Key clinical point: First-line lenvatinib plus idarubicin-loaded drug-eluting bead transarterial chemoembolization (IDADEB-TACE) is safe and offers a better safety profile than lenvatinib alone in patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).
Major finding: Patients receiving lenvatinib plus IDADEB-TACE vs lenvatinib alone had a significantly higher objective response rate (57.7% vs 25.7%; P < .001), longer median overall survival (15.7 vs 11.3 months; hazard ratio 0.50; P < .001), and comparable toxicity profile, with most adverse events being mild and manageable.
Study details: Findings are from a multicenter, retrospective cohort study that propensity-score matched patients with advanced HCC who received lenvatinib plus IDADEB-TACE (n = 78) with those who received lenvatinib alone (n = 78).
Disclosures: This study was sponsored by the National Natural Science Foundation of China, among others. The authors reported no conflicts of interest.
Source: Fan W et al. Idarubicin-loaded DEB-TACE plus lenvatinib versus lenvatinib for patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma: A propensity score-matching analysis. Cancer Med. 2022 (Jun 13). Doi: 10.1002/cam4.4937
