Hepatic OncologyPub Date : 2016-08-01Epub Date: 2016-08-19DOI: 10.2217/hep-2016-0008
Susanna V Ulahannan, Austin G Duffy
{"title":"Hepatocellular carcinoma and immune therapy, from a clinical perspective; where are we?","authors":"Susanna V Ulahannan, Austin G Duffy","doi":"10.2217/hep-2016-0008","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2217/hep-2016-0008","url":null,"abstract":"The incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has been reported to continue to increase in the past decades [1], however, we and other groups have found that this might be changing in the USA [2,3]. In our study – based on SEER data – there seemed to be a plateau in incidence rate around 2007, and that the rate of diagnosis in patients with smaller tumors (<5 cm) surpassed larger tumors around 2005. Despite these positive findings, less than 25% of patients received potentially curative treatment with liver transplantation, resection or ablation. In patients who are not candidates for curative treatments, options are limited to transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) for intermediate stage disease and, in the advanced disease setting, systemic therapy with sorafenib, the only US FDA-approved drug treatment [4,5]. Recently, a Phase III trial reported that regorafenib in the second-line setting improved overall survival by 2.8 months (10.6 vs 7.8 months) when compared with placebo (HR: 0.62; p < 0.02) [6]. This was the first positive trial in many years and we will await further details from this study. There have been several Phase II and III trials attempting to improve the limited treatment options in HCC but unfortunately these trials have been negative [7]. Other Phase III trials that are ongoing in second-line setting include cabozantinib (NCT01908426), MET inhibitor tivantinib (NCT01755767) and the VEGFR2 inhibitor ramucirumab (NCT02435433). Thus there is an urgent need to find alternative durable and well-tolerated t reatments in HCC. There are many indications in the literature suggesting that HCC should be amenable to immune therapy. HCC has been reported to a cancer type where spontaneous tumor regressions are seen [8], although this is likely due to diverse mechanisms including either immune responses or vascular","PeriodicalId":44854,"journal":{"name":"Hepatic Oncology","volume":"3 3","pages":"183-185"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2016-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.2217/hep-2016-0008","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"36469984","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Hepatic OncologyPub Date : 2016-08-01Epub Date: 2016-06-27DOI: 10.2217/hep-2016-0004
Christopher E Jensen, Arturo Loaiza-Bonilla, Paula A Bonilla-Reyes
{"title":"Immune checkpoint inhibitors for hepatocellular carcinoma.","authors":"Christopher E Jensen, Arturo Loaiza-Bonilla, Paula A Bonilla-Reyes","doi":"10.2217/hep-2016-0004","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2217/hep-2016-0004","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide, and advanced HCC generally caries a poor prognosis. The treatment of advanced disease is limited to sorafenib, which provides only a limited improvement in survival, and novel therapies are, thus, sorely needed. Among emerging alternative approaches, immune checkpoint inhibitors are a particularly promising treatment modality. In this review, we summarize current knowledge of the mechanisms for the two primary targets of immune checkpoint inhibitors and discuss the relevance of these pathways to the immunology of HCC. We also review the state of ongoing and forthcoming trials of immune checkpoint blockade in HCC.</p>","PeriodicalId":44854,"journal":{"name":"Hepatic Oncology","volume":"3 3","pages":"201-211"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2016-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.2217/hep-2016-0004","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"36469990","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Hepatic OncologyPub Date : 2016-08-01Epub Date: 2016-08-19DOI: 10.2217/hep-2016-0007
Jordi Bruix
{"title":"Regorafenib and the RESORCE trial: a new second-line option for hepatocellular carcinoma patients.","authors":"Jordi Bruix","doi":"10.2217/hep-2016-0007","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2217/hep-2016-0007","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p><b>Dr Jordi Bruix* speaks to Laura Dormer, Editorial Director:</b> Dr Jordi Bruix is the Head of the Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) group at the Hospital Clinic (University of Barcelona, Spain) and Director of the Network for Research in Liver and Digestive Disease (CIBEREHD) in the Spanish Research Institute. His research has changed the diagnosis and treatment of liver cancer. Major highlights include: development of the BCLC staging and treatment; development of diagnostic criteria for hepatocellular carcinoma; identification of the value of portal pressure in predicting prognosis after resection; and acting as principal investigator of the Phase III trials that have shown the benefits of chemoembolization, sorafenib and regorafenib for patients with liver cancer. He has authored the European Assoaciation for the Study of the Liver, American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases and World Gastroenterology Organization Practice Guidelines and the United Network for Organ Sharing hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) diagnostic criteria.