Efficacy of Transarterial Chemoembolization Combined With Camrelizumab in the Treatment of Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Abstract

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common primary cancer of liver tissue and is often caused by chronic liver diseases. The Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) staging system is commonly used to determine the stage and prognosis of HCC. Transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) is the recommended first-line therapy for intermediate-stage HCC (patients who have asymptomatic, multi-nodular hepatocellular carcinoma). Over the past 10 years, the combination of TACE with immune checkpoint inhibitors, such as Camrelizumab, has shown promising results in treating HCC.We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis following PRISMA guidelines. A comprehensive search of PubMed, MEDLINE, Elsevier, Scopus, ATC abstracts, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) databases was performed to identify relevant studies on the effectiveness of TACE combined with Camrelizumab in the treatment of HCC. Study selection, data extraction, and quality assurance were conducted by independent investigators. From 1023 identified citations, six studies were included in the final analysis.The combined results of these studies showed a complete response rate of 7.35%, a partial response rate of 37.10%, stable disease in 28.76% of patients, an objective response rate of 46.13%, a disease control rate of 77.19%, and progression-free survival of 6.2 months.The combination of TACE and Camrelizumab appears to be a safe and effective treatment option for patients with advanced, recurrent, and unresectable HCC. However, the included studies had limitations such as retrospective design and small sample sizes. Further research is needed to validate and expand on these findings.

Efficacy and safety of TACE combined with tyrosine kinase inhibitors and camrelizumab for unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma: A systematic review and meta‑analysis

“…A meta-analysis comparing TACE combined with camrelizumab and TACE alone in the treatment of advanced HCC showed an ORR and DCR of 46.13 and 77.19%, respectively. However, the ORR and DCR in the present study were 84 and 96%, respectively, indicating that triple therapy with TKIs could improve the ORR and DCR of patients (49). The results of a retrospective study comparing TACE + sorafenib with or without ICIs suggested that the PFS and OS times were both prolonged in the TACE + sorafenib + ICI group compared with the TACE + sorafenib group (median PFS time: 16.26 vs. 7.30 months, P<0.001; median OS time: 23.3 vs. 13.8 months, P=0.012) (50), which was similar to the results of the present study.…”