Efficacy and safety of regorafenib plus ICIs as second-line treatment in advanced HCC post-frontline treatment failure: A real-world study from a single center.

e16141 Background: Tyrosine kinase inhibitor or bevacizumab (TKI/Bev) combined with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) currently represent the preferred frontline therapy for patients with Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC). Despite this, clinical evidence guiding therapeutic choice for patients unresponsive to this initial immunotherapy regimen remains scarce. This real-world study aimed to assess the efficacy and safety of regorafenib combined with ICIs in patients with HCC who have exhibited disease progress during treatment with TKI/Bev plus ICIs. Methods: This retrospective analysis encompassed a cohort of patients who transitioned to a combined regimen of regorafenib and immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) after the progression of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) following treatment with tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) or a combination of bevacizumab and ICIs, from January 2019 to November 2023. Key efficacy metrics included overall response rate (ORR), disease control rate (DCR), progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS). The adverse events (AEs) were systematically classified in accordance with the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events, version 5.0 (CTCAE v5.0). Results: A total of 37 patients were included; 56.8% were Child-Pugh A and 43.2% were Child-Pugh B. Treatment regimens prior to regorafenib and ICIs were lenvatinib plus ICIs in 83.8% of patients, sorafenib plus ICIs in three patients, apatinib plus ICIs, donafenib plus ICIs, and bevacizumab plus ICIs each in one patient. The ORR was 27.0% (10/37), and the DCR was 92.0% (28/37) according to mRECIST criteria. The median PFS was 7.8 months (95% CI, 6.0-9.6). The 6-month and 12-month PFS rates was 60.6% (95% CI, 46.4-79.2) and 40.0% (95% CI, 26.0%-61.6%). The median OS post-regorafenib and ICIs was 16.3 months, with 12-month and 24-month OS rates of 67.0% and 49.7%, respectively. The median OS since first-line treatment initiation was 35.8 months, with OS rates of 94.4% and 72.3% at 12-month and 24-month since first-line treatment initiation, respectively. Subgroup analysis indicated no statistical significance in median PFS between patients with lung metastasis and those without lung metastasis 3.9 months (95% CI, 3.0-4.8) vs 7.80 months (95% CI, 6.1-9.5); P=0.178, but there was a trend toward survival benefit in patients without lung metastasis. Grade 3-4 adverse events were reported in 16.22% of the patients, with no treatment-related fatalities. Conclusions: Regorafenib with ICIs is a promising and tolerable second-line treatment for advanced HCC after initial therapy failure.