ArticleCancers2023
Immunotherapy Plus Locoregional Therapy Leading to Curative-Intent Hepatectomy in HCC: Proof of Concept Producing Durable Survival Benefits Detectable with Liquid Biopsy.
Article in Cancers, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 16 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
16 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 17 citations in OpenAlex.
- Systemic conversion therapies for initially unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMC cancer · 2024Pooled it
- Histotripsy for liver tumours: a systematic review and meta-analysis of current clinical evidence.EClinicalMedicine · 2026Article
- Pathologic Complete Response to Neoadjuvant Dual Checkpoint Blockade with Durvalumab Plus Tremelimumab in Advanced-Stage HCC: A Case Report.Journal of hepatocellular carcinoma · 2026Article
- Tissue and blood-based predictive biomarkers in hepatocellular carcinoma immunotherapy: synthesis of 2023-2026 evidence and a proposed clinical integration framework.Frontiers in oncology · 2026Review
- Pharmacokinetic Characterization of Single-Stranded DNA in Murine Models Using High-Specific-ActivityACS omega · 2025Article
- Comprehensive Analysis of Radiologic Cancer-Free Status through Various Treatment Approaches in Advanced-Stage Hepatocellular Carcinoma.Liver cancer · 2025Article
- Navigating the complexities: challenges and opportunities in conversion therapy for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma.Clinical and experimental medicine · 2025Review
- Circulating tumor DNA in management of primary liver malignancy: A review of the literature and future directions.Journal of surgical oncology · 2025Review
- Histotripsy of Liver Tumors: Patient Selection, Ethical Discussions, and How We Do It.Cancers · 2025Review
- Expanding Indications in Transplant Oncology.Cancers · 2025Review
- PET-Assessed Metabolic Tumor Volume Across the Spectrum of Solid-Organ Malignancies: A Review of the Literature.Biomedicines · 2025Review
- Assessing the Causal Effect of Circulating Protein-To-Protein Ratio on the Risk of Morbidity of Hepatocellular Carcinoma.Cancer medicine · 2025Article
- Neoadjuvant therapy for hepatocellular carcinoma-priming precision innovations to transform HCC treatment.Frontiers in surgery · 2025Review
- Advanced approaches to loco-regional and surgical management for hepatocellular carcinoma.Journal of gastrointestinal oncology · 2024Article
- Clinical Outcomes and Histologic Findings of Patients With Hepatocellular Carcinoma With Durable Partial Response or Durable Stable Disease After Receiving Atezolizumab Plus Bevacizumab.Journal of clinical oncology : official journal of the American Society of Clinical Oncology · 2024Article
- Review
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Authors and funding
10 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundImmunotherapy has emerged as an improved systemic treatment for select patients with advanced unresectable HCC. Objective response is reported in 30% of patients, yet complete response (pCR) allowing for curative-intent resection is rare. Locoregional therapies (LRTs) seem to show synergistic effects with immunotherapy, though this effect has not been scientifically reported. We report a cohort of patients showing pCR to immunotherapy + LRT as a proof of concept for the proposed treatment approach for locally unresectable HCC.
methodsPatients with unresectable HCC treated with immunotherapy as an intended destination therapy from 2016 to 2023 were included. The electronic health record was queried for oncologic information, locoregional therapies, surgical interventions, and long-term outcomes. Circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) testing was obtained using Guardant360, and tumor mutational burden (TMB) was defined as the number of somatic mutations per megabase.
resultsNinety-six patients with advanced HCC received immunotherapy + LRT as a destination therapy. In total, 11 of 96 patients showed a complete response according to mRECIST criteria. Four of these (36.4%) ultimately underwent curative-intent resection. The median follow-up was 24.9 (IQR 15.6-38.3) months. Overall survival rates in those with complete response at 1, 3, and 5 years were 100%, 91%, and 81.8%, respectively, which were significantly improved compared to those of the cohort not achieving pCR (
conclusionsImmunotherapy + locoregional therapy can help downstage a significant proportion of patients with initially unresectable HCC, allowing for curative-intent surgery. The survival benefit associated with complete response seems durable up to 3 years after achieving this response. ctDNA measurement was converted from positive to negative in this cohort, providing additional indication of response.
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