Pembrolizumab and stereotactic body radiotherapy combined in advanced hepatocellular carcinoma post sorafenib - A phase II trial (PEMRAD).

ABSTRACT:

Background & aims

There is strong rationale for integrated approaches combining immune checkpoint inhibitors with locoregional therapies in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Methods

The PEMRAD phase II trial investigated pembrolizumab in combination with stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) in patients with advanced HCC following progression on sorafenib. Patients received pembrolizumab on Day 1, and SBRT commenced on Day 2. Up to 10 hepatic lesions (<20 cm) were treated with SBRT. Pembrolizumab was continued every 21 days until disease progression, unacceptable toxicity, or withdrawal. The primary endpoint was objective response rate (ORR) by RECIST v1.1, with a hypothesized improvement to 40% for the combination. Tissue and liquid biopsies were collected for correlativ

SUBMITTER: O'Kane GM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12830293 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature