Immunotherapy for hepatocellular carcinoma: From basic research to clinical use

Abstract

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a common cancer worldwide with a poor prognosis. Few strategies have been proven efficient in HCC treatment, particularly for those patients not indicated for curative resection or transplantation. Immunotherapy has been developed for decades for cancer control and is attaining more attention as a result of encouraging outcomes of new strategies such as chimeric antigen receptor T cells and immune checkpoint blockade. Right at the front of the new era of immunotherapy, we review the immunotherapy in HCC treatment, from basic research to clinical trials, covering anything from immunomodulators, tumor vaccines and adoptive immunotherapy. The mechanisms, efficacy and safety as well as the approach particulars are unveiled to assist readers to gain a concise but extensive understanding of immunotherapy of HCC.

Heterogeneity of liver cancer and personalized therapy

“…As an "immune organ", liver shows unique antior pro-tumor responses during the progression of HCC [107]. Immune-modulators, tumor vaccines and adoptive immunotherapy proved effective in the clinical practice of HCC [108]. The metabolism disorders of tumor have been becoming one of the common views.…”

Is Adjuvant Cellular Immunotherapy Essential after TACE-Predominant Minimally-Invasive Treatment for Hepatocellular Carcinoma? A Systematic Meta-Analysis of Studies Including 1774 Patients

“…In recent decades, cellular immunotherapy has emerged as a promising strategy for cancer treatment [11,12]. It has been reported that cellular immunotherapy could strengthen the immune state and afford a potential value in enhancing the therapeutic outcome [13], although it has not been considered as a standard therapy for HCC.…”

Delineation of an immunosuppressive gradient in hepatocellular carcinoma using high-dimensional proteomic and transcriptomic analyses

“…Numerous clinical trials on cancer immunotherapeutics are ongoing-particularly those assessing the efficacy of immune-checkpoint inhibitors (4)(5)(6)(7). Despite encouraging results from clinical trials, fundamental differences in responsiveness both between different cancer types and within the same cancer type have been reported (8).…”