Natural Killer Cell-Based Immunotherapy in HCC

Area of Science:

• Immunology
• Oncology
• Cancer Therapy

Background:

• Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) presents significant treatment challenges due to heterogeneity, late diagnosis, and chemoresistance.
• Natural killer (NK) cells, vital for immune surveillance, are often impaired in HCC, facilitating tumour immune escape.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review current NK cell-based immunotherapeutic strategies for HCC.
• To identify promising future directions and combination approaches for enhancing NK cell efficacy in HCC treatment.

Main Methods:

• Comprehensive review of existing literature on NK cell-based therapies for HCC.
• Analysis of various strategies including adoptive transfer, genetic engineering, targeted therapies, microenvironment modulation, cytokine enhancement, and traditional Chinese medicine.

Main Results:

• NK cell-based therapies are advancing towards precise modalities like CAR-NK cells and antibody engagers.
• Efficacy is often limited by the immunosuppressive tumour microenvironment (TME) and tumour heterogeneity.

Conclusions:

• Rationally designed combination strategies are essential for overcoming NK cell dysfunction in HCC.
• Integrating genetic engineering, TME reprogramming, and checkpoint blockade offers the most viable path to durable clinical responses in HCC.