Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a common type of liver cancer in which abnormal cell growth forms a tumour and increases the risk of death. It is one of the most dangerous cancers and ranks as the fourth leading cause of cancer-related deaths across the world. Healthcare professionals usually prescribe sorafenib drugs to treat people who have HCC and can’t undergo surgery. However, it does not work effectively for all patients. So, researchers from UT Southwestern Medical Center conducted a study and revealed a new drug combination that can work effectively against HCC.Â
In the recent study published in Nature Communications, researchers have found a new drug combination that targets a protein present in people who have HCC. This protein is known as phosphatidylserine and is usually found on the surface of cancer cells. This protein suppresses the immune system and stops it from attacking cancer cells to destroy tumors. But bavituximab drug neutralizes this protein and helps immune cells effectively fight against HCC. Â
In this study, researchers involved 28 people who had HCC and were not able to undergo surgery. They gave them a combination of bavituximab and pembrolizumab– a drug which was approved in 2016 to treat several types of cancers. They tracked these participants for almost 28.5 months and collected the data.Â
When researchers observed the collected data, they found that 9 participants (32% of participants) responded to the combination of bavituximab and pembrolizumab drug. On the other hand, 2 of the participants were completely cancer-free as their tumors disappeared. This combination worked well as compared to pembrolizumab alone as previous studies showed it is 16% effective. The researchers also noticed that this combination did not increase the risk of other complications. Â
The results of this study show targeting phosphatidylserine along with immunotherapy can work effectively to treat people with HCC. Even though this research was focused on hepatocellular carcinoma, this might help people who have other types of cancers. Healthcare professionals should prescribe this combination to them who are suffering from HCC as it can reduced the risk of deaths. Â
Reference Link:Â
David Hsiehchen et al, The phosphatidylserine targeting antibody bavituximab plus pembrolizumab in unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma: a phase 2 trial, Nature Communications (2024). Â
