Elemene Promotes Clinical Efficacy of Multiple Kinase Inhibitor Lenvatinib and Programmed Death-1 Inhibitor Tislelizumab Combination in Advanced Hepatocellular Carcinoma

We have examined the effect of added elemene on the clinical efficacy of combined treatment of advanced hepatocellular carcinoma with lenvatinib and tislelizumab chemotherapy. Patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (n = 150) were divided into groups of equal size and treated with the multi-kinase inhibitor lenvatinib plus the PD-1 inhibitor tislelizumab alone (control) or along with elemene (treatment), a plant sesquiterpene with antiproliferative effects. The results of the study show a higher objective response rate and local control rate, superior post-treatment liver function, immune function, anti-angiogenesis capacity, and better quality of life, as reflected by higher functional assessment of cancer therapy scores (P < 0.05). Additionally, after treatment, albumin and prealbumin were elevated, and patient-generated subjective global assessment scores declined in both groups after treatment, but no difference was found between the two groups (P > 0.05). To sum up, elemene added to lenvatinib and tislelizumab chemotherapy is effective in treating advanced hepatocellular carcinoma patients and is recommended for clinical use.