A multicenter retrospective analysis: Factors influencing hepatic adverse events induced by immunotherapy in advanced liver cancer

Abstract

Abstract Objectives To analyze the clinical characteristics and influencing factors of hepatotoxicity in patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) treated with programmed cell death protein‐1 (PD‐1) inhibitors, and to provide a theoretical basis for the treatment of immune‐related hepatotoxicity in patients with advanced HCC. Methods Retrospective analysis of clinical data of patients with advanced HCC from February 2021 to February 2023, in order to summarize and statistically analyze the influencing factors of immune‐related liver adverse reactions. Results A total of 135 patients met the inclusion criteria, among whom 46 patients experienced varying degrees of immune‐related liver adverse reactions, with an incidence rate of 34.1% (46/135). The time range of immune‐related liver adverse reactions was 3–26 weeks, with a median time of 4 weeks. The age range of immune‐related liver adverse reactions was 34–73 years, with a median age of 62 years. Statistical analysis of the influencing factors and liver adverse reactions showed that age, total bilirubin level, and Child–Pugh (C–P) grading were influencing factors for the occurrence of liver adverse reactions (p < .05), and among these three influencing factors, the proportion of males with ≥2 influencing factors was higher than that of females; liver function C–P B was an independent influencing factor for liver adverse reactions (p < .05). Conclusion For male patients over 60 years old, with bilirubin levels ≥51 μmol/L and liver function C–P B, close observation of the occurrence of immune‐related adverse reactions during treatment is recommended.

Keywords

• immune checkpoint inhibitor
• immune‐related adverse events
• liver cancer immune therapy
• liver toxicity