Hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy plus Camrelizumab and Apatinib for Advanced Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Abstract Background and aims: there is limited information on combination of hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy (HAIC) and systemic therapy for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (Ad-HCC). We aim to compare the efficacy and safety of HAIC plus camrelizumab (a PD-1 inhibitor) and apatinib (an VEGFR-2 inhibitor) versus camrelizumab and apatinib for Ad-HCC. Methods From April 2019 to October 2022, 416 patients with Ad-HCC received either HAIC plus camrelizumab and apatinib (TRIPLET protocol, n = 207) or camrelizumab and apatinib (C-A protocol, n = 209) were reviewed retrospectively. The propensity score matching (PSM) was used to reduce selective bias. Overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) were compared using the Kaplan–Meier method with the log-rank test. Cox regression analyses of independent prognostic factors were evaluated. Results After PSM 1:1, 109 patients were assigned to two groups. The median OS of not reached in the TRIPLET group was significantly longer than that of 19.9 months in the C–A group (P < 0.001), while in the TRIPLET group, the median PFS of 11.5 months was significantly longer than that of 9.6 months in the C–A group (P < 0.001). Multivariate analyses showed that the factors ‎significantly affected the OS were‎ CTP grade, tumor number > 3, and TRIPLET treatment (P < 0.001). Grade 3/4 adverse events occurred at a rate of 82.1% vs. 71.3% in TRIPLET and C-A groups, respectively. Conclusion The TRIPLET protocol has promising survival benefits in the management of patients with Ad-HCC, with acceptable safety.