Alliance/CALGB 80802: Impact of hepatitis C (HCV) on doxorubicin (DO) + sorafenib (S) versus S in patients (pts) with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (aHCC).

325 Background: Alliance/CALGB 80802 randomized phase III trial evaluated DO+S vs. S in pts with aHCC, and showed no improvement in median OS. Multi-drug resistant pathway mitigation by the Ras/Raf/MEK/ERK pathwayand bFGF-mediated activation of Raf-1 promotes the formation of antiapoptotic Raf-1 and ASK1 complex, induced by anthracyclines. S efficiently blocks NS5A-recruited c-Raf mediated HCV replication and viral gene expression. Once inhibited by S, VEGF expression of HepG2 may limit HCV cellular entry. Release of Raf-1-Ask-1 dimer and inhibition of Raf-1 via S putatively differ in the presence or absence of DO. We hypothesize treatment with S reduces HCV titer levels (TL) and influence pts’ outcome. Methods: In 80802 HCV pts, TL were evaluated in both arms at baseline and post-baseline at Day 1 of Cycles 2, 3, and every 2 cycles and at progression or discontinuation of therapy. HCV undetectable (HCV-UN) levels were defined as < 50 copies/mL. TL were evaluated in relation to OS and PFS. HCV RNA levels were measured by TaqMan PCR and by genotype. Results: Of 356 pts, 83 were HCV+ with more Black/African American (25/50 = 50%) vs. White (54/239 = 23%) or other race groups (4/67 = 6%) (p < 0.0001). HCV titer data were available on 54 pts (S: 28, DO+S: 26). At baseline, 12 pts (S: 7, DO+S: 5) were HCV-UN, and post-baseline HCV TL did not significantly differ between treatment arms; one patient in each arm went from detectable (HCV-D) to HCV-UN. Post-baseline, 40 pts were HCV-D vs. 14 who were HCV-UN (S+DO: 8, S: 6 pts). Except for the two pts who became HCV-UN, baseline HCV-D vs. HCV-UN titers was similar to that status post-baseline. PFS and OS between HCV-D and HCV-UN both at baseline and post-baseline are delineated in the table. Conclusions: We observed that S did not influence HCV TL. Pts treated with DO+S vs. S had worse PFS if they had HCV-UN, and further that higher levels of HCV titers at baseline were associated with significantly improved PFS. Given the small sample size, these findings warrant further prospective evaluation. Support: U10CA180821, U10CA180882, U24CA196171; Bayer, Bristol-Myers-Squibb, and Sanofi. https://acknowledgments.alliancefound.org . Clinical trial information: NCT01015833. [Table: see text]

Duke Scholars

Author Andrew Benjamin Nixon Medicine, Medical Oncology