[Current therapy for hepatocellular carcinoma]

Multimodality treatment is applied according to varied stages of hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC), and to varied status of liver function. Surgical resection is regarded as the most radical way of therapy for an early stage of HCC (single large tumor, or small tumor of 3cm or less with 3 nodules or less). Among percutaneous local ablation therapies, radiofrequency ablation is the most effective from the viewpoint of local recurrence and survival rate. Transcatheter arterial chemoembolization prolongs the survival period of those patients with an intermediate stage of HCC(tumors of more than 3cm and/or 4 nodules or more). Sufficient evidence of the efficacy of chemotherapy is still lacking for advanced stages of HCC with or without portal vein invasion. Although sorafenib is the first molecular targeted medicine approved for the advanced HCCs, its usefulness remains unknown in Japanese patients.