Sato K. Treatment of intermediate-to-advanced unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma is shifting toward a multidisciplinary strategy that includes multiple modalities as needed. World J Gastroenterol 2025; 31(10): 103420 [DOI: 10.3748/wjg.v31.i10.103420]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Ken Sato, Department of Healthcare Informatics, Takasaki University of Health and Welfare, 37-1 Nakaorui-machi, Takasaki 370-0033, Japan. satoken@gunma-u.ac.jp
Research Domain of This Article
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Article-Type of This Article
Letter to the Editor
Open-Access Policy of This Article
This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
World J Gastroenterol. Mar 14, 2025; 31(10): 103420 Published online Mar 14, 2025. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v31.i10.103420
Treatment of intermediate-to-advanced unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma is shifting toward a multidisciplinary strategy that includes multiple modalities as needed
Ken Sato
Ken Sato, Department of Healthcare Informatics, Takasaki University of Health and Welfare, Takasaki 370-0033, Japan
Ken Sato, Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Gunma University Graduate School of Medicine, Maebashi 371-8511, Japan
Author contributions: Sato K developed the overall concept and contributed to the writing and editing of the manuscript, illustrations, and review of the literature.
Conflict-of-interest statement: Ken Sato has nothing to disclose.
Open Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Ken Sato, Department of Healthcare Informatics, Takasaki University of Health and Welfare, 37-1 Nakaorui-machi, Takasaki 370-0033, Japan. satoken@gunma-u.ac.jp
Received: November 19, 2024 Revised: January 31, 2025 Accepted: February 12, 2025 Published online: March 14, 2025 Processing time: 99 Days and 17.6 Hours
Abstract
In the recent issue of the World Journal of Gastroenterology, Han et al compared the efficacy of and adverse reactions to bevacizumab versus lenvatinib as molecularly targeted agents in combination with interventional therapy and immunotherapy (IMT) to treat intermediate-to-advanced unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma. No significant differences in efficacy or adverse reactions were observed between bevacizumab and lenvatinib. This study is highly promising because in some regions, e.g., Japan, the combination of molecularly targeted therapy with IMT is fixed because of insurance restrictions, and some molecularly targeted agents cannot be combined with IMT. Further studies using these three modalities are expected to be conducted in the future. Additionally, because advanced radiotherapy modalities have recently been established, the number of combinations continues to increase, and further evidence regarding combination therapy, which is the cornerstone of personalized medicine, needs to be accumulated.
Core Tip: Many treatment approaches for intermediate-to-advanced unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma are advancing, and there is an increasing amount of evidence regarding the use of combination therapies. Although there may be limitations on combinations in some regions, there is a growing need for research on multimodal treatments, which serve as the cornerstone of personalized medicine. Based on this evidence, we believe that effective combination therapies should be sought for each patient.
