©The Author(s) 2017. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Hepatol. Jun 28, 2017; 9(18): 797-807
Published online Jun 28, 2017. doi: 10.4254/wjh.v9.i18.797
Published online Jun 28, 2017. doi: 10.4254/wjh.v9.i18.797
Systemic treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma: Past, present and future
Esther Una Cidon, Department of Medical Oncology, Royal Bournemouth Hospital, Bournemouth BH7 7DW, United Kingdom
Author contributions: Cidon EU designed and performed the research and prepared the manuscript.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The author declares that there are no conflicts of interest.
Correspondence to: Esther Una Cidon, MD, PhD, Medical Oncologist, Department of Medical Oncology, Royal Bournemouth Hospital, Castle Lane East, Castle Ln E, Bournemouth BH7 7DW, United Kingdom. esther.unacidon@rbch.nhs.uk
Telephone: +44-1202-705156 Fax: +44-1202-704789
Received: January 29, 2017
Peer-review started: February 13, 2017
First decision: March 10, 2017
Revised: May 7, 2017
Accepted: May 12, 2017
Article in press: May 15, 2017
Published online: June 28, 2017
Processing time: 142 Days and 6.8 Hours
Peer-review started: February 13, 2017
First decision: March 10, 2017
Revised: May 7, 2017
Accepted: May 12, 2017
Article in press: May 15, 2017
Published online: June 28, 2017
Processing time: 142 Days and 6.8 Hours
Core Tip
Core tip: The incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is rising in Western countries due to hepatitis C. Unfortunately, 40% of patients present with advanced disease which is only amenable for palliative systemic treatment. The development of effective therapies for HCC is a challenge, due partly to its inherent chemoresistance, the pharmacologic challenges due to an ill liver, etc. Although some responses to traditional chemotherapy have been reported, the multikinase inhibitor sorafenib has shown survival benefit in advanced HCC with preserved liver function. Recently immunotherapy seems to be a promising approach for some patients.