Systemic treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma

05/2021

MUDr. Beatrix Bencsiková, Ph.D.

Klinika komplexní onkologické péče, Masarykův onkologický ústav, Brno

SUMMARY

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a heterogeneous disease with an increasing incidence. Despite advances in systemic treatment, patients' prognosis remains poor. The outcome of treatment is affected by the extent of the disease, comorbidities of the patient, performance status, functional status of the liver parenchyma. Tyrosine kinase inhibitors (sorafenib, lenvatinib, cabozantinib, regorafenib), a monoclonal antibody against the vascular endothelial growth factor receptor (ramucirumab), improve overall patient survival. After more than ten years, the programmed cell death ligand inhibitor 1 atezolizumab in combination with bevacizumab statistically significantly prolonged the survival of patients with unresectable HCC. The aim of the article is to present the possibilities of systemic treatment of HCC in the first and second line of treatment.

Key words

hepatocellular carcinoma, systemic therapy, sorafenib, atezolizumab, bevacizumab, regorafenib, cabozantinib, ramucirumab