Alpha-fetoprotein and des-gamma-carboxy prothrombin can predict the objective response of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma receiving durvalumab plus tremelimumab therapy.

Durvalumab plus tremelimumab (Durva/Treme) combined immunotherapy is the first-line therapy recommended for unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Since sequential therapy is more effective in improving prognosis, tumor markers have been used as predictive biomarkers for response to systemic therapy. This study aimed to investigate the predictive ability of objective response (OR) by tumor markers for Durva/Treme therapy against HCC. In this multicenter study, 110 patients with HCC who received Durva/Treme therapy were retrospectively enrolled. The OR rate was 15.5%. To aid early decision-making regarding OR, we evaluated the predictors contributing to OR in two steps: before (first step) and 4 weeks after (second step) treatment induction. Changes in tumor markers (alpha-fetoprotein [AFP] and des-gamma-carboxy prothrombin [DCP]) from baseline to 4 weeks after treatment (ΔAFP/ΔDCP) were included as the input factors. In the first step, multivariable analysis identified only the baseline AFP level (odds ratio 3.497, p = 0.029) as a predictor of OR. Patients with AFP ≥ 400 ng/mL had a significantly higher OR rate than those with < 400 ng/mL (28.2 vs. 8.5%, p = 0.011), and there was no significant difference in progression-free survival (PFS) between the two groups. When AFP/DCP response was defined as a ≥10% reduction from baseline, multivariable analysis showed that AFP response (odds ratio 6.023, p = 0.042) and DCP response (odds ratio 11.657, p = 0.006) were both independent predictors of OR in the second step. The PFS of patients with AFP or DCP response was significantly longer than that of patients without AFP or DCP response. The study demonstrated that the use of AFP and DCP can predict the OR of patients with HCC receiving Durva/Treme therapy.