Abstract
BACKGROUND: The most common loadable chemotherapeutic drugs in drug-eluting bead transarterial chemoembolization (DEB-TACE) include doxorubicin, epirubicin, etc. CalliSpheres(®) beads have exhibited efficient loadability and eluting characteristics for raltitrexed as well as in vitro and animal experiments. However, the efficacy and safety of raltitrexed-loaded DEB-TACE in patients with intermediate-stage hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remain unclear. OBJECTIVES: To assess the efficacy and safety of raltitrexed-loaded DEB-TACE in patients with intermediate-stage HCC. DESIGN: The study was conducted as a single-arm prospective study. METHODS: This study was a prospective, single-arm trial conducted between June 2019 and June 2022. CalliSpheres(®) beads loaded with raltitrexed were used in the DEB-TACE procedure. The follow-up lasted for at least 1 year or until death. The primary endpoint was overall survival (OS), and the secondary endpoints were time to progression (TTP), progression-free survival (PFS), objective response rate (ORR), and adverse events (AEs). RESULTS: The 6-month ORR and disease control rates were 90.1% and 93.8%, respectively. The median OS was 33.0 months. The 1-, 2-, and 3-year survival rates were 95.1%, 82.1%, and 43.6%, respectively. Child-Pugh class and bilobar disease occurrence were identified as independent OS predictors. The median TTP and PFS were 22.7 and 19.8 months, respectively. Eleven (11.5%) patients experienced at least one grade 3 AE, and serious AEs were reported in five participants (5.2%). No patient experienced grade 4 or 5 AEs. CONCLUSION: Raltitrexed-loaded DEB-TACE is feasible, safe, and effective in patients with intermediate-stage HCC. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This trial was registered at www.chictr.org.cn under the identifier: 1900024097 on 25 June 2019.