BackgroundUnresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (uHCC) patients with portal vein tumor thrombus (PVTT) have a substandard prognosis. This study elucidated whether conversion therapy can alleviate unresectable tumors and increase the rate of salvage hepatectomy, as well as identify predictors of better prognosis.MethodsThis retrospective study analyzed 159 patients with uHCC and PVTT who underwent conversion therapy, predominantly combining systemic treatments with transarterial chemoembolization (TACE).
Primary endpoints were progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). Secondary endpoints included tumor response, surgical conversion rate, and outcomes in the surgical cohort.ResultsThe data showed that the objective response rates (ORR) for the entire cohort (n = 159) were 42.1%, while the disease control rate was 62.3%.
The median PFS and OS were respectively determined to be 9.6 and 17.7 months. Moreover, 40 patients (25.2%) were successfully converted and underwent salvage hepatectomy.
In addition, the surgical subgroup indicated a markedly improved median recurrence-free survival (RFS; 10.1 months) and OS (30 months).
Frontiers in Immunology published a clinical update in Infectious Disease on 18 Jun 2026.
The item focuses on Efficacy of combined modality conversion therapy for HCC with portal vein tumor thrombus: a retrospective cohort study.
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