Advancing hepatocellular carcinoma treatment with hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains a major challenge in oncology, being a leading cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide. Early-stage HCC is typically treated with surgical resection, transplantation, or ablation, while advanced-stage HCC relies on systemic therapies like sorafenib and newer combinations such as atezolizumab-bevacizumab. Despite these advancements, there is still a need for effective treatments for unresectable HCC, especially in cases with macroscopic vascular invasion. Hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy (HAIC) has demonstrated promising outcomes in Asia for the treatment of unresectable HCC, yet its application in Western countries has been relatively limited. This letter reviews the recent meta-analysis by Zhou et al published in the World Journal of Gastrointestinal Oncology, which demonstrates the efficacy and safety of HAIC vs sorafenib. The analysis includes 9 randomized controlled trials and 35 cohort studies, highlighting significant improvements in overall survival, progression-free survival, and objective response rates with HAIC and its combinations. The editorial explores the reasons behind the limited use of HAIC in Western countries. It underscores the potential of HAIC to enhance treatment outcomes for advanced HCC and calls for more research and broader adoption of HAIC in clinical practice globally.