Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients have about 70% of 5-year recurrence rate after curative treatment. Only 30% of recurrent HCC (RHCC) patients are resectable when diagnosed. Neoadjuvant treatment may reduce tumor burden and recurrence rate after surgery for RHCC patients. Immune checkpoint inhibitors combined with or without antiangiogenic agents have already been reported effective in advanced HCC patients as first-line therapy, and in several early-stage solid tumors as neoadjuvant therapy. According to several preclinical results, immune infiltration and the expression of PD-1 were higher in RHCC tumors than in paired primary tumors. So, immune checkpoint inhibitors combined with or without antiangiogenic agents might have a better response in RHCC patients than primary HCC patients. Herein, we designed this phase II clinical trial to explore the efficacy and safety of Tislelizumab (PD-1 inhibitor) or Tislelizumab combined with Lenvatinib as neoadjuvant treatment for resectable RHCC patients. Enrolled resectable RHCC patients will be divided into two non-randomized seperate arms, sequentially (arm 1: neoadjuvant tislelizumab; arm 2: neoadjuvant tislelizumab and lenvatinib). Each arm was estimated to enroll 40 patients. We have already enrolled 11 patients in arm 1, and determined to terminate the enrollment of arm 1 due to modest treatment responses. The enrollment of arm 2 is ongoing.
This non-randomized phase II clinical trial aimed to explore the efficacy and safety of Tislelizumab or Tislelizumab combined with Lenvatinib as neoadjuvant treatment for resectable RHCC patients