Table 1.
Baseline characteristics of the 71 HCC patients
| Parameter | Entire cohort | First-line setting | Systemic therapy-experienced | p value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (n = 71) | (n = 44) | (n = 27) | ||
| Median age, years (range) | 63 (28–89) | 62 (38–85) | 69 (28–89) | 0.305 |
| Male, n (%) | 62 (87.3) | 36 (81.8) | 26 (96.3) | 0.139 |
| ECOG (0/ 1/ 2), n (%) | 43 (60.6)/ 19(26.8)/ 9(12.7) | 30 (68.2)/10(22.7)/4(9.1) | 13 (48.1)/9(33.3)/5(18.5) | 0.225 |
| BMI(kg/m2), median ± SD | 23.23 ± 4.23 | 23.68 ± 4.90 | 23.05 ± 2.81 | 0.33 |
| Child–Pugh class (A/B), n (%) | 51 (71.8)/ 20(28.2) | 33 (75)/11(25) | 18 (66.7)/9(33.3) | 0.588 |
| ALBI grade (1/ m2a/ m2b/ 3), n (%) | 28 (39.4)/15(21.1)/25(35.2)/3(4.2) | 22 (50)/9(20.5)/13(29.5)/0(0) | 6 (22.2)/6(22.2)/12(44.4)/3(11.1) | 0.026 |
| FIB-4 score, median (range) | 4.33 (0.77–31.68) | 3.56(0.77–11.94) | 4.62(1.61–31.68) | 0.181 |
| BCLC stage (B/C), n (%) | 13 (18.3)/58(81.7) | 8 (18.2)/36(81.8) | 5 (18.5)/22(81.5) | 1 |
| Etiology (HBV/ HCVa/ Other), n (%) | 45 (63.4)/11(15.5)/18(25.4) | 28 (63.6)/5(11.4)/12(27.3) | 17(63)/6(22.2)/6(22.2) | 0.635d |
| Portal vein invasion, n (%) | 41 (57.7) | 27 (61.4) | 14 (51.9) | 0.431 |
| Main portal vein invasion (Vp4), n (%) | 15 (21.1) | 11 (25) | 4 (14.8) | 0.307 |
| Biliary tract invasion, n (%) | 2 (2.8) | 1 (2.3) | 1 (3.7) | 1 |
| Extrahepatic metastasis, n (%) | 32 (45.1) | 17 (38.6) | 15 (55.6) | 0.164 |
| Multiple tumors, n (%) | 50 (70.4) | 29(65.9) | 21(77.8) | 0.287 |
| Tumor volume, ≥ 50% liver volume, n (%) | 17 (23.9) | 12 (27.3) | 5 (18.5) | 0.401 |
| Serum AFP level, > 400 ng/ml, n (%) | 32 (45.1) | 21 (47.7) | 11 (40.7) | 0.566 |
| Prior systemic treatment, n (%) | ||||
| Nil | 44 (62) | 44 (100) | 0 (0) | – |
| Sorafenib | 15 (21.1) | 0 (0) | 15 (55.6) | |
| Sorafenib followed by regorafenib | 8 (11.3) | 0 (0) | 8 (29.6) | |
| Lenvatinib | 2 (2.8) | 0 (0) | 2 (7.4) | |
| Nivolumab ± MKIb | 9 (12.7) | 0 (0) | 9 (33.3) | |
| N/L ratio, median ± SD | 3.52 ± 4.79 | 4.81 ± 6.65 | 2.96 ± 4.50 | 0.018 |
| AST (U/L), median ± SD | 56 ± 68 | 56 ± 72 | 56 ± 63 | 0.914 |
| ALT (U/L), median ± SD | 39 ± 63 | 38 ± 44 | 42 ± 85 | 0.322 |
| PT (INR), median ± SD | 1.18 ± 0.14 | 1.18 ± 0.12 | 1.18 ± 0.17 | 0.324 |
| Platelet count (109 /L), median (range) | 139 (27–610) | 151 (44–610) | 119 (27–451) | 0.324 |
| Creatinine (mg/dl), median ± SD | 0.88 ± 0.76 | 0.82 ± 0.83 | 0.91 ± 0.65 | 0.799 |
| PD-L1 expression, CPS ≥ 1%, n (%)c | 18 (37.5) | 13 (41.9) | 5 (29.4) | 0.391 |
AFP alpha-fetoprotein, BCLC barcelona clinic liver cancer, CPS combined positive score, ECOG eastern cooperative oncology group, HBV hepatitis B virus, HCV hepatitis C virus, N/L ratio neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, PD-L1 programmed death ligand 1. SD, standard deviation
a3 patients with HBV-HCV co-infection
b7 patients received both nivolumab and MKIs before and 2 patients received nivolumab only
cPD-L1 data were available in 48 patients
dCompare viral hepatitis and non-viral hepatitis