Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 28, 2026
An Oncogenic Hepatocyte-Induced Orthotopic Mouse Model of Hepatocellular Cancer Arising in the Setting of Hepatic Inflammation and Fibrosis
Published on: September 12, 2019
Perioperative immunotherapy for hepatocellular carcinoma: adjuvant, neoadjuvant, and biomarker-guided strategies
1Department of Clinical Medicine, Xinjiang Medical University, Urumqi, Xinjiang, China.
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains difficult to cure after resection or ablation, with high recurrence rates. Perioperative immunotherapy has rapidly evolved, but recent late-phase readouts highlight that benefit is not universal. In IMbrave050, adjuvant atezolizumab plus bevacizumab initially improved recurrence-free survival (RFS), yet longer follow-up suggests attenuation of effect, influencing guideline recommendations. By contrast, adjuvant single-agent checkpoint inhibitor programs have not shown consistent benefit, although selected high-risk subgroups [e.g., microvascular invasion (MVI)] may derive benefit from adjuvant PD-1 blockade in phase II data. Perioperative combinations are emerging, including camrelizumab plus rivoceranib with improved event-free survival, and locoregional-immunotherapy strategies such as transarterial chemoembolization combined with immunotherapy-antiangiogenic regimens. Biomarker-driven selection, circulating tumor DNA for minimal residual disease, resistance-associated alterations (e.g., CTNNB1), and etiology-linked immune phenotypes, will be central to optimizing patient selection and treatment sequencing.
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains difficult to cure after resection or ablation, with high recurrence rates. Perioperative immunotherapy has rapidly evolved, but recent late-phase readouts highlight that benefit is not universal. In IMbrave050, adjuvant atezolizumab plus bevacizumab initially improved recurrence-free survival (RFS), yet longer follow-up suggests attenuation of effect, influencing guideline recommendations. By contrast, adjuvant single-agent checkpoint inhibitor programs have not shown consistent benefit, although selected high-risk subgroups [e.g., microvascular invasion (MVI)] may derive benefit from adjuvant PD-1 blockade in phase II data. Perioperative combinations are emerging, including camrelizumab plus rivoceranib with improved event-free survival, and locoregional-immunotherapy strategies such as transarterial chemoembolization combined with immunotherapy-antiangiogenic regimens. Biomarker-driven selection, circulating tumor DNA for minimal residual disease, resistance-associated alterations (e.g., CTNNB1), and etiology-linked immune phenotypes, will be central to optimizing patient selection and treatment sequencing.