</p>","PeriodicalId":44854,"journal":{"name":"Hepatic Oncology","volume":"3 3","pages":"187-189"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2016-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.2217/hep-2016-0007","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"36469986","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Hepatic OncologyPub Date : 2016-08-01Epub Date: 2016-06-10DOI: 10.2217/hep-2016-0005
Riccardo Lencioni, Dania Cioni
{"title":"RFA plus lyso-thermosensitive liposomal doxorubicin: in search of the optimal approach to cure intermediate-size hepatocellular carcinoma.","authors":"Riccardo Lencioni, Dania Cioni","doi":"10.2217/hep-2016-0005","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2217/hep-2016-0005","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>When heated during a radiofrequency ablation (RFA) procedure to ≥40°C, lyso-thermosensitive liposomal doxorubicin (LTLD) produces high drug concentration in the surrounding margins of the ablation zone. The hypothesis that the RFA + LTLD combination can effectively treat hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) was investigated in the HEAT study: adding LTLD did not improve the efficacy of normal practice RFA. However, among the 285 patients with a solitary lesion who received at least 45-min RFA dwell time, the hazard ratio for overall survival was 0.63 (95% CI: 0.41-0.96; p = 0.04). The OPTIMA study is currently ongoing to test the hypothesis that adding LTLD to a standardized RFA lasting ≥45 min increases survival compared with standardized RFA alone.</p>","PeriodicalId":44854,"journal":{"name":"Hepatic Oncology","volume":"3 3","pages":"193-200"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2016-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.2217/hep-2016-0005","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"36469988","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Hepatic OncologyPub Date : 2016-04-01Epub Date: 2016-03-23DOI: 10.2217/hep-2016-0003
Eunice Y-T Lau, Terence K-W Lee
{"title":"What are the options for hepatocellular carcinoma patients who progress under sorafenib?","authors":"Eunice Y-T Lau, Terence K-W Lee","doi":"10.2217/hep-2016-0003","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2217/hep-2016-0003","url":null,"abstract":"Department of Applied Biology & Chemical Technology, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong *Author for correspondence: Tel.: +852 3400 8799; Fax: +852 2364 9932; terence.kw.lee@polyu.edu.hk","PeriodicalId":44854,"journal":{"name":"Hepatic Oncology","volume":"3 2","pages":"105-108"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2016-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.2217/hep-2016-0003","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"36471087","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Hepatic OncologyPub Date : 2016-04-01Epub Date: 2016-03-23DOI: 10.2217/hep-2015-0001
Thierry de Baere, Lambros Tselikas, Frederic Deschamps, Valerie Boige, Michel Ducreux, Antoine Hollebecque
{"title":"Advances in transarterial therapies for hepatocellular carcinoma: is novel technology leading to better outcomes?","authors":"Thierry de Baere, Lambros Tselikas, Frederic Deschamps, Valerie Boige, Michel Ducreux, Antoine Hollebecque","doi":"10.2217/hep-2015-0001","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2217/hep-2015-0001","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Conventional transarterial chemoembolization (c-TACE) was validated in 2002 for intermediate stage hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Recent improvements in overall survival after c-TACE in HCC is linked to both better patient selection, and improvement in treatment technologies: catheter, image guidance and new drug delivery platforms. Drug eluting beads (DEBs) demonstrated a benefit over c-TACE in pharmacokinetic studies; however, two randomized studies comparing c-TACE and DEB-TACE demonstrated no benefit of DEB-TACE in response rate or overall survival. Delivery platforms loaded with yttrium-90 deliver selective internal radiation therapy, which opens a new field of therapy for HCC. Future improvement in intra-arterial therapies will include resorbable loadable embolic material, new emulsion used for c-TACE and platforms releasing multikinase inhibitors.</p>","PeriodicalId":44854,"journal":{"name":"Hepatic Oncology","volume":"3 2","pages":"109-118"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2016-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.2217/hep-2015-0001","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"36471088","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Hepatic OncologyPub Date : 2016-04-01Epub Date: 2016-03-29DOI: 10.2217/hep-2015-0005
