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Rao, Rohit

0000-0003-0741-9106

Mayo Clinic

University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center

Citations 2

Comparative clinical outcomes with lenvatinib versus cabozantinib post-progression on first-line immunotherapy in patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma.
Ailawadi, Sarina , Murphy, Jennifer E, Storandt, Michael H., Mahipal, Amit, Storandt, Michael H. , Rao, Rohit , Mahipal, Amit

Journal of Clinical Oncology | May 28, 2026 | Volume: 44 | Issue: 16_suppl | Pages: No page available

10.1200/jco.2026.44.16_suppl.e16246 Get It

e16246 Background: First line systemic therapy for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) includes immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) combination therapy, with tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs), lenvatinib or cabozantinib, commonly used as second line therapy. However, there is limited data comparing efficacy of TKIs following first line ICI therapy. In the present study, we compared survival and risk of hospitalization in a propensity score matched analysis of patients who received lenvatinib or cabozantinib following progression on first line ICI therapy in patients with advanced HCC. Methods: We performed a retrospective cohort study using data from TriNetX, a healthcare database of over 150 million patients in the United States. We identified adult patients with a history of HCC who received atezolizumab plus bevacizumab (A+B) or durvalumab plus tremelimumab (D+T) as first line treatment. We then stratified patients by use of lenvatinib or cabozantinib in the subsequent line setting. Propensity score matching (PSM) was conducted between those who received lenvatinib and those who received cabozantinib, matching for demographic factors (age, sex, race), clinical characteristics (history of alcohol use, ascites, esophageal varices, or viral hepatitis), and laboratory parameters [platelets, albumin, bilirubin, INR and alpha-1-fetoprotein (AFP)]. Results: We identified 416 patients who were initially treated with either A+B or D+T, with 327 patients receiving A+B and 89 patients receiving D+T. Of these, 336 patients (80.8%) subsequently received lenvatinib and 80 patients (19.2%) received cabozantinib. Baseline characteristics of demographic factors, clinical characteristics, and laboratory parameters were comparable between patients in the lenvatinib arm and cabozantinib arm with all standardized mean differences (SMD) < 0.10. After PSM, 76 patients were included in the analyses, with all variables adequately balanced. There was no significant difference in the risk of hospitalization between those receiving lenvatinib or cabozantinib at 3 months [31.6% vs 34%, odds ratio (OR) 1.13, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.57-2.2]. There was also no significant difference in mOS between those receiving lenvatinib and cabozantinib [9.5 vs 9.0 months, hazard ratio (HR) 1.03, 95% CI 0.62-1.7]. Conclusions: In patients with HCC who received lenvatinib or cabozantinib as second-line therapy following first-line ICI combination therapy, we found no significant differences in rate of hospitalization or survival. These findings suggest that either option may be appropriate, and decisions may be based in side effect profile and patient preferences. Prospective studies will be important to further assess differences in patient outcomes.
Comparative outcomes of first-line atezolizumab plus bevacizumab (A+B) and durvalumab plus tremelimumab (D+T) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).
Ailawadi, Sarina , Murphy, Jennifer E, Storandt, Michael H., Mahipal, Amit, Storandt, Michael H. , Rao, Rohit , Mahipal, Amit

Journal of Clinical Oncology | May 27, 2026 | Volume: 44 | Issue: 16_suppl | Pages: 4163-4163

10.1200/jco.2026.44.16_suppl.4163 Get It

4163 Background: Standard first-line systemic therapy for hepatocellular carcinoma involves immune checkpoint inhibitors, including A+B and the STRIDE regimen consisting of D+T. However, there is limited data comparing outcomes of patients receiving these two regimens. We aimed to compare the survival and safety profiles of patients receiving A+B versus D+T as first-line systemic therapy for advanced HCC in a propensity score matched analysis. Methods: We performed a retrospective cohort study using data from TriNetX, a healthcare database of over 150 million patients in the United States. We identified adult patients with a history of HCC and included those who received A+B or D+T as first line treatment. Propensity score matching (PSM) was conducted, matching for patient demographics (age, sex, race), clinical history (alcohol use, ascites, esophageal varices, viral hepatitis), and laboratory parameters [platelets, albumin, bilirubin, INR, alpha-1-fetoprotein (AFP)]. Median overall survival (mOS) and relevant patient safety events were compared between those who received A+B or D+T. Results: We identified 2,762 patients who had HCC who were treated with A+B or D+T, of which 2,030 patients received A+B and 723 patients received D+T. Compared to patients in the A+B cohort, those who received D+T were more often older (68.5 vs 66.9 years, standardized mean difference (SMD) = 0.17), had lower platelet counts (186.4 vs 198.6, SMD = 0.11), had higher prevalence of ascites (33.1% vs 20.3%, SMD = 0.29), and alcohol use (23.8% vs 18.8%, SMD = 0.12). After PSM, 723 patients were included in survival analyses, with all variables adequately balanced except for albumin, which was higher in the A+B group (3.6 vs 3.5, SMD = 0.19). At 90 days after starting therapy, D+T was associated with higher incidence of immune-mediated colitis [5.3% vs 2.6%, odds ratio (OR) 2.1; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.2-3.7], and a higher risk of hospitalization [35.4% vs 27.9%, OR 1.4; 95% CI, 1.1-1.8]. At 6 months, the risk of hypertension and proteinuria was higher in the A+B cohort [21.9% vs 13.7%, OR 0.57; 95% CI, 0.34-0.95], which persisted at 1 year [28.1% vs 16.5%, OR 0.51; 95% CI, 0.32-0.81]. There was no significant difference in mOS between those receiving A+B or D+T [18.3 months vs 22.8 months, hazard ratio (HR) 0.94; 95% CI, 0.79-1.1]. Conclusions: In patients with advanced HCC who received A+B or D+T as first-line systemic therapy, we found that A+B was associated with higher risk of hypertension and proteinuria, while D+T was associated with a higher risk of immune-mediated colitis and hospitalization. No significant difference in mOS was observed between the cohorts. These findings suggest that safety profiles, rather than survival differences, may be used to guide optimal first-line treatment regimens. Prospective studies are warranted to further assess differences in patient outcomes.