Participant eligibility includes age, gender, type and stage of disease, and previous treatments or health concerns. Guidelines differ from study to study, and identify who can or cannot participate. There is no guarantee that every individual who qualifies and wants to participate in a trial will be enrolled. Contact the study team to discuss study eligibility and potential participation.
Inclusion Criteria:
- Provide written informed consent =< 28 days prior to randomization
- Willing to return to enrolling institution for follow-up (during the Active Monitoring
Phase of the study)
- NOTE: During the Active Monitoring Phase of a study (i.e., active treatment and
clinical follow-up), participants must be willing to return to the consenting
institution for follow-up
- Age >= 18 years
- Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) confirmed by histological/cytological diagnosis or
clinically per the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD) or
WASL 2018 criteria
- Locally advanced, metastatic and/or unresectable disease that is not amendable to
curative treatment
- Previously progressed on atezolizumab in combination with bevacizumab as first line
systemic therapy for advanced disease
- NOTE: 2nd line patients only
- Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) Performance Status 0 or 1
- Child Pugh class A
- Documented virology status of hepatitis, as confirmed by screening hepatitis B virus
(HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) serology tests.
- For subjects with active HBV, HBV deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) < 500 IU/mL
obtained ≤ =< 28 days prior to randomization, and anti-HBV treatment (per local
standard of care; e.g., entecavir) for a minimum of 14 days prior to
randomization and willingness to continue treatment for the length of the study
- At least one measurable untreated malignant lesion per RECIST v1.1. Subjects who
previously received local therapy (e.g., ablation, percutaneous ethanol injection,
trans-arterial embolization/chemo-embolization) are eligible provided the target
lesion(s) have not been previously treated with local therapy or the target lesion(s)
within the field of local therapy have subsequently progressed in accordance with
RECIST v1.1
- Consent to using archival tumor tissues, if available
- NOTE: Non-availability of tumor tissue does not exclude the subject.
- Willingness to provide mandatory blood specimens for correlative research
- Willingness to provide mandatory tissue specimens for correlative research for the
first 10 patients per arm (Mayo Clinic Rochester and Mayo Clinic Arizona ONLY)
- Absolute neutrophil count (ANC) >= 1.5 x 10^9/L (1500/uL) without granulocyte
colony-stimulating factor support (obtained =< 28 days prior to randomization)
- Lymphocyte count >= 0.5 x 10^9/L (500/uL) (obtained =< 28 days prior to randomization)
- Platelet count >= 75 x 10^9/L (75,000/uL) (obtained =< 28 days prior to randomization)
- Hemoglobin >= 90 g/L (9 g/dL) (obtained =< 28 days prior to randomization)
- Subjects may be transfused to meet this criterion
- Aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and alkaline
phosphatase (ALP) =< 5 x upper limit of normal (ULN) (obtained =< 28 days prior to
randomization)
- Total bilirubin =< 3 x ULN (obtained =< 28 days prior to randomization)
- Serum albumin >= 30 g/L (3.0 g/dL) (obtained =< 28 days prior to randomization)
- For subjects not receiving therapeutic anticoagulation: international normalized ratio
(INR) or partial thromboplastin time (aPTT) =< 1.5 × ULN (obtained =< 28 days prior to
randomization)
- Serum creatinine =< 2 x ULN or creatinine clearance >= 30 mL/min (calculated using the
Cockcroft-Gault formula) (obtained =< 28 days prior to randomization)
- Negative pregnancy test done =< 14 days prior to randomization, for women of
childbearing potential only
- NOTE: If the urine test is positive or cannot be confirmed as negative, a serum
pregnancy test will be required
- Resolution of any acute, clinically significant treatment-related toxicity from prior
therapy to grade =< 1 prior to randomization, with the exception of alopecia and
peripheral sensory neuropathy.
