Publications by authors named "Venus Wan Yan Lee"
Importance: Previous studies showed that 42% to 50% of patients with locally advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) achieved complete remission (CR) after combined locoregional therapy (LRT) plus immunotherapy (IO). However, data on predictors of CR and long-term clinical outcomes without surgery and after discontinuation of IO are lacking.
Objective: To assess the long-term clinical outcomes among patients with unresectable HCC who achieved CR after LRT-IO and were placed on a watch-and-wait protocol.
Article Synopsis
- The study compares the effectiveness and safety of combining stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) with immunotherapy versus SBRT alone in patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma.
- Results show that the combination therapy (SBRT-IO) led to significantly improved overall survival rates and response compared to SBRT alone, with higher rates of complete and partial responses among patients.
- Despite some cases of severe side effects from immunotherapy, the combination treatment demonstrated better outcomes, suggesting that further research through randomized trials is needed.
Sequential transarterial chemoembolisation and stereotactic body radiotherapy followed by immunotherapy as conversion therapy for patients with locally advanced, unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (START-FIT): a single-arm, phase 2 trial.
Lancet Gastroenterol Hepatol
February 2023
Background: The synergy between locoregional therapies and immune checkpoint inhibitors has not been investigated as conversion therapy for unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma. We aimed to investigate the activity of sequential transarterial chemoembolisation (TACE) and stereotactic body radiotherapy followed by avelumab (an anti-PD-L1 drug) for locally advanced, unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma.
Methods: START-FIT was a single-arm, phase 2 trial in patients with locally advanced hepatocellular carcinoma who were not suitable for curative treatment, conducted in two hospitals in Hong Kong and one in Shenzhen, China.
Purpose: Computed tomography (CT) is inferior to magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in cervical tumor delineation, but similar in identification of organs at risk (OAR). The trend to over-estimate high-risk and low-risk clinical target volume (HRCTV, IRCTV) on CT can lead to under-estimation of dose received by 90% (D) of the 'actual' CTV. This study aims to evaluate whether CT-guided planning delivers adequate dose to the 'actual' targets while spares the OAR similarly.
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