Transarterial chemoembolization combined donafenib with/without PD-1 for unresectable HCC in a multicenter retrospective study

Background & aimsThis multicenter retrospective study evaluated the efficacy and safety of transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) combined with donafenib and a programmed death-1 (PD-1) inhibitor (TACE+DP) and TACE combined with donafenib (TACE+D) for unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (uHCC).MethodsThe clinical data of 388 patients with uHCC who received TACE+DP or TACE+D as first-line treatment at six Chinese academic centers from July 2021 to July 2022 were collected and analyzed retrospectively. Patients in the TACE+DP group received an intravenous administration of a PD-1 inhibitor every three weeks and oral donafenib (0.2 g) twice daily until intolerable toxicity or disease progression. Patients in the TACE+D group received the same dose of donafenib for 3–5 days after TACE. Overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS)were analyzed by Kaplan-Meier method and log-rank test. The tumor response was compared between the two groups according to modified RECIST criteria. Adverse events were also analyzed between the two groupsResultsThe TACE+D group included 157 patients and the TACE+DP group included 166 patients. Patients in the TACE+DP group had a longer median OS (18.1 vs. 13.2 months, P