- Subjects of childbearing potential agree to use two forms of medically approved
contraception while taking the study drug and for at least 5 months after the last
dose of atezolizumab or multi-kinase inhibitor. Subjects with partners of childbearing
potential agree to use condoms, even after vasectomy, to avoid potential drug exposure
to partner during study drug and for 5 months following the last dose of study drug
- Ability to take oral medications
Exclusion Criteria:
- Known diagnosis of fibrolamellar carcinoma, sarcomatoid carcinoma or mixed
hepatocellular cholangiocarcinoma
- Prior multi-kinase inhibitor treatment for advanced disease (e.g., cabozantinib,
lenvatinib, sorafenib, regorafenib)
- NOTE: Use of multi-kinase inhibitor(s) for adjuvant or as part of loco-regional
therapies is allowed as long as the therapy was completed >= 6 months prior to
randomization
- Any of the following prior therapies:
- Major surgery =< 4 weeks prior to randomization; Minor surgery =< 7 days prior to
randomization (e.g., simple excision, tooth extraction, insertion of central
lines/Mediport). Subjects with clinically relevant complications from prior
surgery are not eligible
- Any anti-cancer agent =< 2 weeks prior to randomization
- Radiation therapy =< 4 weeks (1 week for palliative radiation for bone metastases
and/or for pain control) or radionuclide treatment (e.g., I-131 or Y-90) =< 6
weeks prior to randomization
- Treatment with investigational therapy =< 28 days prior to randomization
- Known brain or leptomeningeal metastasis
- Known co-infection of HBV and HCV. Subjects with a history of HCV infection but who
are negative for HCV ribonucleic acid (RNA) by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) will be
considered non-infected with HCV
- Active or history of autoimmune disease or immune deficiency, including, but not
limited to, myasthenia gravis, myositis, autoimmune hepatitis, systemic lupus
erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, antiphospholipid
antibody syndrome, Wegener granulomatosis, Sjogren syndrome, Guillain-Barre syndrome,
or multiple sclerosis with the following exceptions:
- Subjects with a history of autoimmune-related hypothyroidism who are on
thyroid-replacement hormone are eligible for the study
- Subjects with controlled Type 1 diabetes mellitus who are on an insulin regimen
are eligible for the study
- Subjects with eczema, psoriasis, lichen simplex chronicus, or vitiligo with
dermatologic manifestations only (e.g., subjects with psoriatic arthritis are
excluded) are eligible for the study provided all of the following conditions are
met:
- Rash must cover < 10% of body surface area
- Disease is well controlled at baseline and requires only low-potency topical
corticosteroids
- No occurrence of acute exacerbations of the underlying condition requiring
psoralen plus ultraviolet A radiation, methotrexate, retinoids, biologic
agents, oral calcineurin inhibitors, or high-potency or oral corticosteroids
within the previous 12 months
- History of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, organizing pneumonia (e.g., bronchiolitis
obliterans), drug-induced pneumonitis, or idiopathic pneumonitis, or evidence of
active pneumonitis on screening chest computed tomography (CT) scan
- NOTE: History of radiation pneumonitis in the radiation field (fibrosis) is
permitted
- Any other disease, metabolic dysfunction, physical examination finding, or clinical
laboratory finding that contraindicates the use of an investigational drug, may affect
the interpretation of the results, or may render the subject at high risk from
treatment complication
- Treatment with a live, attenuated vaccine =< 4 weeks prior to randomization, or
anticipation of need for such a vaccine during atezolizumab treatment or =< 5 months
after the last dose of atezolizumab
- History of severe allergic anaphylactic reactions to chimeric or humanized antibodies
or fusion proteins
- Known hypersensitivity to Chinese hamster ovary cell products or to any component of
the atezolizumab formulation
- Subjects with untreated or incompletely treated esophageal/gastric varices with
bleeding or high risk for bleeding. Subjects treated with adequate endoscopic therapy
(according to local institutional standards) without any episodes of recurrent
gastrointestinal bleeding requiring transfusion or hospitalization for > 28 days prior
to randomization are eligible
- Treatment with systemic immunostimulatory agents (including, but not limited to,
interferon and interleukin 2 [IL-2]) =< 4 weeks or 5 drug elimination half-lives
