Adding Lenvatinib plus Pembrolizumab to Transarterial Chemoembolization for Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Immunotherapy combinations, including tremelimumab plus durvalumab, ipilimumab plus nivolumab, and atezolizumab plus bevacizumab, have demonstrated superiority over tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) in the treatment of advanced hepatocellular cancer (HCC) and are considered first-line therapy in that setting. In liver-confined HCC, the addition of single-agent TKIs to regional therapy has led to mixed and largely negative results compared with regional therapy alone.

Investigators now report results from the LEAP-012 trial, an industry-sponsored, global, phase 3 study in which patients with unresectable nonmetastatic HCC were randomized to receive transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) in combination with either lenvatinib plus pembrolizumab…