A phase Ib/II trial of capmatinib plus spartalizumab vs. spartalizumab alone in patients with pretreated hepatocellular carcinoma

•This is the first trial to report a combination of MET inhibitor and PD-1 inhibitor as second-line treatment after sorafenib for advanced HCC.•The RP2D for capmatinib in combination with spartalizumab at 300 mg q3w was established at 400 mg bid.•Preliminary clinical activity of capmatinib in combination with spartalizumab was observed during phase 1b. However, the combination did not show superior clinical activity compared to treatment with spartalizumab alone in the phase 2 part.•No new safety signals were observed, and toxicities were manageable in this study.