Review
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2023. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Hepatol. Apr 27, 2023; 15(4): 460-476
Published online Apr 27, 2023. doi: 10.4254/wjh.v15.i4.460
Recent advances in recurrent hepatocellular carcinoma therapy
Yu-Xue Gao, Qi-Qi Ning, Peng-Xiang Yang, Yuan-Yue Guan, Peng-Xiang Liu, Meng-Lu Liu, Lu-Xin Qiao, Xiang-Hua Guo, Tong-Wang Yang, De-Xi Chen
Yu-Xue Gao, Qi-Qi Ning, Peng-Xiang Yang, Yuan-Yue Guan, Peng-Xiang Liu, Meng-Lu Liu, Lu-Xin Qiao, Xiang-Hua Guo, Tong-Wang Yang, De-Xi Chen, Beijing Institute of Hepatology, Beijing You An Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100069, China
Yu-Xue Gao, Qi-Qi Ning, Peng-Xiang Yang, Yuan-Yue Guan, Peng-Xiang Liu, Meng-Lu Liu, Lu-Xin Qiao, Xiang-Hua Guo, De-Xi Chen, Beijing Precision Medicine and Transformation Engineering Technology Research Center of Hepatitis and Liver Cancer, Beijing 100069, China
Tong-Wang Yang, Academician Workstation, Changsha Medical University, Changsha 410219, Hunan Province, China
Tong-Wang Yang, Hunan Key Laboratory of the Research and Development of Novel Pharmaceutical Preparations, Changsha Medical University, Changsha 410219, Hunan Province, China
Author contributions: Gao YX and Ning QQ contributed equally to this work; Yang PX, Guan YY, Liu PX, Liu ML Qiao LX, and Guo XH searched the references and polished the manuscript; Yang TW and Chen DX designed the review; all authors have read and approved the final manuscript.
Supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China, No. 82073676; Chinesisch-Deutsches Forschungsprojekt in Sonderprogramm zu COVID-19, No. C-0012; Key Programs of Beijing Municipal Education Commission of China, No. KZ202010025037; Third Round of Public Welfare Development and Reform Pilot Projects of Beijing Municipal Medical Research Institutes, No. Jing 2019-6; and Fourth Round of Public Welfare Development and Reform Pilot Projects of Beijing Municipal Medical Research Institutes, No. Jing 2021-10.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
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: De-Xi Chen, PhD, Professor, Beijing Institute of Hepatology, Beijing You An Hospital, Capital Medical University, No. 8 Youanmenwai, Youanmen Street, Fengtai District, Beijing 100069, China. dexichen@ccmu.edu.cn
Received: September 19, 2022
Peer-review started: September 19, 2022
First decision: December 1, 2022
Revised: December 20, 2022
Accepted: March 24, 2023
Article in press: March 24, 2023
Published online: April 27, 2023
Abstract

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most prevalent form of primary liver cancer, accounting for 75%-85% of cases. Although treatments are given to cure early-stage HCC, up to 50%-70% of individuals may experience a relapse of the illness in the liver after 5 years. Research on the fundamental treatment modalities for recurrent HCC is moving significantly further. The precise selection of individuals for therapy strategies with established survival advantages is crucial to ensuring better outcomes. These strategies aim to minimize substantial morbidity, support good life quality, and enhance survival for patients with recurrent HCC. For individuals with recurring HCC after curative treatment, no approved therapeutic regimen is currently available. A recent study presented novel approaches, like immunotherapy and antiviral medication, to improve the prognosis of patients with recurring HCC with the apparent lack of data to guide the clinical treatment. The data supporting several neoadjuvant and adjuvant therapies for patients with recurring HCC are outlined in this review. We also discuss the potential for future clinical and translational investigations.

Keywords: Recurrent hepatocellular carcinoma, Liver transplantation, Therapy, Immunotherapy, Neoadjuvant and adjuvant therapy

Core Tip: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most prevalent form of primary liver cancer, and up to 50%-70% of individuals may experience a relapse of the illness in the liver after 5 years. This review will provide novel approaches to improve the prognosis of patients with recurring HCC with the apparent lack of data to guide the clinical treatment. Neoadjuvant and/or adjuvant therapy methods potentially elevate the opportunity of cure in refractory patients with recurrent HCC and contribute to a better long-term prognosis.