Recent advances in systemic therapy for hepatocellular carcinoma

• Published in: Biomarker research Vol. 10; no. 1; p. 3
• Main Authors: Zhang, Huajun, Zhang, Wuyang, Jiang, Longying, Chen, Yongheng
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England BioMed Central Ltd 09-01-2022; BioMed Central; BMC
• Subjects: Antimitotic agents; Antineoplastic agents; Cancer; Cancer therapies; Care and treatment; Clinical trials; Combination; Cytotoxicity; Development and progression; Drug dosages; FDA approval; Growth factors; Health aspects; Hepatocellular carcinoma; Hepatoma; Immune checkpoint; Immune response; Immunosuppressive agents; Immunotherapies; Immunotherapy; Liver cancer; Medical prognosis; Molecular targeted therapy; Pathogenesis; Review; Tumors; Finland; United States > US; Molecular targeted therapy; Hepatocellular carcinoma; Combination; Immunotherapies
• ISSN: 2050-7771; 2050-7771
• DOI: 10.1186/s40364-021-00350-4

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common and lethal malignant tumors in the world. Therapeutic options for advanced HCC are limited. Systemic treatment, especially with conventional cytotoxic drugs, is usually ineffective. For more than a decade, sorafenib has been the only systemic drug that has been proven to be clinically effective for treating advanced HCC. However, over the past three years, the rapid progress of molecular targeted therapies has dramatically changed the treatment landscape for advanced HCC. Immune checkpoint therapies are now being incorporated into HCC therapies, and their combination with molecular targeted therapy is emerging as a tool to enhance the immune response. In this review, we summarize the development and progress of molecular targeted agents and immunotherapies in HCC.