Is tremelimumab used to treat liver cancer?

Tremelimumab is a CTLA-4 immune checkpoint inhibitor that enhances the body's immune system's ability to recognize and eliminate tumor cells by activating T lymphocytes. In recent years, its "dual immunotherapy" combined with the PD-L1 inhibitor durvalumab has made a major breakthrough in the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). In 2022, the U.S. FDA officially approved the "tesetumumab + durvalumab" regimen for the treatment of adult patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (uHCC). This marks that this combination therapy has become another internationally recognized new standard of immunotherapy after the atezolizumab combined with bevacizumab regimen.

The clinical logic of this program lies in dual blocking of tumor immune escape mechanisms. Temtumumab promotes the activation of initial T cells by inhibiting the CTLA-4 signaling pathway, while durvalumab blocks the PD-L1/PD-1 pathway and prevents activated T cells from being suppressed by tumors. The two work together to restore the patient's immune system to the ability to recognize and kill cancer cells. The combination clinically demonstrated more durable disease control rates and higher long-term survival rates compared with single-agent immunotherapy.

In patients with unresectable liver cancer (uHCC), temsitumumabis usually administered using a "single loading dose" strategy, that is, temsitumumab is administered only once in the first cycle of combination with imrvalumab, thereby enhancing immune activity while reducing immune-related toxicity. This method is called the "STRIDE protocol" and has become one of the first-line treatment options for liver cancer recommended by European and American guidelines.

Currently, temsitumumab has been proven to significantly improve the overall survival of patients, especially in patients with advanced HCC who have previously received targeted drugs or failed local treatments. Although it has not yet been officially launched in mainland China, its application experience in Europe, the United States and some Asian countries provides clinical basis for subsequent introduction.

Reference: https://www.drugs.com/mtm/tremelimumab.html