Postoperative adjuvant immunotherapy for high-risk hepatocellular carcinoma patients

Background and aim Standardized approach to postoperative adjuvant therapy for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains elusive. This study endeavors to examine the effects of postoperative PD-1 adjuvant therapy on the short-term and long-term prognosis of patients at a heightened risk of post-surgical recurrence. Methods The data of HCC patients who underwent hepatectomy at our center from June 2018 to March 2023 were collected from the hospital database. Propensity score matching (PSM) was employed to perform a 1:1 match between the postoperative anti-PD-1 antibody group and the postoperative non-anti-PD-1 antibody group. Kaplan-Meier method was utilized to compare the overall survival (OS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS) between the two groups. Cox regression analysis was conducted to identify the prognostic factors affecting patient outcomes. Subgroup analyses were performed for different high-risk factors. Results Among the 446 patients included in the study, 122 patients received adjuvant therapy with postoperative anti-PD-1 antibodies. After PSM, the PD-1 group had postoperative 1-year, 2-year, 3-year, and 4-year OS rates of 93.1%, 86.8%, 78.2%, and 51.1%, respectively, while the non-PD-1 group had rates of 85.3%, 70.2%, 47.7%, and 30.0%. The PD-1 group had postoperative 1-year, 2-year, 3-year, and 4-year RFS rates of 81.7%, 77.0%, 52.3%, and 23.1%, respectively, whereas the non-PD-1 group had rates of 68.4%, 47.7%, and 25.8% in 1-year, 2-year, 3-year. A multifactorial Cox regression analysis revealed that postoperative PD-1 use was a prognostic protective factor associated with OS and RFS. Subgroup analysis results indicated that HCC patients with high recurrence risks significantly benefited from postoperative anti-PD-1 antibody treatment in terms of OS and RFS. Conclusion For HCC patients with high-risk recurrence factors and undergoing hepatectomy, postoperative adjuvant therapy with anti-PD-1 antibodies can effectively improve their survival prognosis.