HYDERABAD: Doctors of AIG Hospitals found that the atezolizumab-bevacizumab drug combination can be effective in the treatment of unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (uHCC), according to a study.
The atezolizumab-bevacizumab (atezo/bev) combination is a recommended first-line systemic therapy for uHCC, but there was no study in India on the safety and efficacy of the drug in real-world settings, in patients with the advanced state of uHCC.
The study found that 12 per cent of patients who received atezo/bev as first-line systemic therapy achieved a complete response to the tumour, whereas 25.8 per cent showed a partial response and 38.7 per cent responded well to the treatment, with a disease control rate of 66.12 per cent. The median overall survival rate of patients at all stages was 12 months, while patients with normal liver function had a survival period of 21 months.
The majority of these patients, 74.6 per cent, were at an advanced stage of BCLC-C (Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer, stage C).
For the study, the data was collected retrospectively from AIG Hospitals, Hyderabad, and Mahatma Gandhi Medical College, Jaipur, from November 1, 2020, to July 1, 2022.
The median age of the cohort was 61 (29–82) years with 86 per cent males. The most common aetiology of cirrhosis was non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) among 55.2 per cent, followed by hepatitis B and C in 19.4 per cent and 16.4 per cent, respectively.
There were 24 patients in CTP A, 36 in CTP B, and 7 in CTP C. Diagnostic gastroscopy was performed on all patients, of whom 17 had large oesophageal varices, 36 had small varices and 14 had only prominent veins. Eighteen patients had a history of variceal ligation, and beta-blockers were administered to 31 patients (including seven patients with a history of variceal ligation).
Experts said that atezolizumab-bevacizumab was safe and effective in uHCC treatment in real-world settings. However, candidate selection was of utmostimportance.
Further, the study said that treatment should not be considered for patients with the child–turcotte–pugh (CTP) C.
