Background and purpose: This study aims to compare the efficacy and safety of radiotherapy (RT) and transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with inferior vena cava/right atrium tumor thrombus (IVC/RATT) treated with lenvatinib and camrelizumab.
Materials and methods: HCC with IVC/RATT from four hospitals were enrolled in this retrospective study. The patients were divided into RT group and TACE group. Stabilized inverse probability of treatment weighting (sIPTW) was used to minimize bias. The primary endpoints were overall survival (OS) and progression free survival (PFS). The second endpoints were objective response rate (ORR) and disease control rate (DCR). In addition, safety was assessed by treatment-related adverse events (TRAEs) between the two groups.
Results: Among 108 patients included in this study, 48 patients in TACE group and 60 patients in RT group. The median follow-up time was 24.8 months. After the application of sIPTW, baseline characteristics were well-balanced between the two groups. Before and after sITPW, the median OS and median PFS in the RT group were significantly longer than in the TACE group. Multivariate Cox analysis showed that RT was an independent prognosis factor of both OS and PFS. There was no significant difference between two groups in overall response, while IVC/RATT response rate of RT group was significantly higher than TACE group. Incidence rate of TRAEs in two groups were similar.
Conclusions: In combination with lenvatinib and camrelizumab, RT significantly improves the prognosis of HCC with IVC/RATT compared to TACE, with a comparable safety profile.
Keywords: Hepatocellular carcinoma; Inferior vena cava/right atrium tumor thrombus; Radiotherapy; Transarterial chemoembolization.
© 2025. Asian Pacific Association for the Study of the Liver.