Immunotherapy for Hepatocellular Carcinoma: Current Status and Future Prospects

Abstract

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most prevalent primary liver cancer with poor prognosis. Surgery, chemotherapy, and radiofrequency ablation are three conventional therapeutic options that will help only a limited percentage of HCC patients. Cancer immunotherapy has achieved dramatic advances in recent years and provides new opportunities to treat HCC. However, HCC has various etiologies and can evade the immune system through multiple mechanisms. With the rapid development of genetic engineering and synthetic biology, a variety of novel immunotherapies have been employed to treat advanced HCC, including immune checkpoint inhibitors, adoptive cell therapy, engineered cytokines, and therapeutic cancer vaccines. In this review, we summarize the current landscape and research progress of different immunotherapy strategies in the treatment of HCC. The challenges and opportunities of this research field are also discussed.

Bioinformatics Analysis Identifies Precision Treatment with Paclitaxel for Hepatocellular Carcinoma Patients Harboring Mutant TP53 or Wild-Type CTNNB1 Gene

“…Immunotherapy, such as immune checkpoint inhibitors, has become a promising new strategy for treating advanced HCC [42]. Between 2017 and 2020, two human anti-PD-1 monoclonal antibodies (nivolumab and pembrolizumab) and an anti-CTLA4 monoclonal antibody (ipilimumab) were approved for advanced HCC, extending patients' overall survival significantly [13][14][15].…”

A Retrospective Study of Lenvatinib Monotherapy or Combined With Programmed Cell Death Protein 1 Antibody in the Treatment of Patients With Hepatocellular Carcinoma or Intrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma in China

“…The mPFS is 4.9 months and the median overall survival is 12.9 months in this trial (10). In 2017, the PD-1 inhibitor nivolumab received accelerated approval in the United States for the second-line treatment of patients with advanced HCC after sorafenib treatment (11).…”

The Emerging Role of EVA1A in Different Types of Cancers

“…Due to the difficulty of early diagnosis, most patients with HCC are found to be in the advanced stage. The effect of hepatectomy or radiofrequency ablation is poor and the recurrence rate is high [ 47 ]. Recently, studies have proved that oxaliplatin-based chemotherapy is an effective method for the treatment of advanced HCC.…”