Clinical efficacy and safety of atezolizumab plus bevacizumab versus lenvatinib in the treatment of advanced hepatocellular carcinoma: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND

Assess the effectiveness and safety of treatment options atezolizumab plus bevacizumab (Atez/Bev) or lenvatinib in clinical practice for patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients.

METHODS

To compare the effectiveness of Atez/Bev and lenvatinib in treating advanced HCC, we systematically searched the PubMed, EMBASE, and Web of Science databases. We utilized Review Manager 5.3 to extract and analyze the data.

RESULTS

The present systematic review included 8 nonrandomized studies comprising a total of 6628 cases. There was no significant difference in 0.5-, 1-, 1.5-year OS rates and 0.5-, 1-year PFS rates between the 2 groups. However, patients with HCC caused by viral hepatitis would benefit more from the Atez/Bev therapy (hazard ratio = 0.75, 95% confidence interval: 0.63-0.89) but patients with a Child-Pugh class B liver function would benefit more from lenvatinib (hazard ratio = 1.70, 95% confidence interval: 1.07-2.70). At the same time, there are no major differences in safety between the 2 treatment options.

CONCLUSION

Our study did not find any significant difference in effectiveness and safety between Atez/Bev and lenvatinib. However, Additional verification is required to determine whether these 2 therapeutic approaches have varying effects on distinct populations.