ArticleHepatology communications2025
Pathological study of the tumor microenvironment after neoadjuvant therapy in hepatocellular carcinoma: Difference of TACE combined with antiangiogenics and immunotherapy.
Article in Hepatology communications, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.
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4 citing papers in PubMed.
- Immunotherapy for virus-related hepatocellular carcinoma: recent progress and future directions.Annals of medicine · 2026Review
- Neoadjuvant therapy in primary liver cancer: From the missing piece to a new paradigm.Hepatology communications · 2026Article
- Hepatocellular carcinoma metastasis-immune microenvironment crosstalk: emerging mechanisms and immunotherapy.Cellular & molecular biology letters · 2026Review
- IGF2BP2 Overexpression Predicts Poor Prognosis and Correlates with PD-L1 Expression in Intrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma.Biomedicines · 2026Article
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8 authors.
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Abstract
backgroundHCC is the leading form of primary liver cancer worldwide. Transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (T) is commonly used to treat unresectable tumors. T combined with antiangiogenic therapy and immunotherapy (AI) has shown significant progress in neoadjuvant treatment, although the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. This study aimed to explore the reasons for the enhanced efficacy of T+AI from a pathological perspective in the context of HCC.
methodsA retrospective analysis was conducted on 49 patients with HCC who were treated with T before surgical resection. Twenty-three patients received T+AI, while 26 received only T. Immunohistochemistry was performed to evaluate clinical data, including disease-free survival. Immune cells were recorded based on 4 methods, including tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) percentage (the percentage of positive lymphocytes in the central area of the tumor) and the other 3 methods. Blood vessels were classified on the basis of the presence of VETC (vessels that encapsulate tumor clusters).
resultsThe group analysis results suggested that disease-free survival in the T+AI group was significantly better than that in the T group. Analysis revealed that CD8+TILs were a prognostic factor for neoadjuvant treatment and lower carbonic anhydrase 9 and VETC positivity in the T+AI group, with significant differences in immune cell infiltration and vascular classification. VETC positivity was associated with higher residual tumor rates and lower CD8+TIL levels.
conclusionsPathological assessment of CD8+TILs in cancer tissues may serve as an important indicator for evaluating the efficacy of neoadjuvant therapy in HCC. The presence of VETC and carbonic anhydrase 9 may also affect the efficacy of neoadjuvant therapy and could potentially serve as indicators.
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