The SAGES scoring model leads to personalized treatment via the combination of TACE, TKIs and ICIs for unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma

Background and aimsTranscatheter chemoembolization (TACE) combined with tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) and immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) shows promising efficacy in treating unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (uHCC), but the specific patient population that would benefit most from this regimen remains unclear. This study aims to evaluate the prognoses of uHCC patients receiving triple therapy and develop a practical prognostic scoring model to identify those with the best beneficial.MethodsThis multicenter retrospective study enrolled 270 uHCC patients who received first-line triple therapy across 20 centers.

These participants were divided into the training (n=190) and external validation (n=80) cohorts. Treatment response was assessed by the modified Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (mRECIST), and safety was evaluated via treatment-related adverse events (TRAEs) using National Cancer Institute Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events version 5.0 (NCI-CTCAE v5.0).