ArticleLiver cancer2026
Vessels That Encapsulate Tumor Cluster+ Unresectable Hepatocellular Carcinomas Benefit of Antiangiogenic Therapy.
Article in Liver cancer, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Who cites it
5 citing papers in PubMed.
- Preoperative prediction of vessels encapsulating tumor clusters in hepatocellular carcinoma based on CT findings and des-γ-carboxy prothrombin level.International journal of clinical oncology · 2026Article
- Integration of histopathology and molecular features for the classification of benign and malignant hepatocellular neoplasms.Virchows Archiv : an international journal of pathology · 2026Review
- Vessels encapsulating tumor clusters predict better outcomes in advanced hepatocellular carcinoma treated with atezolizumab-bevacizumab.JHEP reports : innovation in hepatology · 2026Article
- From Theory to Practice: Which Biomarkers Are Ready for Predicting Response in Advanced HCC?Liver international : official journal of the International Association for the Study of the Liver · 2026Review
- Prognostic value of lymphatic vessel density in the capsule of early-stage hepatocellular carcinoma: implications for postoperative recurrence risk.Frontiers in immunology · 2026Article
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Authors and funding
31 authors.
Funding
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Abstract
Introduction: Two distinct molecular groups of HCC have been recently associated with a better response to atezolizumab-bevacizumab. One of these, "angiogenesis-driven," is related to HCC vascularization. Vessels that encapsulate tumor clusters (VETCs) is a morphological form of angiogenesis associated with worse prognosis in resected and transplanted HCC. The aim of this study was to explore if VETC can be used, at morphological level, to potentially surrogate the angiogenesis-driven molecular subgroup to identify HCC patients who might benefit of antiangiogenic treatments. Methods: The significance of VETC was first explored in a retrospective, single institution series of 75 patients with unresectable HCC (study cohort) and later validated in an external, retrospective series of 82 patients (validation cohort). The VETC phenotype was identified in the liver biopsy obtained just before the onset of systemic treatment. Results: Patients with VETC+ HCC experienced a significant survival benefit from antiangiogenic drugs, as tyrosine kinase inhibitors and/or bevacizumab (TKI/BEVA), across the study, validation, and overall cohorts. In the whole series of 157 patients, those with VETC+ HCC ( Conclusion: VETC+ predicts a significantly longer OS in patients with unresectable HCC treated with TKI/BEVA and can be used as surrogate marker on liver biopsy of angiogenesis-driven molecular class.
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Registered trials
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