Tim Ch Hoogenboom, Mark Thursz, Eric O Aboagye, Rohini Sharma
{"title":"Functional imaging of hepatocellular carcinoma.","authors":"Tim Ch Hoogenboom, Mark Thursz, Eric O Aboagye, Rohini Sharma","doi":"10.2217/hep-2015-0005","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2217/hep-2015-0005","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Imaging plays a key role in the clinical management of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), but conventional imaging techniques have limited sensitivity in visualizing small tumors and assessing response to locoregional treatments and sorafenib. Functional imaging techniques allow visualization of organ and tumor physiology. Assessment of functional characteristics of tissue, such as metabolism, proliferation and stiffness, may overcome some of the limitations of structural imaging. In particular, novel molecular imaging agents offer a potential tool for early diagnosis of HCC, and radiomics may aid in response assessment and generate prognostic models. Further prospective research is warranted to evaluate emerging techniques and their cost-effectiveness in the context of HCC in order to improve detection and response assessment.</p>","PeriodicalId":44854,"journal":{"name":"Hepatic Oncology","volume":"3 2","pages":"137-153"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2016-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.2217/hep-2015-0005","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"36469981","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Hepatic OncologyPub Date : 2016-04-01Epub Date: 2016-03-29DOI: 10.2217/hep-2015-0004
Benjamin J May, David C Madoff
{"title":"Controversies of preoperative portal vein embolization.","authors":"Benjamin J May, David C Madoff","doi":"10.2217/hep-2015-0004","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2217/hep-2015-0004","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Portal vein embolization (PVE) is a safe, percutaneous procedure that has been proven to lower the complication rates of curative intent large-volume hepatic resection by inducing hypertrophy of the future liver remnant. While the safety and efficacy of PVE has been well substantiated, there remains controversy with regards to the technical details, periprocedural management, and whether alternative methods of achieving future liver remnant hypertrophy are preferable to PVE. This paper will address those controversies and offer recommendations based on available data.</p>","PeriodicalId":44854,"journal":{"name":"Hepatic Oncology","volume":"3 2","pages":"155-166"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2016-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.2217/hep-2015-0004","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"36469982","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Hepatic OncologyPub Date : 2016-04-01Epub Date: 2016-03-23DOI: 10.2217/hep-2015-0006
Francesco Tovoli, Giulia Negrini, Luigi Bolondi
{"title":"Comparative analysis of current guidelines for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma.","authors":"Francesco Tovoli, Giulia Negrini, Luigi Bolondi","doi":"10.2217/hep-2015-0006","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2217/hep-2015-0006","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Hepatocellular carcinoma is one of the most common malignancies and represents a unique challenge for physicians and patients. Treatment patterns are not uniform between areas despite efforts to promote a common protocol. Even if most hepatologists worldwide adopt the Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer staging system, Asian and North American physicians are also independently making an effort to expand the indications of each treatment, combining therapies for better outcomes. Also, new therapeutic techniques have emerged and an increasing number of studies are trying to include these paradigm shifts into newer treatment guidelines. Controversial and diverging points in the current international guidelines are emphasized and discussed. Unanswered questions are also analyzed to identify the most needed and promising future perspectives.</p>","PeriodicalId":44854,"journal":{"name":"Hepatic Oncology","volume":"3 2","pages":"119-136"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2016-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.2217/hep-2015-0006","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"36471089","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}