Topic: Recent Developments in the Surgical Management of Hepatocellular Carcinoma

The incidence of hepatobiliary malignancies is estimated at nearly 906,000 cases/year, ranking them as the sixth most diagnosed cancers worldwide, with an annual mortality of nearly 830,000. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) stand out as the two most prevalent primary liver malignancies. While curative treatment options such as hepatectomy or liver transplantation are available, a substantial number of patients are diagnosed at an advanced stage, rendering surgical intervention impractical. In such cases, the management of advanced disease may involve locoregional treatments such as targeted radiation or intra-arterial directed therapy. While historically not effective in the treatment of primary liver cancers, systemic therapy has more recently been increasingly utilized in the management of patients with advanced or progressing disease. In particular, current advances in systemic therapy with the introduction of immunotherapy have significantly contributed to the disease management of both HCC and biliary tract cancers (BTC). Recognizing the crucial role of the immune system in both the development and treatment of various cancers, there has been a surge in innovative approaches to cancer immunotherapy. In this context, we present a comprehensive review of the latest data on immunotherapy for HCC and CCA in this Special Issue.

19 Nov 2024