Systemic therapy and synergies by combination

After years of therapeutic nihilism due to the inefficacy of conventional cytotoxic chemotherapy, the multikinase inhibitor sorafenib was the first agent to demonstrate a significant improvement in the survival of patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, survival benefits on sorafenib treatment remain modest in clinical practice and developing more effective systemic therapies is challenging. No other targeted agent or regimen has proven efficacy to improve survival in a phase III trial in the first- or second-line setting, and no standard treatment option currently exists outside of clinical trials for patients with acquired resistance or intolerance to sorafenib. In contrast to other malignancies, no oncogene addiction has been identified in hepatocarcinogenesis thus far, which may explain why currently tested agents do not achieve sustained partial or complete response in the majority of patients. Several agents with mainly antiangiogenic properties are currently in phase II and III development, including brivanib, ramucirumab, everolimus, tivantinib and resminostat. In addition, the role of molecularly targeted therapy (MTT) in earlier stages of the disease in combination with transcatheter arterial chemoembolization or in the adjuvant setting after potentially curative approaches is under investigation. The identification of the key driver mutations and the assessment of relevant targets for specific subpopulations of patients according to their biomarker-based profile will hopefully lead to a more personalized medicine. This article attempts to provide a concise overview on recent developments of MTT in the phase II-III setting in advanced HCC with an additional focus on synergistic combinations and combined treatment approaches.