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Review
. 2024 Jan;30(1):1-15.
doi: 10.3350/cmh.2023.0125. Epub 2023 Jul 21.

Recent advances in the management of hepatocellular carcinoma

Kamya Sankar  1 , Jun Gong  1 , Arsen Osipov  1 , Steven A Miles  1 , Kambiz Kosari  1   2 , Nicholas N Nissen  1   2 , Andrew E Hendifar  1 , Ekaterina K Koltsova  1   3 , Ju Dong Yang  1   2   4
Affiliations
Review

Recent advances in the management of hepatocellular carcinoma

Kamya Sankar et al. Clin Mol Hepatol. 2024 Jan.

Abstract

Liver cancer remains a challenge of global health, being the 4th leading cause of cancer death worldwide. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common type of primary liver cancer, and is usually precipitated by chronic viral infections (hepatitis B and C), non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, heavy alcohol use, and other factors which may lead to chronic inflammation and cirrhosis of the liver. There have been significant advances in the systemic treatment options for HCC over the past decades, with several approvals of both immune checkpoint inhibitors and tyrosine kinase inhibitors in patients with preserved liver function. These advances have led to improvement in survival outcomes, with expected survival of greater than 18 months, in those with sensitive tumors, adequate liver function, and those functionally fit to receive sequential therapies. Several ongoing and promising trials are now evaluating combinational strategies with novel systemic agents and combinations of systemic therapy with locoregional therapy. In view of these trials, further advances in the treatment of HCC are foreseen in the near future.

Keywords: Hepatocellular carcinoma; Immunotherapy; Liver cancer; Tyrosine protein kinase inhibitors.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of Interest

JG has served as a consultant/advisory role for Amgen, Astellas Pharma, QED Therapeutics, Exelixis, Elsevier, EMD Serono/Merck, Eisai, Pfizer/Myovant, Bayer, Basilea, HalioDx, Natera, Incyte, AVEO, Janssen Biotech, Seagen, MJH Life Sciences. AEH has served as a consultant for Varian, Genentech, Merck, BMS, Abbvie, Valar and Farady. JDY provides a consulting service for AstraZeneca, Eisai, Exact Sciences, Exelixis, Fujifilm Medical Sciences, and Gilead Sciences.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Timeline of approved systemic therapies in management of advanced HCC. HCC, hepatocellular carcinoma.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Approach to systemic treatment of advanced HCC. HCC, hepatocellular carcinoma; AFP, alpha fetoprotein.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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MeSH terms