The Advances in Therapy for Hepatocellular Carcinoma

A special issue of Cancers (ISSN 2072-6694). This special issue belongs to the section "Cancer Therapy".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (1 May 2025) | Viewed by 943

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Hepatology, Liver Disease Center, Toranomon Hospital, 2-2-2, Toranomon, Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan
Interests: diagnosis and treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma; prediction of tumor malignant; potential and therapeutic application; radiofrequency ablation (RFA); transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE); molecular target therapy

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Guest Editor
Department of Gastroenterology and Metabolism, Institute of Biomedical & Health Science, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima 734-8551, Japan
Interests: hepatocellular carcinoma; molecular targeted agents; transcatheter arterial chemoembolization; radiofrequency ablation; multityrosine kinase inhibitor

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

What are the goals for the long-term survival of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC)? The control of extrahepatic metastases, or the control of intrahepatic lesions? The current answer is the control of intrahepatic lesions.

The importance of intrahepatic tumor control for long-term survival in patients with extrahepatic tumor spread has also been reported.

For the control of intrahepatic lesions in unresectable HCC, radiofrequency ablation, transarterial chemoembolization (TACE), transarterial chemo infusion therapy (TAI), radiation therapy (stereotactic radiotherapy, intensity modulated radiation therapy, and particle beam therapy), and systemic therapies are our treatment options. On the other hand, the combination of lenvatinib and locoregional therapy has also come into the limelight. Since the introduction of lenvatinib, encouraging results have been reported on its highly synergistic effect with TACE based on anti-tumor vessel effects and high treatment efficacy in patients with oncologically aggressive HCC. The effect on tumor blood vessels has been supported by basic and clinical research, and the synergistic effects of radiation therapy by improving hypoxia are also expected. Moreover, a high conversion rate from unresectable to resectable has been reported.

In this Special Issue, it is hoped that the drug characteristics of lenvatinib, its synergistic effects with various therapies, and its role in the era of immunotherapy will be clarified.

Dr. Yusuke Kawamura
Dr. Tomokazu Kawaoka
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • lenvatinib
  • hepatocellular carcinoma
  • transarterial chemoembolization
  • transarterial chemo infusion therapy
  • radiation therapy
  • radiofrequency ablation
  • systemic therapy
  • surgery
  • surgical resection
  • locoregional therapy

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Review

17 pages, 263 KiB  
Review
The Combined Use of Lenvatinib and Locoregional Therapies for the Management of Hepatocellular Carcinoma
by Ronit Juthani, Pannaga Malalur, Ashish Manne and Arjun Mittra
Cancers 2025, 17(9), 1572; https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers17091572 - 5 May 2025
Viewed by 394
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a commonly diagnosed malignancy, with the treatment for transplant-ineligible localized disease traditionally relying on locoregional therapies, such as surgical resection, transarterial chemoembolization (TACE), and transarterial radioembolization (TARE). Systemic therapy has historically been reserved for advanced, unresectable HCC. However, lenvatinib, [...] Read more.
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a commonly diagnosed malignancy, with the treatment for transplant-ineligible localized disease traditionally relying on locoregional therapies, such as surgical resection, transarterial chemoembolization (TACE), and transarterial radioembolization (TARE). Systemic therapy has historically been reserved for advanced, unresectable HCC. However, lenvatinib, an oral multikinase inhibitor, has recently gained traction as part of a multimodal approach for localized HCC in combination with locoregional treatments. An upfront TACE or TARE can induce tumor hypoxia, leading to the upregulation of hypoxia-inducible factor-1 alpha (HIF-1α) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), which promotes tumor angiogenesis and progression. The rationale for combining lenvatinib with a locoregional therapy is to enhance tumor shrinkage while preserving liver function before a definitive intervention. Clinical trials, such as TACTICS and LAUNCH, have demonstrated improved outcomes with this approach. Additionally, retrospective studies, including those incorporating immune checkpoint inhibitors, have reported further benefits. This review explores the combination of lenvatinib with various locoregional modalities, including TARE, microwave ablation (MWA), and radiofrequency ablation (RFA), highlighting their indications and clinical outcomes. Furthermore, we discuss the ongoing and upcoming clinical trials investigating the integration of systemic agents with locoregional therapies for intermediate-stage HCC, including EMERALD-1, EMERALD-3, LEAP-012, and CheckMate 74W. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Advances in Therapy for Hepatocellular Carcinoma)
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