd-1; Bms-936558; Ono-4538) In Patients (Pts) With Advanced Hepatocellular Carcinoma (Hcc) With Or Without Chronic Viral Hepatitis

TPS3111 Background: Pts with advanced HCC have limited treatment options. Sorafenib, the current standard of care, achieves only modest overall survival improvements. There is a clear etiologic association between HCC and prior/concurrent hepatitis B (HBV) or C (HCV) infection. Programmed death-1 (PD-1) is an immune checkpoint receptor that inhibits T-cell activation when bound by ligands including PD-L1/L2. PD-L1 overexpression has been noted on HCC tumors, and PD-1/PD-L1 interaction may contribute to viral hepatitis induced T-cell exhaustion. Nivolumab, a PD-1 receptor blocking antibody, has shown efficacy against various solid tumor types in Ph 1 trials. We hypothesized that blockade of PD-1/PD-L1 interaction could enhance T-cell activation and mediate antitumor and/or antiviral activity in HCC pts. We describe a phase I, dose-escalation study of nivolumab in advanced HCC pts. Methods: Successive pt cohorts with histologically confirmed advanced HCC with/without HBV or HCV infection (N=72 max) will be ...