Predictive value of biomarkers for lenvatinib in hepatocellular carcinoma

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a highly lethal disease that exhibits a rising global incidence, and most HCC patients are at an advanced stage at the time of diagnosis. Although lenvatinib has become the first-line option for HCC and its overall survival is not inferior to sorafenib, not all HCC patients could derive benefits from lenvatinib. Therefore, it was urgent to predict which group of HCC patients could derive benefits from lenvatinib and monitor its therapeutic effectiveness during treatment. This review summarized various biomarkers that could be used for prediction of lenvatinib response, including 7 biomarkers that are applied in clinical practice, 11 biomarkers that are applied in clinical practice, and 6 biomarkers that are under exploratory stage. By conducting this first comprehensive analysis of predictive biomarkers for lenvatinib in HCC patients, this review aims to help doctors to assess the response of lenvatinib treatment more accurately and, thus, develop more effective individualized treatment plans.