TACE Combined With Bevacizumab in HCC (BCLC-B) Beyond Up-To-Seven Criteria

TACE Combined With Bevacizumab in Patients With BCLC-B Stage Hepatocellular Carcinoma Beyond Up-To-Seven Criteria: a Prospective Single-arm Phase II Study

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) combined with anti-VEGF (Bevacizumab Biosimilar) in patients with BCLC-B stage hepatocellular carcinoma beyond up-to-seven criteria.

This is a prospective, single-arm, phase II study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of TACE combined with anti-VEGF (Bevacizumab Biosimilar) in patients with BCLC-B stage hepatocellular carcinoma beyond up-to-seven criteria. Subjects who meet the admission criteria will be treated with Bevacizumab Biosimilar after TACE until disease progression, intolerable toxicity, death, patient withdrawal or the investigators determine that the drug must be discontinued.

The primary outcome is the objective response rate (ORR). The secondary outcomes include the duration of response (DOR), disease control rate (DCR), progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival rate (OSR) in 6- and 12-months, the median progression-free survival time (mPFS) and median overall survival time (mOS). This study also aims to assess the safety and adverse events of TACE combined with anti-VEGF (Bevacizumab Biosimilar) for HCC (BCLC-B stage) beyond up-to-seven criteria.

Inclusion Criteria:

1. The patient voluntarily joined the study and signed an informed consent form;
2. ≥18 and ≤ 70 years old, both male and female;
3. Clinically diagnosed or pathologically confirmed hepatocellular carcinoma, at least one measurable focus without local treatment (according to mRECIST requirements, the measurable focus spiral CT scan length ≥ 10 mm or enlargement Short diameter of lymph node ≥15 mm);
4. Child-Pugh score ≤ 7 points;
5. BCLC-B stage and multiple tumors beyond up-to-seven criteria;
6. Newly diagnosed patients who have not received targeted therapy or immunotherapy in the past;
7. ECOG score: 0～1;
8. Expected survival period ≥ 12 weeks;
9. The functions of vital organs meet the following requirements (no blood components, cell growth factors and other corrective treatment drugs are allowed within 14 days before the first administration):
10. The absolute count of neutrophils≥1.5×109/L; Platelet ≥80×109/L; Hemoglobin ≥90 g/L; Serum albumin ≥28 g/L; Thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH)≤1×ULN (if abnormal, the levels of FT3 and FT4 should be examined at the same time, if the levels of FT3 and FT4 are normal, they can be included in the group); Bilirubin≤1.5×ULN (within 7 days before the first administration); ALT and AST ≤3×ULN (within 7 days before the first dose); AKP≤ 2.5×ULN; Serum creatinine≤1.5×ULN;
11. Non-surgical sterilization or female patients of childbearing age need to use a medically approved contraceptive method (such as an intrauterine device, contraceptive, or condom) during the study treatment period and within 3 months after the end of the study treatment period; Female patients of childbearing age who undergo surgical sterilization must be negative in serum or urine HCG within 72 hours before enrollment in the study; and must be non-lactating; for male patients whose partners are women of childbearing age, at the last time use effective methods for contraception within 3 months.

Exclusion Criteria:

1. The patient has any active autoimmune disease or a history of autoimmune disease;
2. The patient is using immunosuppressive agents or systemic hormone therapy to achieve the purpose of immunosuppression (dose>10mg/day prednisone or other curative hormones), and continues to use it within 2 weeks before enrollment;
3. The number of system treatment lines ≥ 2 lines;
4. Severe allergic reaction to other monoclonal antibodies;
5. Those with a known history of central nervous system metastasis or hepatic encephalopathy;
6. Patients who have received liver transplantation in the past;
7. Ascites with clinical symptoms, those who need puncture, drainage, or those who have received ascites drainage within the past 3 months, except those who have only a small amount of ascites on imaging but not accompanied by clinical symptoms;
8. Suffer from high blood pressure and cannot be well controlled by antihypertensive drugs (systolic blood pressure ≥140 mmHg or diastolic blood pressure ≥90 mmHg);
9. Uncontrolled cardiac clinical symptoms or diseases, such as: NYHA level 2 or higher heart failure, unstable angina pectoris, myocardial infarction occurred within 1 year, clinically significant supraventricular or ventricular arrhythmia requires treatment or intervention , QTc>450ms (male); QTc>470ms (female);
10. Abnormal coagulation function (INR>2.0, PT>16s), have bleeding tendency or are receiving thrombolysis or anticoagulation therapy, and allow the preventive use of low-dose aspirin and low molecular heparin;
11. Significant clinically significant bleeding symptoms or clear bleeding tendency occurred within 3 months before randomization, such as pertussis/hemoptysis 2.5ml or more, gastrointestinal bleeding, esophageal and gastric varices with bleeding risk, hemorrhagic stomach Ulcer or vasculitis, etc., if the stool occult blood is positive at the baseline, it can be re-examined. If it is still positive after the re-examination, a gastroscopy is required. If the gastroscope shows severe esophageal and gastric varices, it cannot be included in the group (3 before the group) Except those who have undergone gastroscopy within a month or less to exclude such cases);
12. Arterial/venous thrombosis events that occurred within 6 months before randomization, such as cerebrovascular accidents (including temporary ischemic attacks, cerebral hemorrhage, cerebral infarction), deep vein thrombosis, and pulmonary embolism;
13. Known genetic or acquired bleeding and thrombotic tendency (such as hemophilia patients, coagulation dysfunction, thrombocytopenia, etc.); Urine routine test showed urine protein ≥ ++ and confirmed 24-hour urine protein content> 1.0 g;
14. Patients who have previously received radiotherapy, chemotherapy, hormone therapy, and surgery, after the completion of the treatment (last medication) and less than 4 weeks before the study medication; molecular targeted therapy (including other oral targeted drugs used in clinical trials) is less than the first study medication <5 drug half-lives, or patients whose adverse events (except alopecia) caused by previous treatment have not recovered to ≤ CTCAE level 1;
15. The patient has active infection, fever of unknown origin within 7 days before medication ≥38.5℃, or baseline white blood cell count >15×109/L; Patients with congenital or acquired immune deficiencies (such as HIV-infected persons);
16. Patients with HBV DNA>2000 IU/ml (or 104 copies/ml), HCV RNA>103 copies/ml, HBsAg+ and anti-HCV antibody positive;
17. The patient suffered from other malignant tumors in the past 3 years or at the same time (except for cured skin basal cell carcinoma and cervical carcinoma in situ);
18. Patients with bone metastases who received palliative radiotherapy within 4 weeks before participating in the study >5% of the bone marrow area;
19. The patient has previously received other anti-PD-1 antibody therapy or other immunotherapy against PD-1/PD-L1, or has previously received apatinib therapy;
20. Live vaccine may be vaccinated less than 4 weeks before study medication or may be administered during the study period;
21. According to the judgment of the investigator, the patient has other factors that may affect the results of the study or cause the study to be terminated halfway, such as alcoholism, drug abuse, other serious diseases (including mental illness) that require combined treatment, and serious laboratory tests
22. Abnormalities, accompanied by family or social factors, will affect the safety of patients.