Assessing the effectiveness of camrelizumab plus anti-angiogenesis drug for the treatment of advanced liver cancer: a single‑center retrospective study.

[BACKGROUND] Camrelizumab has shown encouraging efficacy in advanced liver cancer, either as monotherapy or in combination with chemotherapy; however, there is currently insufficient empirical support for the use of camrelizumab therapy in conjunction with anti-angiogenic drugs to treat intermediate and advanced hepatocellular carcinoma.

[METHODS] Clinical information was gathered retrospectively from patients with intermediate- to advanced-stage hepatocellular carcinoma who were treated with camrelizumab and certain anti-angiogenic drugs at Shanghai Hospital between July 2019 and May 2023.

[RESULTS] This trial comprised 60 patients with intermediate and advanced hepatocellular carcinoma. Patients receiving first-line therapy had an objective remission rate of 25% (9/36) and a disease control rate of 58.3% (21/36), while those administered second-line therapy and beyond had rates of 12.5% (3/24) and 33.3% (8/24), respectively. Moreover, the median overall survival was 15.17 months (95% CI 12.067, 18.267) and 13 months (95% CI 11.644, 14.356), whereas the median progression-free survival was 7.1 months (95% CI 3.846, 10.354) and 4.67 months (95% CI 2.492, 6.842), respectively. The predominant treatment-emergent adverse events observed during therapy included: elevated total bilirubin in 28 cases (46.7%), proteinuria in 19 cases (31.7%), gastrointestinal reactions in 19 cases (31.7%), and thrombocytopenia in 16 cases (26.7%).

[CONCLUSION] Based on real-world data, individuals with intermediate and advanced primary liver cancer undergoing systemic therapy may benefit from camrelizumab combined with anti-angiogenic drugs.