Prevalence of medical conditions or comorbidities influencing first-line therapy in unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma in the United States

Given treatment landscape changes, understanding the prevalence of medical conditions/comorbidities influencing real-world unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (uHCC) treatment decisions is key for improving outcomes. In a retrospective chart review, physicians abstracted data from uHCC patients initiating first-line treatment (1L) between June 2020 and April 2022. Frequencies of medical conditions/comorbidities at 1L initiation were reported. Among 433 patients, 77% had Barcelona Cancer Liver Clinic (BCLC)-C and 37% had Child-Pugh B status. Overall, 51% had ≥ 1 condition/comorbidity making them potentially less suitable for a 1L immunotherapy combination regimen (e.g. atezolizumab plus bevacizumab), including upper/lower gastrointestinal bleeding risk (38%), chronic kidney disease (15%), history of thromboembolic events (12%), and autoimmune disorders (5%). More than half of the patients had ≥ 1 medical condition/comorbidity making them potentially less suitable for a 1L immunotherapy combination. This study provides timely insight into how immunotherapy combinations are being used in the real-world setting among a large number of patients. It is important to know how common certain health problems are in patients with a type of advanced liver cancer that can’t be treated using surgery. Physicians, mainly from community-based cancer centers, reviewed past medical records of 433 patients who had started certain treatments for advanced liver cancer between June 2020 and April 2022. The physicians reported how many patients had other health problems when they started these treatments. More than half (51%) of the 433 patients had other health problems that might make them less suitable for certain treatments. These problems included risks of bleeding in the stomach or intestines (38%), kidney disease (15%), past blood clots (12%), and autoimmune diseases (5%). Overall, many patients had health problems that could affect their treatment options. This study helps us understand how these treatments are used in real life.