Abstract
PURPOSE: At present, there are no validated biomarkers that can predict whether patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (aHCC) are likely to benefit from anti-PD-1 therapy. We aimed to determine whether lung immune prognostic index (LIPI) is associated with outcomes in patients with aHCC treated with PD-1 inhibitors. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients undergoing initial treatment with PD-1 inhibitors for aHCC at a single center from January 1, 2015 to August 31, 2019 were included. The patients were stratified according to pretreatment LIPI based on a derived neutrophils/(leukocytes minus neutrophils) ratio (dNLR) ≥ 3 and a lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) level ≥ the upper limit of normal (ULN). Kaplan-Meier analysis and the Log rank test were used to calculate and compare survival between good LIPI and intermediate/poor LIPI scores. The prognostic values of LIPI for survival and disease control rate were evaluated using Cox proportional hazard and logistic regression models, respectively. RESULTS: Of the 108 study patients, 53 (49%) had a good LIPI (dNLR < 3 and LDH normal) and 55 (51%) had intermediate/poor LIPI (dNLR ≥ 3 or/and LDH ≥ ULN). With a median follow-up of 12.4 months, intermediate/poor LIPI was independently associated with shorter overall survival (OS) (hazard ratio [HR] 4.00; 95% CI, 2.00-8.03) and progression-free survival (PFS) (HR 2.65; 95% CI, 1.61-4.37). The median OS for good and intermediate/poor LIPI was not reached and was 13.7 (95% CI, 8.2-19.1) months, respectively, and the median PFS was 10.9 (95% CI, 8.9-12.9) and 4.0 (95% CI, 2.2-5.8) months (both P < 0.001), respectively. CONCLUSION: Pretreatment LIPI combined with a dNLR ≥ 3 and/or LDH ≥ ULN is associated with poor outcomes in patients with aHCC treated with PD-1 inhibitors. Further validation in large, prospective studies are warranted.