Participation of the University Hospital St. Pölten in German-Austrian efficacy study

© Adobe Stock/natali_mis

Overall survival, progression-free survival, therapy response and adverse effects were analysed in 205 patients with advanced hepatocellular cancer and lenvatinib as first-line therapy. Lower Austria was part of this multicentre study with patient data from the University Hospital St. Pölten.

In clinical practice, not only patients who match the characteristics of subjects implemented in the pivotal study are administered the drug lenvatinib. Also, patients with impaired liver function who would have been excluded from the pivotal study receive Lenvatinib, partly at lower dosage. While the pivotal trial was conducted in a predominantly Asian population, most patients in the German-Austrian survey were Caucasian.

The survival rate in the real, predominantly Caucasian patient group was comparable to that in the pivotal study. Patients with initially poorer liver function were more likely to discontinue therapy due to severe side effects, and a decline in liver function caused interruption or discontinuation of lenvatinib therapy more often.

The multicentre study confirms the efficacy of lenvatinib in the real-life setting. No new or unexpected adverse effects occurred. The study suggests that patients with already impaired liver performance at the beginning of therapy can also be treated with lenvatinib. Close monitoring is important in this subgroup because of the higher risk of adverse effects. The data raised directly in the hospitals complement the results of the pivotal trial and provide valuable information for first- and second-line treatment options in patients with advanced hepatocellular cancer.

Welland S, Leyh C, Finkelmeier F, Jefremow A, Shmanko K, Gonzalez-Carmona MA, et al. Real-World Data for Lenvatinib in Hepatocellular Carcinoma (ELEVATOR): A Retrospective Multicenter Study. Liver Cancer. 2022;11(3):219-32.