Effect of cytokines on advanced hepatocellular carcinoma prognosis receiving radiotherapy and tislelizumab plus anlotinib: a single-center phase II clinical trial

• Published in: Scientific reports Vol. 14; no. 1; p. 11486
• Main Authors: Lin, Yi Dong, Wu, Gui Shu, Rao, Ming Yue, Liu, Yu Hong, Han, Yun Wei, Zhang, Jing, Zhang, Jian Wen
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 20-05-2024; Nature Publishing Group; Nature Portfolio
• Subjects: 631/67/1059/2325; 631/67/1059/485; 631/67/1059/602; 631/67/1857; 631/67/2327; 631/67/327; 692/308/2779; 692/308/53/2422; 692/4028/67; 692/499; Adult; Aged; Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized - administration & dosage; Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized - therapeutic use; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols - adverse effects; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols - therapeutic use; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular - drug therapy; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular - mortality; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular - pathology; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular - radiotherapy; Cytokines; Cytokines - blood; Disease control; Female; Flow cytometry; Hepatocellular carcinoma; Humanities and Social Sciences; Humans; Immunotherapy; Indoles - administration & dosage; Indoles - therapeutic use; Interleukin 6; Interleukin-6 - blood; Liver; Liver cancer; Liver function; Liver Neoplasms - drug therapy; Liver Neoplasms - mortality; Liver Neoplasms - radiotherapy; Male; Medical prognosis; Metastases; Middle Aged; multidisciplinary; Patients; Prognosis; Quinolines - administration & dosage; Quinolines - therapeutic use; Radiation therapy; Radiotherapy; Science; Science (multidisciplinary); Survival; Liver function; Hepatocellular carcinoma; Cytokines; Radiotherapy; Immunotherapy
• ISSN: 2045-2322; 2045-2322
• DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-62523-z

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between circulating cytokines and liver function and prognosis of patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) treated with radiotherapy combined with tislelizumab and anlotinib. The liver function indexes and pre-treatment levels of cytokines in 47 patients were measured by chemical method and flow cytometry. The median follow-up was 23.1 months. The objective response and the disease control rates were 46.8% and 68.1%, while overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) were 12.6 and 11.4 months, respectively. Adverse events (2.1%) were grade 3–4. In addition to stage, intrahepatic metastasis and Child–Pugh score, pre-treatment interleukin-6 (IL-6) was the main cytokine affecting OS and PFS (p < 0.05). The OS (14.63 pg/mL as cutoff value) and PFS (9.85 pg/mL as cutoff value) of patients with low IL-6 levels exceeded those with high levels (21.0 and 6.9, 15.8 and 10.0 months, respectively). The risks of death and disease progression were reduced by 63.0% (HR = 0.37, 95% CI: 0.19–0.72) and 43.0% (HR = 0.57, 95% CI: 0.22–1.47), respectively. Pre-treatment IL-6 levels may be a simple and effective prognostic indicator for patients with advanced HCC treated with radiotherapy combined with immunotargeted therapy.