Overview
Vessels that encapsulate tumor clusters (VETC) is an invasive metastatic factor in HCC independent of the epithelial mesenchyme transition (EMT), and VETC-positive patients have a higher rate of postoperative recurrence. How to improve the prognosis of this group of patients is an urgent issue to be addressed.
Description
Previous studies have identified VETC as a new metastatic pattern independent of EMT that may be associated with immunosuppression as well as poor prognosis. Multiple retrospective studies find higher rates of postoperative recurrence, distant metastasis in VETC-positive patients. How to improve surgical prognosis in VETC-positive patients needs to be explored. There are no published studies on how to improve prognosis for this population. One of our unpublished retrospective studies found that VETC-positive patients receiving PD-1 monoclonal antibody was not effective in improving prognosis. However, PD-1 monoclonal antibody in combination with PD-1 monoclonal antibody effectively reduced postoperative recurrence and improved prognosis in VETC-positive patients. Based on our previous retrospective data, this multicenter prospective cohort study was designed to further validate and explore effective therapeutics.
Eligibility
Inclusion Criteria:
- Aged 18-75.
- No previous local or systemic treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma.
- Child-Pugh liver function score ≤ 7.
- ECOG PS 0-1.
- No serious organic diseases of the heart, lungs, brain, kidneys, etc.
- Pathologic type is hepatocellular carcinoma.
- Confirmation of the presence of VETC vascular pattern by CD34 immunohistochemical staining.
Exclusion Criteria:
- Pregnant and lactating women.
- Suffering from a condition that interferes with the absorption, distribution, metabolism, or clearance of the study drug (e.g., severe vomiting, chronic diarrhea, intestinal obstruction, impaired absorption, etc.).
- A history of gastrointestinal bleeding within the previous 4 weeks or a definite predisposition to gastrointestinal bleeding (e.g., known locally active ulcer lesions, fecal occult blood ++ or more, or gastroscopy if persistent fecal occult blood +) that has not been targeted, or other conditions that may have caused gastrointestinal bleeding (e.g., severe fundoplication/esophageal varices), as determined by the investigator.
- Active infection.
- Other significant clinical and laboratory abnormalities that affect the safety evaluation.
- Inability to follow the study protocol for treatment or follow up as scheduled.