Pretreatment Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte Ratio as Prognostic Biomarkers in Patients with Unresectable Hepatocellular Carcinoma Treated with Hepatic Arterial Infusion Chemotherapy Combined with Lenvatinib and Camrelizumab

Abstract

Yongqiang Xiao,* Guoqing Zhu,* Jin Xie,* Laihui Luo, Wei Deng, Liucong Lin, Jiahao Tao, Zhigao Hu, Renfeng Shan Department of General Surgery, the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Zhigao Hu; Renfeng Shan, Department of General Surgery, the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, No. 17, Yongwaizheng Street, Nanchang, Jiangxi, 330006, People’s Republic of China, Tel/Fax [phone], Email [email protected]; [email protected]: This study aimed to assess the prognostic significance of the neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) in patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (u-HCC) treated with hepatic artery infusion chemotherapy (HAIC) combined with lenvatinib and camrelizumab.Patients and Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study involving patients diagnosed with u-HCC who underwent HAIC combined with lenvatinib and camrelizumab. Patients were stratified into two cohorts using the median NLR as the cutoff point. We then assessed treatment response, overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), and adverse events in these patient groups.Results: Between October 2020 and April 2022, a total of 88 patients were enrolled in the study. The overall cohort exhibited a median PFS of 7.9 months, while the median OS was not reached, and a median NLR of 3.46. Notably, the group with NLR< 3.46 demonstrated significantly superior OS (not reached vs 9.6 months, p = 0.017) and PFS (18.3 vs 5.3 months, p = 0.0015) compared to the NLR≥ 3.46 group. Furthermore, multivariate analysis revealed that an alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) ≥ 400 ng/mL [hazard ratio (HR), 2.133; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.102– 4.126; p = 0.024], Barcelona Clinical Hepatocellular Carcinoma (BCLC) stage C (HR, 2.319; 95% CI, 1.128– 4.764; p = 0.022), and NLR ≥ 3.46 (HR, 2.35; 95% CI, 1.239– 4.494; p = 0.009) were identified as independent risk factors for OS. Additionally, multivariate analysis demonstrated that AFP ≥ 400 ng/mL, BCLC stage C, and NLR ≥ 3.46 were independent negative factors of PFS.Conclusion: NLR can be associated with outcomes in patients with u-HCC treated with HAIC combined with lenvatinib and camrelizumab.Keywords: unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy, lenvatinib, camrelizumab

Keywords

• unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma
• neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio
• hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy
• lenvatinib
• camrelizumab