Combining External Beam Radiotherapy and Immunotherapy for the Treatment of Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Connie Le, Aswin G Abraham, Keith Tankel, Nawaid Usmani, Kurian Joseph, Diane Severin, Fatimah AlFaraj, Laura A Dawson

Abstract readReview

In one paragraph

Review in Current oncology (Toronto, Ont.), 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it

0cells of the map it votes in

0citing papers in PubMed

–field-weighted citation impact

1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Connie LeDepartment of Oncology, Division of Radiation Oncology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 1Z2, Canada.ORCID 0000-0003-4864-7420

Aswin G AbrahamDepartment of Oncology, Division of Radiation Oncology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 1Z2, Canada.

Keith TankelDepartment of Oncology, Division of Radiation Oncology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 1Z2, Canada.

Nawaid UsmaniDepartment of Oncology, Division of Radiation Oncology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 1Z2, Canada.

Kurian JosephDepartment of Oncology, Division of Radiation Oncology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 1Z2, Canada.ORCID 0000-0003-3514-2183

Diane SeverinDepartment of Oncology, Division of Radiation Oncology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 1Z2, Canada.

Fatimah AlFarajDepartment of Oncology, Division of Radiation Oncology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 1Z2, Canada.ORCID 0000-0002-9882-0570

Laura A DawsonRadiation Medicine Program, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, Toronto, ON M5G 2M9, Canada.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The advent of immune checkpoint inhibitors has driven progress in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) treatment outcomes and enabled opportunities for combining therapeutic modalities. Growing evidence substantiates the utility of radiotherapy, particularly at ablative doses, in the management of HCC. Given the potential for radiotherapy to induce an immunostimulatory environment and potentiate immune checkpoint inhibitor activity, the expanding HCC treatment landscape compels exploration of the combination of radiotherapy and immunotherapy. This review highlights recent advances in the treatment of HCC using radiotherapy and immunotherapy in combination. Radiation can potentiate an anti-tumor response and tumor microenvironment permissive to immunotherapy. Results from randomized clinical trials and retrospective studies consistently show that combinations of radiotherapy and immunotherapy improved the treatment outcomes of unresectable or advanced HCC-especially HCC with macrovascular invasion. Active research to further improve treatment efficacy and reduce side effects is exemplified by more than 20 ongoing clinical trials combining external beam radiotherapy and immunotherapy to treat HCC. Ongoing research aims at prolonging survival and downstaging advanced or unresectable HCC.

Indexed as

Carcinoma, HepatocellularImmunotherapyLiver NeoplasmsCombined Modality TherapyHumansangiogenesis inhibitorCTLA-4hepatocellular carcinomaimmunotherapymacrovascular invasionPD-1PD-L1radiotherapystereotactic body radiotherapytyrosine kinase inhibitor

Identifiers

PMID42041745

DOI10.3390/curroncol33040226

PMCPMC13114658

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata

LicenceCC BY

Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.