Abstract:Objective To investigate the efficacy and safety of atezolizumab combined with bevacizumab in the treatment of transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE)-resistant advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).Methods A total of 84 patients with TACE-resistant advanced HCC admitted to our hospital between January 2020 and December 2022 were selected, and divided into the control group (n=42) and the test group (n=42) according to different treatment methods. On the basis of on-demand TACE, the control group was treated with sorafenib, while the test group was treated with atezolizumab and bevacizumab. A comparison was made between the two groups, focusing on the curative effects, levels of tumor markers, angiogenic factors, progression-free survival (PFS), and any adverse reactions experienced.Results The test group demonstrated a significantly higher effective treatment rate than the control group (73.81% vs. 47.62%) (P<0.05). After treatment, the serum levels of alpha fetoprotein (AFP), platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF), basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in the two groups were lower than those before treatment, and those in the test group were lower than those in the control group (P<0.05). The duration of follow-up in this study ranged from 9 to 32 months, with no patients lost tracking. The median PFS of the test group was 10 months, which was longer than that of the control group (5 months), and the difference was statistically significant (χ2=5.72, P=0.017). The difference between the two groups in the incidence rate of adverse reactions did not reach statistical significance (P>0.05), but the test group exhibited a significantly higher incidence rate of immune dermatitis than the control group (P<0.05).Conclusion The combination therapy of atezolizumab and bevacizumab has a significant effect on patients with TACE-resistant advanced HCC. It can effectively improve the levels of tumor markers and angiogenic factors, prolong the progression-free survival of patients, with relatively good safety at the same time.