Combination of SBRT, PD-L1 Inhibitor, and Lenvatinib in Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HSBRT2401)

A total of 60 HCC patients (2 cohorts) with abdominal LNM will be enrolled to receive SBRT followed by adebrelimab (an anti-PD-L1 antibody) and lenvatinib. Arm A included the patients who previously had not received PD-1/PD-L1 antibody, and Arm B included the patients who had progressed after receiving PD-1/PD-L1 antibody.

Patients in both cohorts will receive stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) using volumetric arc therapy. The prescribed dose is 33-48 Gy in 6 fractions over 2 weeks. Then all patients will receive lenvatinib (12 mg/day for bodyweight ≥60 kg or 8 mg/day for bodyweight <60 kg) orally once daily in combination with adebrelimab 1200 mg every 3 weeks for up to 35 cycles. The first course of adebrelimab will be given within 1 week after completion of SBRT.

Inclusion criteria

• Histologically confirmed hepatocellular carcinoma or diagnosed by American Association for the Study of Liver Disease criteria;
• Presence of abdominal metastatic lymph nodes confirmed by CT or MRI, the sum of the maximum diameter of lymph nodes ≤10 cm, and at least one of which is measurable according to the RECIST 1.1 Criteria;
• Previous local treatment for intrahepatic lesion and systemic anti-tumor therapy are allowed; no matter whether the disease progressed or not;
• Less than 3 active intrahepatic lesions with a total diameter of less than 10 cm; Portal vein invasion is allowed; absence of other extrahepatic metastasis disease except abdominal LNM;
• Cohort 1: Patients who never received PD-1/PD-L1 antibody therapy; Cohort 2: patients who had tumor progression after previous PD-1/PD-L1 antibody therapy.
• Age at diagnosis 18 to 75 years;
• Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status ≤ 2
• Child-Pugh class A liver function;
• Normal liver volume greater than 700 ml;
• Estimated life expectancy ≥12 weeks;
• The function of important organs meets the following requirements: a. white blood cell count (WBC) ≥ 3.0×109/L, absolute neutrophil count (ANC) ≥ 1.5×109/L; b. platelets ≥ 50×109/L; c. hemoglobin ≥ 9g/dL; d. serum albumin ≥ 2.8g/dL; e. total bilirubin ≤ 1.5×ULN, ALT, AST and/or AKP ≤ 2.5×ULN; f. serum creatinine ≤ 1.5×ULN or creatinine clearance rate >60 mL/min;
• Ability to understand the study and sign informed consent.

Exclusion criteria

• Diffuse hepatocellular carcinoma;
• Patients who have previously been treated with lenvatinib or PD-1/PD-L1 antibody but could not be tolerated;
• Patients with other extrahepatic metastasis disease except abdominal LNM;
• A history of abdominal radiotherapy;
• Known or suspected allergy or hypersensitivity to monoclonal antibodies;
• Patients who have a preexisting or coexisting bleeding disorder;
• Female patients who are pregnant or lactating;
• Inability to provide informed consent due to psychological, familial, social and other factors;
• A history of malignancies other than hepatocellular carcinoma before enrollment, excluding non-melanoma skin cancer, in situ cervical cancer, or cured early prostate cancer;
• A history of diabetes for more than 10 years and poorly controlled blood glucose levels;
• Patients who cannot tolerate radiotherapy due to severe cardiac, lung, liver or kidney dysfunction, or hematopoietic disease or cachexia;
• Active autoimmune diseases, a history of autoimmune diseases (including but not limited to these diseases or syndromes, such as colitis, hepatitis, hyperthyroidism), a history of immunodeficiency (including a positive HIV test result), or other acquired or congenital immunodeficiency diseases, a history of organ transplantation or allogeneic bone marrow transplantation;
• A history of interstitial lung disease or non-infectious pneumonia;
• A history of active pulmonary tuberculosis infection within 1 year or a history of active pulmonary tuberculosis infection more than 1 year ago but without formal anti-tuberculosis treatment;
• Presence of active hepatitis B (HBV DNA ≥ 2000 IU/mL or 104 copies/mL), hepatitis C (positive for hepatitis C antibody, and HCV-RNA levels higher than the lower limit of the assay);
• Any unstable situation that may endanger the safety and compliance of patients.