(whichever is longer) prior to randomization
- Prior treatment with CD137 agonists or immune checkpoint blockade therapies, including
anti-CTLA-4, anti-PD-1, and anti-PD-L1 therapeutic antibodies
- Note: Prior treatment with atezolizumab is permitted
- Treatment with systemic immunosuppressive medication (including, but not limited to,
corticosteroids, cyclophosphamide, azathioprine, methotrexate, thalidomide, and
anti-TNF alpha agents) =< 2 weeks prior to randomization, or anticipation of need for
systemic immunosuppressive medication during study treatment, with the following
exceptions:
- Subjects who received acute, low-dose systemic immunosuppressant medication or a
one-time pulse dose of systemic immunosuppressant medication (e.g., 48 hours of
corticosteroids for a contrast allergy) are eligible for the study
- Subjects who received mineralocorticoids (e.g., fludrocortisone), corticosteroids
for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or asthma, or low-dose
corticosteroids for orthostatic hypotension or adrenal insufficiency are eligible
- For subjects who are to receive cabozantinib: Treatment with strong inducers and/or
strong inhibitors of CYP3A4 =< 14 days prior to randomization, including rifampin (and
its analogues) or St. John's wort. See
https://www.fda.gov/drugs/drug-interactions-labeling/drug-development-and-drug-interac
tions-table-substrates-inhibitors-and-inducers for lists of known strong inhibitors
and strong inducers of CYP3A4
- Active tuberculosis
- Other uncontrolled, significant intercurrent or recent illness including, but not
limited to, the following conditions:
- Cardiovascular disorders including:
- Symptomatic congestive heart failure, unstable angina, or serious cardiac
arrythmias
- Uncontrolled hypertensions defined as sustained blood pressure (BP) > 150
mmHg systolic BP, or > 100 mmHg diastolic BP despite optimal
antihypertensive treatment
- Stroke (including transient ischemic attack), myocardial infarction, or
other ischemic event =< 3 months prior to randomization.
- Unstable arrythmia
- Thromboembolic event =< 3 months prior to randomization. Subjects with
thromboses of portal/hepatic vasculature attributed to underlying liver
disease and/or liver tumor are eligible.
- Active bacterial infection requiring systemic treatment. Subjects on prophylactic
antibiotics are eligible.
- Known human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection or known acquired
immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) related illness. Subjects with known HIV but
without clinical evidence of an immunocompromised state and receiving
anti-retroviral therapy are eligible
- Prior allogenic stem cell or solid organ transplantation
- Uncontrolled pleural effusion, pericardial effusion, or ascites requiring
recurrent drainage procedures (once monthly or more frequently)
- Subjects with indwelling catheters (e.g., PleurX) are allowed.
- Uncontrolled or symptomatic hypercalcemia (ionized calcium > 1.5 mmol/L, calcium
> 12 mg/dL or corrected serum calcium > ULN)
- Uncontrolled tumor-related pain
- Patients requiring pain medication must be on a stable regimen at the time
of randomization
- Symptomatic lesions (e.g., bone metastases or metastases causing nerve
impingement) amenable to palliative radiotherapy should be treated prior to
randomization. Patients should be recovered from the effects of radiation.
There is no required minimum recovery period.
- Asymptomatic metastatic lesions that would likely cause functional deficits
or intractable pain with further growth (e.g., epidural metastasis that is
not currently associated with spinal cord compression) should be considered
for loco-regional therapy if appropriate prior to randomization
- Other malignancy(ies) =< 5 years prior to randomization except adequately treated
non-melanotic skin cancer, carcinoma-in-situ of the cervix, localized prostate cancer,
ductal carcinoma in situ or stage I uterine cancer
- Pregnancy or breastfeeding, or intention of becoming pregnant during study treatment
or within at least 5 months after the last dose of study medication
- Uncontrolled hepatic encephalopathy occurring =< 6 weeks prior to randomization NOTE:
Patients with =< grade 2 encephalopathy =< 6 weeks prior to randomization are eligible
and supportive measures such as lactulose and antibiotics are allowed
Note: Other protocol defined Inclusion/Exclusion Criteria may apply.
Eligibility last updated 3/01/2024. Questions regarding updates should be directed to the study team contact.