Carry-over effect of immunotherapy in patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma
Abstract Background Combination immunotherapy is the current standard for treating advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The response elicited by upfront immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) might influence the efficacy of salvage therapy, a phenomenon known as the carry-over effect. This effect i...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Springer
2025-05-01
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| Series: | Cancer Immunology, Immunotherapy |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1007/s00262-025-04052-w |
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| author | Chien-Huai Chuang Ching-Tso Chen Chih-Hung Hsu Yu-Yun Shao |
| author_facet | Chien-Huai Chuang Ching-Tso Chen Chih-Hung Hsu Yu-Yun Shao |
| author_sort | Chien-Huai Chuang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background Combination immunotherapy is the current standard for treating advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The response elicited by upfront immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) might influence the efficacy of salvage therapy, a phenomenon known as the carry-over effect. This effect is thought to stem from immune memory and sustained immune activation, providing extended protection against tumor progression and resulting in a durable response even after discontinuation of ICI. This study aimed to investigate the carry-over effect of first-line ICI therapy in patients with advanced HCC. Methods Patients who received first-line ICI therapy for advanced HCC from December 2017 to December 2021 were included if they exhibited disease progression and received second-line systemic therapy. We analyzed the associations between clinical benefit (classified as complete, partial response and stable disease) of first-line ICI therapy, post-progression survival (PPS) and second-line progression-free survival (PFS). We used a historical cohort of patients receiving first-line multikinase inhibitor (MKI) for comparison. Results A total of 137 patients were analyzed. We included 60 patients who received first-line ICI therapy, of which clinical benefit was detected in 46 (76.7%). Compared with patients without clinical benefit of first-line ICI therapy, patients with clinical benefit exhibited significantly longer PPS (median: 14.6 vs. 4.9 months, P = 0.024) and second-line PFS (median: 3.6 vs. 1.6 months, P = 0.027). In multivariate analysis, clinical benefit of first-line ICI therapy remained an independent predictor of PPS [hazard ratio (HR): 0.295, P = 0.005] and second-line PFS (HR: 0.484, P = 0.047). Conversely, clinical benefit was not associated with PPS among patients receiving first-line MKI therapy in both univariate and multivariate analysis in historical MKI cohort. Conclusions Clinical benefit of first-line ICI therapy was associated with PPS and second-line PFS in patients with advanced HCC, suggestive of the carry-over effect of ICI. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-3db39ae9c1774585a8de99a321dac0a4 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 1432-0851 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-05-01 |
| publisher | Springer |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Cancer Immunology, Immunotherapy |
| spelling | doaj-art-3db39ae9c1774585a8de99a321dac0a42025-08-20T02:39:44ZengSpringerCancer Immunology, Immunotherapy1432-08512025-05-017471710.1007/s00262-025-04052-wCarry-over effect of immunotherapy in patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinomaChien-Huai Chuang0Ching-Tso Chen1Chih-Hung Hsu2Yu-Yun Shao3Department of Medical Oncology, National Taiwan University Cancer CenterDepartment of Oncology, National Taiwan University HospitalDepartment of Medical Oncology, National Taiwan University Cancer CenterDepartment of Medical Oncology, National Taiwan University Cancer CenterAbstract Background Combination immunotherapy is the current standard for treating advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The response elicited by upfront immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) might influence the efficacy of salvage therapy, a phenomenon known as the carry-over effect. This effect is thought to stem from immune memory and sustained immune activation, providing extended protection against tumor progression and resulting in a durable response even after discontinuation of ICI. This study aimed to investigate the carry-over effect of first-line ICI therapy in patients with advanced HCC. Methods Patients who received first-line ICI therapy for advanced HCC from December 2017 to December 2021 were included if they exhibited disease progression and received second-line systemic therapy. We analyzed the associations between clinical benefit (classified as complete, partial response and stable disease) of first-line ICI therapy, post-progression survival (PPS) and second-line progression-free survival (PFS). We used a historical cohort of patients receiving first-line multikinase inhibitor (MKI) for comparison. Results A total of 137 patients were analyzed. We included 60 patients who received first-line ICI therapy, of which clinical benefit was detected in 46 (76.7%). Compared with patients without clinical benefit of first-line ICI therapy, patients with clinical benefit exhibited significantly longer PPS (median: 14.6 vs. 4.9 months, P = 0.024) and second-line PFS (median: 3.6 vs. 1.6 months, P = 0.027). In multivariate analysis, clinical benefit of first-line ICI therapy remained an independent predictor of PPS [hazard ratio (HR): 0.295, P = 0.005] and second-line PFS (HR: 0.484, P = 0.047). Conversely, clinical benefit was not associated with PPS among patients receiving first-line MKI therapy in both univariate and multivariate analysis in historical MKI cohort. Conclusions Clinical benefit of first-line ICI therapy was associated with PPS and second-line PFS in patients with advanced HCC, suggestive of the carry-over effect of ICI.https://doi.org/10.1007/s00262-025-04052-wCarry-over effectClinical benefitHepatocellular carcinomaImmunotherapyPrognosisSurvival |
| spellingShingle | Chien-Huai Chuang Ching-Tso Chen Chih-Hung Hsu Yu-Yun Shao Carry-over effect of immunotherapy in patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma Cancer Immunology, Immunotherapy Carry-over effect Clinical benefit Hepatocellular carcinoma Immunotherapy Prognosis Survival |
| title | Carry-over effect of immunotherapy in patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma |
| title_full | Carry-over effect of immunotherapy in patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma |
| title_fullStr | Carry-over effect of immunotherapy in patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma |
| title_full_unstemmed | Carry-over effect of immunotherapy in patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma |
| title_short | Carry-over effect of immunotherapy in patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma |
| title_sort | carry over effect of immunotherapy in patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma |
| topic | Carry-over effect Clinical benefit Hepatocellular carcinoma Immunotherapy Prognosis Survival |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1007/s00262-025-04052-w |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT chienhuaichuang carryovereffectofimmunotherapyinpatientswithadvancedhepatocellularcarcinoma AT chingtsochen carryovereffectofimmunotherapyinpatientswithadvancedhepatocellularcarcinoma AT chihhunghsu carryovereffectofimmunotherapyinpatientswithadvancedhepatocellularcarcinoma AT yuyunshao carryovereffectofimmunotherapyinpatientswithadvancedhepatocellularcarcinoma |