PEARL Trial: Partial TACE Enhancing Anti-tumor Response With Lenvatinib in Unresectable HCC (Pearl)

Lenvatinib: Oral administration at 12 mg once daily (body weight ≥ 60 kg) or 8 mg once daily (body weight < 60 kg). Treatment continues until disease progression, unacceptable toxicity, or patient withdrawal.

Partial TACE:

Performed within 4 weeks after starting lenvatinib.

Oral lenvatinib 12 mg once daily for body weight 60 kg or greater, or 8 mg once daily for body weight less than 60 kg. Treatment continues until disease progression, unacceptable toxicity, or patient withdrawal.

Transarterial chemoembolization targeting up to two liver segments containing the largest tumor volume or lesions at risk of rupture, performed within 4 weeks after starting lenvatinib. This liver-function-sparing approach limits the ischemic territory in order to preserve hepatic reserve.

• Partial TACE

Percentage of participants alive and free of disease progression at 1 year. Progression-free survival is measured from the start date of study treatment to the date of first documented disease progression according to modified RECIST (mRECIST) or death from any cause, whichever occurs first.

Percentage of participants alive at 1 year. Overall survival is measured from the start date of study treatment to the date of death from any cause.

Percentage of participants with a best overall response of confirmed complete response or partial response, as assessed by modified RECIST (mRECIST). Tumor response is assessed by CT or MRI every 12 weeks from the start of study treatment; a first objective response is confirmed by a second imaging assessment 4 weeks later.

Percentage of participants with a best overall response of confirmed complete response or partial response, as assessed by RECIST version 1.1. Tumor response is assessed by CT or MRI every 12 weeks from the start of study treatment; a first objective response is confirmed by a second imaging assessment 4 weeks later.

Percentage of participants with a best overall response of confirmed complete response, partial response, or stable disease, as assessed by modified RECIST (mRECIST). Tumor response is assessed by CT or MRI every 12 weeks from the start of study treatment.

Percentage of participants with a best overall response of confirmed complete response, partial response, or stable disease, as assessed by RECIST version 1.1. Tumor response is assessed by CT or MRI every 12 weeks from the start of study treatment.

Time from the date of first documented objective response (complete or partial response) to the date of first documented disease progression, as assessed by modified RECIST (mRECIST). Reported in months.

Percentage of participants with hepatic decompensation within 30 days after treatment. Hepatic decompensation is defined as any of the following: total bilirubin greater than 3 mg/dL, new or worsened ascites, or hepatic encephalopathy.

Number of participants with treatment-emergent adverse events and serious adverse events, graded according to the NCI Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE) version 5.0.

Maximum percentage reduction from baseline in the sum of viable target lesion diameters, as assessed by modified RECIST (mRECIST). Reported as percentage change from baseline.

Change from baseline in the frequencies of peripheral blood immune cell subsets measured by multiparametric flow cytometry, including CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, regulatory T cells, natural killer cells, mucosal-associated invariant T cells, and myeloid populations, together with the activation and exhaustion markers PD-1, TIM-3, HLA-DR, and CD38. Reported as percentage of live cells.

Change from baseline in immune cell composition measured by single-cell RNA sequencing of peripheral blood mononuclear cells and tissue samples, reported as percentage of sequenced cells assigned to each annotated immune cell cluster.