The advancement of immunotherapy in hepatocellular carcinoma

Abstract

Most patients diagnosed with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) present with advanced or metastatic disease. The lack of therapeutic options in the treatment of advanced HCC accounts for its high mortality and recurrence rate. HCC is known as an immunogenic tumor, which develops in chronically inflamed livers. Anti-PD-1/PD-L1 antibodies (immune checkpoint inhibitors, ICB) were approved by the FDA to treat advanced HCC in patients previously treated with sorafenib as a second line. This has opened up a new era of anticancer treatment, although the response rate of HCC to anti-PD-1/PD-L1 antibodies is only around 20%. Other than ICB treatment, adoptive cell transfer, dendritic cell-based vaccines and oncolytic therapy are currently under clinical trials. In this review, different immunotherapy approaches for HCC is presented. Current knowledge on the mechanisms of action for each approach is discussed and relevant, ongoing clinical trials are presented. We also discuss the future of immunotherapy and combination treatment for HCC patients.

Keywords

Hepatocellular carcinoma / immunotherapy / anti-PD-1/PD-L1 antibodies

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