Key clinical point: Lenvatinib combined with transarterial chemoembolization (LEN-TACE) is more effective than LEN alone as the first-line therapy for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).
Major finding: After a 17.0-month median follow-up, the LEN-TACE vs LEN group had a significantly longer median overall survival (17.8 vs 11.5 months; hazard ratio [HR] 0.45; P < .001) and progression-free survival (10.6 vs 6.4 months; HR 0.43; P < .001) and higher objective response rate (54.1% vs 25.0%; P < .001).
Study details: Findings are from a multicenter, phase 3 trial, LAUNCH, that included 338 adult patients with treatment-naive primary or initial recurrent advanced HCC after surgery who were randomly assigned to receive LEN-TACE (n = 170) or LEN monotherapy (n = 168).
Disclosures: This study was supported by Science and Technology Innovation 2030 Major Projects, China, among others. One author declared serving as a consultant/advisor for and receiving honoraria and research funding from GenomiCare.
Source: Peng Z et al. Lenvatinib combined with transarterial chemoembolization as first-line treatment for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma: A phase III, randomized clinical trial (LAUNCH). J Clin Oncol. 2022 (Aug 3). Doi: 10.1200/JCO.22.00392
