Review
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2023. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Hepatol. Feb 27, 2023; 15(2): 129-150
Published online Feb 27, 2023. doi: 10.4254/wjh.v15.i2.129
Current status and prospect of treatments for recurrent hepatocellular carcinoma
Yu-Qing Yang, Zhen-Yu Wen, Xiao-Yan Liu, Zhen-Hu Ma, Yan-E Liu, Xue-Ying Cao, Li Hou, Hui Xie
Yu-Qing Yang, Yan-E Liu, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Jilin University, Changchun 130021, Jilin Province, China
Zhen-Yu Wen, Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, Jilin University, Changchun 130021, Jilin Province, China
Xiao-Yan Liu, Senior Department of Hepatology, The Fifth Medical Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing 100039, China
Zhen-Hu Ma, Xue-Ying Cao, Li Hou, Hui Xie, Senior Department of Oncology, The Fifth Medical Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing 100039, China
Author contributions: Yang YQ wrote the paper; Wen ZY, Liu XY, Ma ZH, Liu YE, Cao XY, Xie H and Hou L provided ideas and reviewed the manuscript.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Hui Xie, MD, Chief Doctor, Department of Oncology, Fifth Medical Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital, No. 100 Western 4th Ring Middle Road, Fengtai District, Beijing 100039, China. xh302jr@126.com
Received: September 18, 2022
Peer-review started: September 18, 2022
First decision: October 30, 2022
Revised: November 13, 2022
Accepted: January 23, 2023
Article in press: January 23, 2023
Published online: February 27, 2023
Processing time: 159 Days and 3.7 Hours
Abstract

Owing to its heterogeneous and highly aggressive nature, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has a high recurrence rate, which is a non-negligible problem despite the increasing number of available treatment options. Recent clinical trials have attempted to reduce the recurrence and develop innovative treatment options for patients with recurrent HCC. In the event of liver remnant recurrence, the currently available treatment options include repeat hepatectomy, salvage liver transplantation, tumor ablation, transcatheter arterial chemoembolization, stereotactic body radiotherapy, systemic therapies, and combination therapy. In this review, we summarize the strategies to reduce the recurrence of high-risk tumors and aggressive therapies for recurrent HCC. Additionally, we discuss methods to prevent HCC recurrence and prognostic models constructed based on predictors of recurrence to develop an appropriate surveillance program.

Keywords: Review; Recurrence; Hepatocellular carcinoma; Hepatectomy; Liver transplantation; Transcatheter arterial chemoembolization

Core Tip: The current rate of recurrence after initial hepatocellular carcinoma treatment remains unsatisfactory. Repeat hepatectomy and salvage liver transplantation are the preferred options for patients who meet the criteria. However, for patients whose clinical situation do not allow these treatments, non-surgical treatment can also provide survival benefits. Additionally, adjuvant treatment strategies to prevent recurrence and proper surveillance are effective tools to improve overall patient survival. This review summarizes the existing literature to help guide clinical decision-making and provide directions for further research.