Comparative efficacy of postoperative adjuvant transcatheter arterial chemoembolization versus lenvatinib plus tislelizumab in patients with BCLC stage 0 -B hepatocellular carcinoma after radical resection

By
Xu Feng
Yupei Ao
Lili Wang
Kai Chen
Chengjia Tang
Chengcheng Huang
June 29, 2026
0 min

Frontiers In Immunology

Overview

This study compares the efficacy of postoperative adjuvant transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (PA-TACE) and lenvatinib plus tislelizumab (PA-LT) in patients with BCLC stage 0-B hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) after radical resection. Both treatments showed improvements in recurrence-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS) compared to surgery alone, but no significant differences were found between PA-TACE and PA-LT.

Background

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a leading cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide, with high recurrence rates following radical resection. Adjuvant therapies like PA-TACE and PA-LT are being explored to improve outcomes in high-risk patients.

Data Highlights

Group	Median RFS (months)	Median OS (months)
LR	N/A	N/A
PA-TACE	44.00 (95% CI, 40.91–47.09)	69.00 (95% CI, 66.44–71.56)
PA-LT	40.50 (95% CI, 34.90–46.10)	65.00 (95% CI, 60.93–69.07)

Key Findings

Both PA-TACE and PA-LT significantly improved RFS and OS compared to LR alone (p < 0.001).
No severe adverse events were reported in either treatment group.
Median RFS for PA-TACE was 44.00 months, while for PA-LT it was 40.50 months (p = 0.086).
Median OS for PA-TACE was 69.00 months, compared to 65.00 months for PA-LT (p = 0.572).
Multivariable Cox regression indicated both PA-TACE and PA-LT were independently associated with improved RFS and OS.

Clinical Implications

Both PA-TACE and PA-LT can be considered adjuvant therapies for HCC patients at high risk of recurrence post-resection.

Conclusion

PA-TACE and PA-LT are both viable adjuvant treatment strategies for HCC patients post-resection, with no significant differences in efficacy observed between the two.