To assess the efficacy and safety of combining transarterial chemoembolization and hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy (TACE-HAIC) with targeted immunotherapy in patients with primary hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) complicated by portal vein tumor thrombus (PVTT) from January 2019 to September 2023.
Key Findings:
The quadruple-therapy group exhibited a significantly higher ORR for portal vein tumor thrombus compared to the triple-therapy group (P<0.05), indicating a potential advantage in treatment efficacy.
No significant differences were found between the groups in OS, PFS, IHPFS, or TTPFS (P > 0.05), suggesting similar overall outcomes.
Interpretation:
The combination of TACE-HAIC with targeted immunotherapy is effective in inducing regression of intraportal tumor thrombi, which may influence treatment strategies for HCC patients with PVTT.
Limitations:
The study is retrospective and may be subject to selection bias, potentially affecting the reliability of the results.
Limited generalizability due to the single-center design, which may not reflect broader patient populations.
Conclusion:
The quadruple-therapy approach is an effective treatment strategy for PVTT, achieving a higher objective response rate, which may inform future clinical practices.
