ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Oncol.
Sec. Gastrointestinal Cancers: Hepato Pancreatic Biliary Cancers
Transarterial chemoembolization with rivoceranib and camrelizumab for BCLC stage C hepatocellular carcinoma
Provisionally accepted
- 1The First People’s Hospital of Linhai, Linhai, China
- 2Xuzhou Central Hospital, Xuzhou, China
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Background: Transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) and systemic therapy are frequently applied for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), but their combined therapeutic potential remains uncertain. Here, the clinical efficacy and safety of TACE together with rivoceranib plus camrelizumab in Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) stage C HCC were investigated. Methods: Between January 2021 and December 2024, 167 consecutive cases of BCLC stage C HCC were retrospectively analyzed. Eighty-three received rivoceranib-camrelizumab with TACE, and 84 received rivoceranib-camrelizumab alone. Comparisons of baseline characteristics, tumor response, long-term outcomes, and adverse events were conducted. Results: Baseline variables were balanced between groups. Combination therapy achieved significantly higher partial (39.8% vs. 20.2%, P = 0.006) and objective response rates (50.6% vs. 29.7%, P = 0.006) than systemic therapy alone. Median progression-free survival (PFS: 11.0 vs. 9.0 months, P = 0.008) and overall survival (OS: 19.0 vs. 15.0 months, P = 0.001) were both longer in the combination group. Cox regression identified combined treatment as an independent predictor of extended PFS and OS. Post-embolization symptoms occurred only in the TACE group but no grade 3-4 events were observed, and rates of systemic treatment-related adverse events were comparable between groups. Conclusions: Adding TACE to rivoceranib-camrelizumab has the potential to improve tumor response and survival in BCLC stage C HCC without compromising safety.
Keywords: Transarterial chemoembolization, camrelizumab, rivoceranib, Hepatocellular Carcinoma, intervention
Received: 22 Sep 2025; Accepted: 27 Nov 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Zhu, Zhang, Lu and Mao. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Rui Zhu
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