Efficacy and safety of hepatic artery infusion chemotherapy with mFOLFOX in primary liver cancer patients with hyperbilirubinemia and ineffective drainage: a retrospective cohort study

Background: Hyperbilirubinemia is a major barrier to anti-tumor treatment in patients with end-stage primary liver cancer. However, no research has demonstrated the efficacy and safety of hepatic artery infusion chemotherapy (HAIC) in primary liver cancer patients with hyperbilirubinemia. This study investigated HAIC with a modified oxaliplatin, fluorouracil, and leucovorin (mFOLFOX) regimen. The efficacy and safety of the treatment regimen was evaluated and the optimal conditions for further anti-tumor treatments were identified.

Methods: A total of 34 patients with hyperbilirubinemia (with an elevation of more than three times the upper limit of normal range in total bilirubin) who were not candidates for surgery, transplantation, tyrosine kinase inhibitor therapy, nor immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) therapy, and who received HAIC with the mFOLFOX regimen were enrolled in this study. The laboratory indexes (total bilirubin, tumor markers, and blood count), quality of life [World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQOL)-100 score], adverse reactions [Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE)-5.0], and overall survival were analyzed.

Results: Between June 2017 and January 2021, 34 patients received a total of 81 cycles of HAIC after percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage (PTBD). The total bilirubin (TBIL) decreased significantly at 1 month after the last cycle of HAIC (127.8 vs. 68.3 µmol/L; P<0.01). There was no significant decrease in platelet, white blood cell, nor red blood cell counts, suggesting that HAIC had limited toxicity on the hematopoietic system. The WHOQOL-100 score significantly increased at 3 months after HAIC (78.16 vs. 69.26; P<0.05). The median overall survival was 9.5 months (range, 2-24 months), the objective response rate was 14.7%, and the disease control rate was 61.8% in HAIC-treated patients. A total of 14 patients received targeted or immunological therapy after HAIC, and 2 of these patients achieved complete remission.

Conclusions: HAIC improved the liver function and the quality of life in patients with liver cancer and hyperbilirubinemia, which provided options for further anti-tumor treatments in such patients.