This study is a prospective phase II, single arm mono-institutional study conducted in Queen Mary Hospital (Hong Kong) assessing the efficacy and safety of the sequential administration of trans-arterial chemo-embolization (TACE) and stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) with immune checkpoint inhibitors in unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients.
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a serious global health problem. It ranks the fifth in incidence and third in cancer-related mortality at Hong Kong in 2015. The disease has high mortality rate, and surgery is the only curative therapy although only 30% of patients are diagnosed early enough to undergo liver resection or transplantation or radiofrequency ablation (RFA). For inoperable patients with disease limited to liver, trans-arterial chemo-embolization (TACE) is the most commonly used therapy. Previous randomized studies have demonstrated its survival benefit, however it rarely cures the disease; also its efficacy is very limited in patients with sizable tumor or multi-focal diseases. Efforts have been made to improve the response of treatment, but none has consistently demonstrated the benefit. As a result, over the past decade, there is no major advancement in the treatment strategy for intermediate stage HCC patients. Recently, stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) has emerged as one of the promising local therapy of HCC. This advanced radiotherapy technique allows killing of cancer cells by delivering a potent dose of radiation with excellent geometric precision. Data have demonstrated its favorable local control rate and toxicity profile in locally advanced HCC. Further, recent studies, including our series, indicated that combining SBRT and TACE is therapeutically superior. As such, it is postulated that combined TACE+SBRT is a more potent local therapy than TACE in preventing tumor progression, and it may potentially translate into survival benefit. The recent discovery in immune-oncology represents another breakthrough in management of HCC. Pre-clinical data showed that there is high expression of immunosuppressive cells and up-regulation of programmed death receptor 1 (PD-1) and cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated protein 4 (CTLA-4) immune checkpoints in the HCC microenvironment; it provides the rationale for immunotherapy to be used in this setting. This premise was supported by several early phase clinical studies, in which anti-PD-1/programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) therapy resulted in a durable response and favorable survival. More intriguingly, there are scientific and clinical data in supporting the synergy between immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) and SBRT for both local tumor regression and distant control (out-of-the-field abscopal) effect. For high risk HCC, such approach may warrant further exploration. Based on all these, a hypothesis is made that combined TACE+SBRT followed by immunotherapy is a promising strategy in treating unresectable HCC. In this single-arm prospective phase II study, it is aimed at evaluating the efficacy and safety of this treatment regime.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
NA
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
33
Procedure of TACE will be standardized.
SBRT screening and planning will be performed by radiation therapists, medical physicists, and oncologists.
1500mg Durvalumab administered IV over 60 minutes on Day 1 of each immunotherapy treatment every 4 weeks until disease progression (PD)
Department of Surgery, The University of Hong Kong
Hong Kong, Hong Kong
RECRUITINGThe University of Hong Kong
Hong Kong, Hong Kong
RECRUITINGDownstaging for hepatectomy
To assess the number of patients amendable to curative surgical interventions (resection or radiofrequency ablation) after successful down-sizing of tumor(s) by intervention in HCC patients treated with combined TACE and SBRT followed by Durvalumab plus Tremelimumab
Time frame: From the date of first study treatment to the date of last study treatment, an average of 3 years
Response rate measured by mRECIST criteria
Complete response (CR): Disappearance of any intra-tumoral arterial enhancement in all target lesions Partial response (PR): At least a 30% decrease in the sum of diameters of viable (enhancement in the arterial phase) target lesions, taking as reference the baseline sum of the diameters of target lesions Stable disease (SD): Any cases that do not qualify for either partial response or progressive disease Progressive disease (PD): An increase of at least 20% in the sum of the diameters of viable (enhancing) target lesions, taking as reference the smallest sum of the diameters of viable (enhancing) target lesions recorded since treatment started
Time frame: From the date of screening to radiographically documented progression according to mRECIST 1.1, assessed up to 3 years
Time to progression (TTP)
measured from the date of first study treatment to radiographically documented progression according to mRECIST 1.1. This does not include death from any cause.
Time frame: From the date of first study treatment to radiographically documented progression according to mRECIST 1.1, assessed up to 3 years
Progression-free survival (PFS)
measured from the date of first study treatment to radiographically documented progression according to mRECIST 1.1 or death from any cause (whichever occurs first). Participants alive and without disease progression or lost to follow-up will be censored at the date of their last radiographic assessment.
Time frame: From the date of first study treatment to radiographically documented progression according to mRECIST 1.1 or death from any cause, whichever occurs first, assessed up to 3 years
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300mg Tremelimumab administered over 60 minutes on Day 1 of cycle 1.
Overall survival (OS)
measured from date of first study treatment to the date of death from any cause
Time frame: From the date of first study treatment to the date of death from any cause, assessed up to 5 years
Toxicity tolerability measurement in treatment related procedure
To measure the toxicities in HCC patients treated with combined TACE and SBRT followed by Durvalumab plus Tremelimumab. Dosage used will be recorded each time together with the response of patients. If any adverse event happens, the highest dosage will be noted down.
Time frame: From the date of screening to 90 days after last treatment, around 3 years and 90 days
Questionnaire based Quality of Life (QoL) assessment
To evaluate the patient-reported quality of life (QoL) treated with combined TACE and SBRT followed by Durvalumab plus Tremelimumab. Questionnaires EORTC-QLQ-C30 and FACT Hep will be used
Time frame: From the date of screening to radiographically documented progression according to mRECIST 1.1, an average of 3 years
Pathological response
Defined as the percentage of surface with non-viable cancer cells (represented by necrosis or fibrosis, the ultimate stage of necrosis) in relation to the total tumor area and will be equal to: 100% - viable cancer cells (%). If there are multiple tumors, the mean percentage will be used. Pathological complete response (pCR) is defined by the absence of viable tumor cells in any nodule.
Time frame: From the date of first study treatment to amendable to surgery after receiving combined TACE and SBRT followed by Durvalumab plus Tremelimumab, whichever occurs first, assessed up to 5 years