24 March 2026 : Original article
Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors for Recurrent Hepatocellular Carcinoma After Liver Transplantation: Safety Under an Immunosuppression-Preserving Strategy
Shih-Chao Hsu ABCDEF 1,2*, Sheng-Hsien Chen AE 1,2, Te-Hong Chen AE 1,2, Wei-Fan Hsu AE 3, Hung-Wei Wang AE 3,4, Chun-Chieh Yeh AE 1,2,3,5, Horng-Ren Yang AE 1,2, Hsueh-Chou Lai AE 3, Long-Bin Jeng AE 1,2DOI: 10.12659/AOT.952135
Ann Transplant 2026; 31:e952135
Table 1 Baseline demographic and tumor characteristics of patients receiving immune checkpoint inhibitors.
| All ICIs group (n=25) | First-line group (n=12) | Second-line group (n=13) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Male, n (%) | 20 (80.0%) | 9 (75.0%) | 11 (84.6%) |
| Age, years (median [IQR]) | 58.0 [49.0–65.0] | 62.0 [54.25–68.25] | 56.0 [49.0–60.0] |
| LDLT | 24 (96.0%) | 12 (100%) | 12 (92.4%) |
| DDLT | 1 (4.0%) | 0 | 1 (7.6%) |
| HBV infection | 20 (80.0%) | 10 (83.3%) | 10 (90.9%) |
| HCV infection | 2 (8.0%) | 1 (8.33%) | 1 (7.7%) |
| Alcohol-related | 1 (4.0%) | 0 (0.0%) | 1 (7.7%) |
| Other | 3 (12.0%) | 2 (16.7%) | 2 (15.4%) |
| Within Milan criteria, n (%) | 1 (4.3%) | 1 (8.3%) | 0 |
| Missing, n | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Within UCSF criteria, n (%) | 1 (4.3%) | 1 (8.3%) | 0 |
| Missing, n | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| pTNM stage, n (%) | |||
| Ia | 1 (4.3%) | 1 (8.3%) | 0 |
| Ib | 1 (4.3%) | 1 (8.3%) | 0 |
| II | 3 (13.0%) | 2 (16.7%) | 1 (9.1%) |
| IIIa | 5 (21.7%) | 3 (25.0%) | 2 (18.2%) |
| IIIb | 10 (43.5%) | 5 (41.7%) | 5 (45.5%) |
| IV | 3 (13.0%) | 0 | 3 (27.3%) |
| Missing | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Well-differentiated | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Moderately differentiated | 11 (47.8%) | 5 (41.7%) | 6 (54.5%) |
| Poorly differentiated | 11 (47.8%) | 6 (50.0%) | 5 (45.5%) |
| Undifferentiated | 1 (4.3%) | 1 (8.3%) | 0 |
| Missing | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Macrovascular invasion, n (%) | 12 (52.2%) | 6 (50.0%) | 6 (54.5%) |
| Missing, n | 2 | 2 | |
| Microvascular invasion, n (%) | 17 (73.9%) | 9 (75.0%) | 8 (72.7%) |
| Missing, n | 2 | ||
| ICIs – immune checkpoint inhibitors; LDLT – living-donor liver transplant; DDLT – diseased-donor liver transplant; HBV – hepatitis B virus; HBC – hepatitis C virus; UCSF – University of California San Francisco; TNM – tumor, node, metastasis. | |||