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LIVER CANCER IN 2020

Pursuing efficacious systemic therapy for hepatocellular carcinoma

Nature Reviews Gastroenterology & Hepatology volume 18, pages 95–96 (2021)Cite this article

Subjects

In 2020, combination treatments have pushed the efficacy of systemic therapy for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) to an unprecedented high, providing a solid base for the future pursuit of further improved, highly efficacious systemic therapies for HCC.

Key advances

  • Combination of atezolizumab (anti-PDL1 monoclonal antibody) and bevacizumab (anti-VEGF monoclonal antibody) has established a new standard of care for first-line systemic therapy of advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC)4.

  • Ongoing studies of the combinations of immune checkpoint inhibitors and tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKIs), for example pembrolizumab plus lenvatinib, are showing similar or even higher efficacy for HCC than atezolizumab plus bevacizumab7.

  • A combination of two immune checkpoint inhibitors, anti-PDL1 and anti-CTLA4, might offer similar efficacy as atezolizumab plus bevacizumab for HCC9.

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References

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Medical Oncology, National Taiwan University Cancer Center, Taipei City, Taiwan

    Ann-Lii Cheng

  2. Departments of Internal Medicine and Oncology, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei City, Taiwan

    Ann-Lii Cheng

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  1. Ann-Lii Cheng
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Correspondence to Ann-Lii Cheng.

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Competing interests

A-.L.C. receives consulting fees from AstraZeneca, BeiGene, Bayer Healthcare, Bristol-Myers Squibb, CSR Pharma Group, Eisai, Exelixis, F. Hoffmann-La Roche, IPSEN Innovation, IQVIA, Merck Sharp Dohme, Merck Serono, Novartis, Nucleix, Ono Pharmaceutical and Roche/Genentech, travel support from Bayer Yakuhin, IQVIA and Roche/Genentech, and fees for serving on a speakers bureau from Amgen Taiwan, Bayer Yakuhin, Eisai, Novartis and Ono Pharmaceutical.

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U.S. National Library of Medicine Clinical Trials.gov: https://clinicaltrials.gov/

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Cheng, AL. Pursuing efficacious systemic therapy for hepatocellular carcinoma. Nat Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol 18, 95–96 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41575-020-00405-1

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