AUTHOR=Su Ke , Guo Lu , Ma Wenqiong , Wang Jing , Xie Yunchuan , Rao Mingyue , Zhang Jianwen , Li Xueting , Wen Lianbin , Li Bo , Yang Xiaoli , Song Yanqiong , Huang Weihong , Chi Hao , Gu Tao , Xu Ke , Liu Yanlin , Chen Jiali , Wu Zhenying , Jiang Yi , Li Han , Zeng Hao , Wang Pan , Feng Xunjie , Chen Siyu , Yang Binbin , Jin Hongping , He Kun , Han Yunwei 

TITLE=PD-1 inhibitors plus anti-angiogenic therapy with or without intensity-modulated radiotherapy for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma: A propensity score matching study

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Immunology

VOLUME=13

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/immunology/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2022.972503

DOI=10.3389/fimmu.2022.972503

ISSN=1664-3224

ABSTRACT=<sec><title>Background</title><p>Whether intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) can enhance the efficacy of the programmed death (PD)-1 inhibitors combined with anti-angiogenic therapy for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is unclear. Therefore, we conducted this multicenter retrospective study to investigate the efficacy of the combination of PD-1 inhibitors with anti-angiogenic therapy and IMRT.</p></sec><sec><title>Methods</title><p>From April 2019 to March 2022, a total of 197 patients with HCC [combination of PD-1 inhibitors with anti-angiogenic therapy and IMRT (triple therapy group), 54; PD-1 inhibitors plus anti-angiogenic therapy (control group), 143] were included in our study. Propensity score matching (PSM) was applied to identify two groups with similar baselines. The objective response rate (ORR), overall survival (OS), and progression-free survival (PFS) of the two groups were compared before and after matching.</p></sec><sec><title>Results</title><p>Prior to PSM, the triple therapy group had higher ORR (42.6% vs 24.5%, <italic>P</italic> = 0.013) and more superior median OS (mOS) (20.1 vs 13.3 months, <italic>P</italic> = 0.009) and median PFS (mPFS) (8.7 vs 5.4 months, <italic>P</italic> = 0.001) than the control group. Following PSM, the triple therapy group still exhibited better mPFS (8.7 vs 5.4 months, <italic>P</italic> = 0.013) and mOS (18.5 vs 12.6 months, <italic>P</italic> = 0.043) than the control group. However, the ORR of the two groups was similar (40% vs 25%, <italic>P</italic> = 0.152). No significant difference was observed in the treatment-related adverse events between the two groups (<italic>P</italic> &lt; 0.05 for all). </p></sec><sec><title>Conclusions</title><p>The combination of PD-1 inhibitors with anti-angiogenic therapy and IMRT for HCC is a promising regimen.</p></sec>