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Review
. 2023 Sep 21;30(9):8665-8685.
doi: 10.3390/curroncol30090628.

Current Evidence for Immune Checkpoint Inhibition in Advanced Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Victoria Foy  1 , Mairéad G McNamara  1   2 , Juan W Valle  1   2 , Angela Lamarca  1   2   3 , Julien Edeline  4 , Richard A Hubner  1   2
Affiliations
Review

Current Evidence for Immune Checkpoint Inhibition in Advanced Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Victoria Foy et al. Curr Oncol. .

Abstract

The treatment of advanced unresectable HCC (aHCC) remains a clinical challenge, with limited therapeutic options and poor prognosis. The results of IMbrave150 and HIMALAYA have changed the treatment paradigm for HCC and established immune checkpoint inhibition (ICI), either combined with anti-angiogenic therapy or dual ICI, as preferred first-line therapy for eligible patients with aHCC. Numerous other combination regimens involving ICI are under investigation with the aim of improving the tumour response and survival of patients with all stages of HCC. This review will explore the current evidence for ICI in patients with advanced HCC and discuss future directions, including the unmet clinical need for predictive biomarkers to facilitate patient selection, the effects of cirrhosis aetiology on response to ICI, and the safety of its use in patients with impaired liver function.

Keywords: HCC; ICI; PD-1; PD-L1; biomarkers; immunotherapy.

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Conflict of interest statement

Victoria Foy has received travel and educational support from Servier. Mairéad G McNamara has received research grant support from Servier, Ipsen, NuCana, and Astra Zeneca. She has received travel and accommodation support from Astra Zeneca, Advanced Accelerator Applications (UK and Ireland) Ltd. and Ipsen, and speaker honoraria from Advanced Accelerator Applications (UK and Ireland) Ltd and Astra Zeneca. She has served on advisory boards for Incyte and Astra Zeneca. Juan W. Valle has had consulting or advisory roles for Agios, AstraZeneca, Delcath Systems, Keocyt, Genoscience Pharma, Incyte, Ipsen, Merck, Mundipharma EDO, Novartis, PCI Biotech, Pfizer, Pieris Pharmaceuticals, QED, and Wren Laboratories; is on speakers’ bureaus for Imaging Equipment Limited, Ipsen, Novartis and Nucana; and has received travel grants from Celgene and Nucana. Angela Lamarca declares travel and educational support from Ipsen, Pfizer, Bayer, AAA, SirtEx, Novartis, Mylan, Delcath Advanz Pharma, and Roche; speaker honoraria from Merck, Pfizer, Ipsen, Incyte, AAA/Novartis, QED, Servier, Astra Zeneca, EISAI, Roche, Advanz Pharma, and MSD; advisory and consultancy honoraria from EISAI, Nutricia, Ipsen, QED, Roche, Servier, Boston Scientific, Albireo Pharma, AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, GENFIT, TransThera Biosciences, Taiho, and MSD; Principal-Investigator-associated Institutional Funding from QED, Merck, Boehringer Ingelheim, Servier, Astra Zeneca, GenFit, Albireo Pharma, and Roche; and she is also a member of the Knowledge Network and NETConnect Initiatives funded by Ipsen. Julien Edeline has received honoraria from MSD, Eisai, BMS, AstraZeneca, Bayer, Roche, Ipsen, Basilea, Merck Serono, Incyte, Servier, and Beigene; he has received travel support from Amgen; and he has received research funding (institutional) from BMS and Beigene. Richard A. Hubner has served on the advisory boards for Roche, BMS, Eisai, Celgene, Beigene, Ipsen, and BTG; he has received speaker fees from Eisai, Ipsen, Mylan, and PrimeOncology and has received travel and educational support from Bayer, BMS, and Roche.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Approved therapies for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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