AT A GLANCE

A new study published in Signal Transduction and Targeted Therapy reports that transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) combined with atezolizumab and bevacizumab appears safe and feasible for intermediate-stage hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).¹

“TACE is the standard treatment for intermediate-stage HCC, yet its efficacy as a standalone therapy remains suboptimal,” explain study authors Wang et al. As part of a phase 2 trial, these authors evaluated the feasibility and safety of TACE combined with atezolizumab and bevacizumab in patients with intermediate-stage HCC.

For study purposes, participants received TACE followed by atezolizumab and bevacizumab until disease progression, unacceptable toxicity, or death. The primary endpoint of interest was the objective response rate (ORR) assessed per the Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST) v1.1, while secondary endpoints included progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), ORR by modified RECIST (mRECIST), disease control rate (DCR), time to response (TTR), duration of response (DOR), and adverse events.

Ultimately, 45 patients were enrolled for analysis. According to the authors, the ORR was 47% per RECIST v1.1 and 67% per mRECIST, respectively. In addition, the median PFS was 17.9 months and the median OS was 33.0 months, while the DCRs were 87% (RECIST v1.1) and 91% (mRECIST) and the median TTRs were 11.9 weeks (RECIST v1.1) and 4.9 weeks (mRECIST), with median DOR of 36.6 weeks (RECIST v1.1) or 44.4 weeks (mRECIST). Forty-four patients experienced adverse events.

“TACE combined with atezolizumab and bevacizumab appears safe and feasible for intermediate-stage HCC, supporting further investigation in larger studies,” conclude the authors.

Reference

1.     Wang K, Feng J, Yu H, et al. Transarterial chemoembolization plus atezolizumab and bevacizumab in patients with intermediate hepatocellular carcinoma: a single-arm, phase 2 trial. Signal Transduct Target Ther. 2025;10(1):328.