[Comment] Tivantinib for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma: is MET still a viable target?

The HGF-MET receptor pathway represents an attractive therapeutic target for hepatocellular carcinoma because of its crucial role in hepatocellular carcinoma development. Tivantinib, a putative MET inhibitor, did not improve overall survival compared with placebo in the METIV-HCC study, as reported in the Lancet Oncology by Lorenza Rimassa and colleagues,1 potentially casting doubt on the role of MET inhibition as a viable therapeutic strategy for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma. METIV-HCC was a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 3 trial of oral tivantinib (120 mg twice daily) compared with placebo in patients with advanced hepatocellular tumours with high MET-expression (staining intensity score of ≥2 in ≥50% of tumour cells) who had disease progression after previous sorafenib therapy.
Source: The Lancet Oncology - Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: Tags: Comment Source Type: research