Analysis of common treatment-related adverse events of donafenib and its correlation with efficacy: exploratory analysis of the ZGDH3 study
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Donafenib, a deuterium-modified sorafenib derivative, has improved survival outcomes in patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). This study aimed to investigate the treatment-related adverse events and their associations with overall survival (OS) and time to progression (TTP) in patients with advanced HCC treated with donafenib. METHODS: In this retrospective analysis, data from 334 patients with unresectable or metastatic HCC who had a Child-Pugh liver function score ≤ 7 and had not received prior systemic treatment were collected from the ZGDH3 study. Donafenib (0.2 g) was administered orally twice daily until either intolerable toxicity or disease progression occurred. The associations between adverse events (AEs) and OS/TTP were analyzed using the Kaplan-Meier method, and statistical significance was tested using the log-rank test. A stratified Cox proportional hazards model was used to estimate hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). RESULTS: Univariate analysis revealed that the median OS (mOS) was significantly longer in patients who experienced Grade 3 hand-foot skin reaction (HFSR), diarrhea, Grade ≥ 3 thrombocytopenia, hypertension, alopecia, rash, and proteinuria compared to those without these AEs (P < 0.05). Conversely, patients with fatigue and Grade ≥ 3 increased blood bilirubin had significantly shorter mOS than those without these AEs (P < 0.05). HFSR was associated with improved survival outcomes, with the mOS of patients with HFSR being 17.6 months, compared to 7.9 months in those without (HR = 0.498, 95% CI 0.384-0.648, P < 0.0001). The mOS was 14.2 months in patients with Grade ≥ 3 AEs, compared to 10.5 months in those without (HR = 0.687, 95% CI 0.442-0.802, P = 0.0061). There was no significant difference in the overall incidence of AEs between patients aged ≥ 65 and those < 65. CONCLUSIONS: The occurrence of HFSR, diarrhea, thrombocytopenia, hypertension, alopecia, rash, proteinuria, fatigue, and Grade ≥ 3 increased blood bilirubin may be associated with the efficacy of donafenib in the treatment of advanced HCC, though these are exploratory associations and not established predictive markers. The AEs associated with donafenib are generally well tolerated, though further validation is needed. TRIAL REGISTRY: NCT02645981.
Authors: Feng Bi, Shukui Qin, Shanzhi Gu, Yuxian Bai, Zhendong Chen, Zishu Wang, Jieer Ying, Yinying Lu, Zhiqiang Meng, Hongming Pan, Ping Yang, Helong Zhang, Xi Chen, Aibing Xu, Chengxu Cui, Bo Zhu, Jian Wu, Xiaoli Xin, Jufeng Wang, Jinlu Shan, Junhui Chen, Zhendong Zheng, Li Xu, Xiaoyu Wen, Zhenyu You, Zhenggang Ren, Jianming Xu, Chengyou Du, Qingxia Fan, Longzhen Zhang, Min Tao, Da Jiang, Senming Wang, Yongping Chen, Jifang Sheng, Xuelong Zhuang, Jun Wu
Institutions: Sichuan University, West China Medical Center of Sichuan University, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, China Pharmaceutical University, Central South University, Hunan Cancer Hospital, Harbin Medical University, Third Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Anhui Medical University, Second Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, First Affiliated Hospital of Bengbu Medical College, Zhejiang Cancer Hospital, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University, Tang Du Hospital, Air Force Medical University, Nantong University, Nantong Tumor Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Cancer Hospital of Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Army Medical University, Xinqiao Hospital, The First People's Hospital of Changzhou, First Affiliated Hospital Zhejiang University, The Sixth People's Hospital of Shenyang, Zhengzhou University, Henan Cancer Hospital, Daping Hospital, Peking University Shenzhen Hospital, General Hospital of Shenyang Military Region, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Jilin University, First Hospital of Jilin University, Fudan University, Zhongshan Hospital, The Affiliated Yongchuan Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Xuzhou Medical College, Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical College, First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Fourth Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Cancer Hospital of Shantou University Medical College
Language: English
Subfield: Hepatology
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $3,190
OpenAlex ID: W4415666356