journal contribution
posted on 2025-07-09, 17:40 authored by Sung Won Chung, Jin Sun Kim, Won-Mook Choi, Jonggi Choi, Danbi Lee, Ju Hyun Shim, Young-Suk Lim, Han Chu Lee, Kang Mo Kim <p>Figure S1. Patient flow chart. A total of 250 patients with advanced HCC (BCLC C) treated with lenvatinib were initially identified. After excluding 51 patients, 199 patients were eligible for analysis. After 1:1 propensity score matching, 124 (62 in each group) patients remained. The following factors were taken into account in the propensity score matching: sex, age, Child-Pugh score, ALBI score, platelet count, presence of vessel invasion, extrahepatic metastasis, and serum levels of aspartate aminotransferase, alpha-fetoprotein in logarithmic value, and protein induced by vitamin K antagonist-II in logarithmic value. Abbreviations: ALBI, albumin-bilirubin score; BCLC, Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer; HCC, hepatocellular carcinoma.</p>
Funding
National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF)
Ministry of SMEs and Startups (MSS)
History
ARTICLE ABSTRACT
A recent trial has shown that adding transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) to lenvatinib therapy results in enhanced therapeutic efficacy in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We aimed to assess the effectiveness of the lenvatinib and TACE combination in a real-world clinical context for managing HCC and to elucidate the molecular pathways involved.
This retrospective analysis included 199 patients diagnosed with HCC and having intrahepatic lesions between 2018 and 2021. The cohort was divided into those who received lenvatinib plus TACE (n = 62, combination group) and those who received lenvatinib monotherapy (n = 137, monotherapy group). To further explore the underlying mechanisms, Huh-7 cells were exposed to lenvatinib or a vehicle for 48 hours under normoxic or hypoxic conditions.
Propensity score–matched analysis revealed a significant improvement in both overall survival (adjusted HR, 0.38; 95% confidence interval, 0.24–0.59; P < 0.001) and progression-free survival (adjusted HR, 0.41; 95% confidence interval, 0.26–0.64; P < 0.001) in the combination group compared with the monotherapy group. In laboratory experiments, under hypoxic conditions, lenvatinib notably attenuated hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) protein levels in Huh-7 cells without altering its mRNA levels. Intriguingly, lenvatinib facilitated the mouse double minute 2 homolog–mediated ubiquitination and subsequent degradation of HIF-1α. Additionally, cell viability assays confirmed a significant decrease in Huh-7 cell survival following lenvatinib treatment under hypoxic conditions.
The combination of lenvatinib and TACE significantly improved survival in patients with HCC. The mechanistic foundation seems to be the lenvatinib-triggered degradation of HIF-1α via the mouse double minute 2 homolog–dependent ubiquitination pathway, highlighting a potential therapeutic target in HCC treatment.
