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Published on: August 31, 2022
Functional imaging techniques in hepatocellular carcinoma
1Division of Imaging Sciences and Biomedical Engineering, Kings College London, London, UK.
Abstract:
Novel biological therapies, including tyrosine kinase inhibitors such as sorafenib, improve the survival of patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma. However, assessment of therapeutic efficacy remains challenging with conventional imaging techniques such as ultrasonography, CT or MRI that predominantly rely on size change to detect a treatment response. A beneficial tumour effect may go unrecognized in some patients who do not show tumour shrinkage and conversely, some patients may be maintained on treatment that is not active. This paper explores the use of functional imaging methods that are showing promise in the assessment of hepatocellular carcinoma.
Insights
Novel therapies like sorafenib aid unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma survival. Functional imaging offers better treatment response assessment than traditional size-based methods for this cancer.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Medical Imaging
- Hepatology
Background:
- Unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) survival is improved by novel therapies, including tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) like sorafenib.
- Conventional imaging (ultrasonography, CT, MRI) primarily uses tumor size change to assess TKI efficacy, often failing to recognize beneficial effects or identify non-responsive patients.
- This limitation highlights the need for advanced imaging techniques to accurately evaluate treatment response in HCC.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the potential of functional imaging methods for assessing therapeutic efficacy in hepatocellular carcinoma.
- To address the limitations of conventional imaging in evaluating treatment response to novel biological therapies for HCC.
- To identify imaging techniques that can more accurately detect beneficial tumor effects beyond size reduction.
Main Methods:
- Review of current literature on functional imaging techniques applied to hepatocellular carcinoma.
- Analysis of how functional imaging modalities assess tumor biology and treatment response.
- Comparison of functional imaging with conventional size-based assessment methods (ultrasonography, CT, MRI).
Main Results:
- Functional imaging methods show promise in detecting early therapeutic effects in HCC, independent of tumor shrinkage.
- These techniques can potentially differentiate between active and inactive treatments, aiding clinical decision-making.
- Improved assessment of treatment response may prevent unnecessary exposure to ineffective therapies and recognize beneficial outcomes earlier.
Conclusions:
- Functional imaging represents a promising advancement for evaluating treatment response in unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma.
- Adoption of functional imaging could lead to more personalized and effective management of HCC patients undergoing targeted therapy.
- Further research and clinical validation are warranted to integrate functional imaging into standard HCC treatment assessment protocols.
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