Real-world effectiveness of lenvatinib monotherapy among unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma patients in the USA

Aim: This study evaluated the effectiveness of lenvatinib monotherapy for first-line treatment of unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (uHCC) in a real-world setting. Materials & methods: This retrospective cohort study included patients who initiated lenvatinib monotherapy as first-line treatment for uHCC (n = 233). Clinical outcomes included provider-reported best response, progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). PFS and OS were estimated using Kaplan-Meier methods. Results: Most patients (67.8%) were male. A total of 44.6% had Child-Pugh A and 39.1% had Child-Pugh B. Dose reductions were reported in 9%. Median PFS and OS were not reached. At 6 and 12 months, landmark PFS were 85.1 and 64.9%, respectively; landmark OS were 91.8 and 72.6%, respectively. Conclusion: These results affirm the clinical effectiveness of first-line lenvatinib monotherapy in uHCC.Lay abstract Lenvatinib is a targeted therapy that prevents tumor growth. It was approved for the treatment of advanced liver cancer in 2018, but few studies have examined how it is used in everyday clinical practice, especially in the USA. In this study, we reviewed the medical records of 233 patients in the USA with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma, who were treated with lenvatinib in first line to better understand its effectiveness and use in real-world care. We collected information on how long they were on treatment and time to tumor progression and/or death. Overall, our study found that in this demographically and clinically diverse sample, results affirm findings from prior studies that found lenvatinib is an effective treatment for patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma.