Adjuvant transarterial chemoembolization plus lenvatinib for patients with HCC with MVI after resection: a multicenter retrospective study.

BACKGROUND

Microvascular invasion (MVI) is a critical prognostic factor affecting long-term survival in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Despite its clinical significance, the optimal postoperative adjuvant therapy for HCC patients with MVI remains undefined. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of postoperative adjuvant transarterial chemoembolization (PA-TACE) combined with lenvatinib vs PA-TACE alone in HCC patients with MVI.

METHODS

We conducted a retrospective analysis of consecutive HCC patients with MVI who underwent curative-intent resection followed by either PA-TACE alone or PA-TACE plus lenvatinib between 2018 and 2022. To ensure comparability, baseline characteristics were balanced using 1:1 propensity-score matching (PSM). The study outcomes, overall survival (OS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS), were compared between the two treatment groups.

RESULTS

The study included 192 patients, with 106 in the PA-TACE alone group and 86 in the PA-TACE plus lenvatinib group. After PSM, 66 matched pairs were analyzed. The median OS and RFS in the PA-TACE plus lenvatinib group were significantly longer than those in the PA-TACE alone group (43.6 months vs 24.0 months, P = 0.015; and 19.6 months vs 10.2 months, P = 0.025, respectively). Multivariable analysis confirmed that PA-TACE plus lenvatinib was an independent protective factor for both OS and RFS.

CONCLUSIONS

The combination of PA-TACE and lenvatinib significantly improves survival outcomes in HCC patients with MVI following curative liver resection compared to PA-TACE alone. These findings suggest that this combined approach may be a more effective adjuvant therapy for this high-risk patient population. Further studies are necessary to validate these results and establish clinical guidelines.