Published online Feb 28, 2024. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v30.i8.806
Peer-review started: December 10, 2023
First decision: December 27, 2023
Revised: December 27, 2023
Accepted: January 31, 2024
Article in press: January 31, 2024
Published online: February 28, 2024
Processing time: 77 Days and 21.6 Hours
Approximately 50%-70% of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma experience recurrence within five years after curative hepatic resection or ablation. As a result, many patients receive adjuvant therapy after curative resection or ablation in order to prolong recurrence-free survival. The therapy recommended by national guidelines can differ, and guidelines do not specify when to initiate adjuvant therapy or how long to continue it. These and other unanswered questions around adjuvant therapies make it difficult to optimize them and determine which may be more appropriate for a given type of patient. These questions need to be addressed by clinicians and researchers.
Core Tip: Several questions need to be addressed by clinical researchers about the use of adjuvant therapy to prolong recurrence-free survival of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma following potentially curative treatment.