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Updated: Aug 15, 2026
A Three-Dimensional Spheroid Model to Investigate the Tumor-Stromal Interaction in Hepatocellular Carcinoma
Published on: September 30, 2021
Systemic Treatment Patterns and Clinical Outcomes in Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Multicenter Real-World Study from
Benyi He1, Wenmin Liao2, Zehao Zheng1
1Department of Liver Surgery, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, China; State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Guangdong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou 510060, P. R. China.
Immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI)-based regimens combined with transarterial therapy are common for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in China. These treatments show good survival outcomes and safety in real-world practice.
Area of Science:
- Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) treatment strategies.
- Real-world evidence in oncology.
- Systemic therapy in liver cancer.
Background:
- The systemic therapy landscape for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has rapidly advanced with tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs), immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), and anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) therapies.
- Real-world treatment patterns may differ from clinical trials, especially in regions with high hepatitis B virus (HBV) prevalence.
Purpose of the Study:
- To characterize real-world systemic treatment patterns and clinical outcomes in treatment-naïve HCC patients in China.
- To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of different systemic therapy combinations.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of 4,250 treatment-naïve HCC patients across five Chinese centers (2017-2023).
- Analysis of four systemic treatment categories: TKI monotherapy, ICI monotherapy, TKI plus ICI, and anti-VEGF plus ICI.
- Evaluation of baseline characteristics, treatment patterns, survival (OS, PFS), tumor response, and adverse events (AEs), with adjustments for confounding factors.
Main Results:
- Most patients (81.3%) had Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer stage C disease; 86.3% had HBV infection.
- First-line systemic therapy was frequently combined with transarterial therapy (92.3%).
- Median overall survival (OS) was 20.7 months and median progression-free survival (PFS) was 9.7 months. ICI-based regimens showed favorable survival outcomes.
Conclusions:
- ICI-based systemic regimens, particularly when combined with transarterial therapy, are frequently used in Chinese HCC patients.
- These combination approaches demonstrate favorable survival outcomes and acceptable safety profiles in real-world settings.
- Findings offer insights into contemporary HCC management and inform future research on integrated treatment strategies.
