A first-of-its-kind study in real-world setting conducted in India by Asian Institute of Gastroenterology (AIG) and published in the Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hepatology showed immunotherapy Atezolizumab-bevacizumab combination as a breakthrough in liver cancer treatment with a significant number of patients showing promising results in terms of overall and disease free survival even complete resolution of tumor in certain cases when detected early and with timely treatment.

Immunotherapy Atezolizumab-Bevacizumab uses the immune system of the body and kills the cancer cells. It is found to be safe and effective in unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (uHCC) in real-world settings. With the right selection of patients, atezolizumab-bevacizumab can achieve a good response in terms of survival period and disappearance of tumour.

As part of the study, 67 patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma received Atezolizumab – Bevacizumab combination. The study involved 59 patients from AIG Hospital, Hyderabad and 8 patients from Mahatma Gandhi Medical College, Jaipur. The median age of the 67 patients who received Atezolizumab-Bevacizumab combination therapy was 61 (29–82) years, and 86% were males. The study was conducted across the two centres from November 1, 2020, to July 1, 2022 and was published in July 2023.

Researchers highlighted that 12.9% of patients achieved complete resolution of tumour, and 25.8% achieved partial resolution or shrinking of tumours. Overall, the disease did not progress in 66.12% of the patients studied. 

The study also showed that the patients who had received local radiation therapy and Atezolizumab-Bevacizumab combination had better response rates. This shows that Atezolizumab and Bevacizumab combination can be highly effective in patients who have undergone local radiation therapy.