Abstract
PURPOSE: This research aims to compare the efficacy of neoadjuvant hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy (HAIC) combined with Lenvatinib (Len) to direct liver resection (LR) in patients with resectable or borderline resectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). METHODS: This retrospective study included 154 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) treated at the a large-scale hepatocellular carcinoma Research Center between March 2019 and June 2023. Patients were assigned to one of two groups: 63 received neoadjuvant hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy (HAIC) combined with Lenvatinib followed by liver resection (HAIC+Len→LR), while 91 received direct liver resection (LR). The primary outcomes assessed were median overall survival (mOS), median progression-free survival (mPFS), median duration of response (mDOR), and adverse events (AEs). RESULTS: Patients in the HAIC+Len→LR group demonstrated significantly longer median overall survival (mOS) (40.1 months vs 35.9 months, P=0.001) and median progression-free survival (mPFS) (32.8 months vs 23.8 months, P=0.0023) compared to the LR group. Preoperative complete response (CR) to HAIC was associated with better median duration of response (mDOR) and mOS compared to partial response (PR) (not reached vs 28.9 months, P=0.006; 40.0 vs 29.1 months, P=0.037). Subgroup analysis revealed no significant difference in OS or PFS between the HAIC+Len→LR and LR groups in early Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) stages. However, in late BCLC stages, the HAIC+Len→LR group exhibited significantly improved OS and PFS (HR 0.471, P=0.016; HR 0.551, P=0.022). Treatment-related grade ≥3 adverse events were comparable between the two groups. CONCLUSION: For patients with resectable or marginally resectable HCC in the intermediate to advanced stages of BCLC, surgery after neoadjuvant HAIC+Len may offer improved long-term prognosis.