On November 25, the project of LAG-3 antibody triple therapy for first-line treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma, which was undertaken by our hospital as the leader of the international multi-center drug clinical trial, was officially launched. This research was the first time since our hospital's drug clinical trial institution completed the filing on December 31, 2020, and it was also the first project of Shaanxi non-public hospital as the leader. For the first time, Professor Han Guohong's team of the Digestive Hospital launched the international multi-center clinical trial of liver cancer as the leading PI in China. The launch of the study marks a new level of our hospital's drug clinical research ability and the academic influence of Professor Han Guohong's team in the field of liver cancer.
According to the latest global cancer burden data in 2020 released by the International Agency for Cancer Research (IARC) of the World Health Organization, there are 906000 new cases of liver cancer in the world every year, ranking the third among all malignant tumors, resulting in 830000 deaths. Among them, 45% of new patients and 47% of liver cancer deaths occurred in China, ranking the fifth and second among all malignant tumors in China.

Relatlimab is the first anti-LAG-3 antibody approved for marketing in March this year. The main purpose of the study is to determine the phase 2 recommended dose (RP2D) of relatlimab, navalizumab and bevacizumab triple therapy in patients with advanced/metastatic hepatocellular carcinoma who have not received systemic therapy in the past; The second is to compare the median progression-free survival (PFS) of this triple therapy with that of navuzumab bevacizumab in all randomized hepatocellular carcinoma patients. It is reported that the research design is progressiveness to a certain extent. If the research is successful, it will undoubtedly be a blessing for Chinese patients with liver cancer. I hope that the development of this research can bring more treatment opportunities to them!

Since Professor Han Guohong's team launched the first clinical trial of Xi'an International Medical Center Hospital in April 2021, the team has carried out many multi-center drug clinical trial projects including this project with high efficiency, high quality and high standards, including 10 international multi-center projects.
The launch of this study is a microcosm of the leapfrog development of the clinical research discipline influence of Professor Han Guohong's team in our hospital, which has achieved a qualitative leap. In the future, we will continue to work hard in clinical research and translational medicine to forge ahead!