Transarterial intervention therapy combined with systemic therapy for HCC: a review of recent five-year articles

Abstract

Recently, the combination of interventional and systemic therapies has become an essential treatment modality for primary liver cancer (PLC). Interventional therapy might promote tumor necrosis and enhance immunogenicity, while the combination with systemic therapy further augments clinical efficacy. Clinical studies have demonstrated that, compared with interventional therapy alone, the combination of interventional therapy with either immunotherapy or targeted therapy can significantly improve tumor response rate and extend the survival period. Furthermore, the synergistic therapeutic approach may enable patients with initially unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) to undergo surgery, thus enhancing the overall therapeutic outcome. The combined therapy not only maintains the occurrence and severity of adverse effects at a manageable level but also ensures that any associated adverse effects remain within a controllable scope. Most recent studies are retrospective analyses with small sample sizes. There is an imperative need for more large-scale, prospective, randomized controlled clinical trials to elucidate the optimal combination therapy modality and to identify the ideal patient group for treatment.

Keywords

TACE / HAIC / TAE / TARE / immunotherapy / targeted therapy

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