China is a country with a high incidence of liver cancer. The latest forecast data of the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) shows that the number of newly diagnosed liver cancer in China in 2020 is close to half of the total in the world. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the main type of liver cancer, accounting for more than 85%-90%. About 60% of HCC patients are of advanced stage when first visit, and lose the opportunity to receive radical treatment. Currently, targeted drugs are recommended by the guidelines for first-line treatment of advanced HCC. Several studies have shown that the use of immune checkpoint inhibitors (mainly PD-(L)1 inhibitors) combined with targeted drugs can increase the survival benefits of patients with advanced HCC. However, the overall ORR of first-line treatment is less than 50%, and some patients have experienced high-grade adverse events.~Huaier granules is an extract from a medicinal fungus. Previous studies have shown that Huaier granules can inhibit the proliferation, angiogenesis, metastasis and invasion of cancer cells, and can reverse the resistance of targeted drugs. Huaier granules is one of the most commonly used Chinese patent medicines in the treatment of HCC, and is recommended by CSCO guidelines（liver cancer）. Several previous studies have shown that Huaier granules can improve the efficacy and reduce the incidence of adverse events in all stages of HCC treatment.~In this study, about 7 research centers will participate. The study will be conducted with 2 parts: In Part I, we planned to enroll 60 participants. All the participants will be treated with Huaier granules combined with targeted drug and anti- PD-(L)1 antibody, the three specific treatment regimens were Huaier granules combined with Atezolizumab and Bevacizumab, Huaier granules combined with Camrelizumab and Apatinib, Huaier granules combined with Sintilimab and Bevacizumab, each group will enroll 20 participants. Part II may commerce according to the results of Part I, the treatment regimen with the best effectiveness will be selected into the large-sample confirmatory study. In this study, participants will be followed up for 12 months.
This is a prospective, multi-center, exploratory study. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the efficacy, safety and the impact on the quality of life of Huaier Granules combined with targeted drugs and anti- PD-(L)1 antibody on the first-line treatment of unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma.