Letter to the Editor
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2024. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Gastrointest Oncol. Dec 15, 2024; 16(12): 4753-4756
Published online Dec 15, 2024. doi: 10.4251/wjgo.v16.i12.4753
Combinations of lenvatinib and immune checkpoint inhibitors plus transarterial chemoembolization, is it the prime time for unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma?
Natalia Centrone, Pedro Luiz Serrano Uson Junior
Natalia Centrone, Pedro Luiz Serrano Uson Junior, Center for Personalized Medicine, Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein, Sao Paulo 05651-901, Brazil
Author contributions: Centrone N and Serrano Uson Junior PL wrote the article, reviewed and approved the final 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: Pedro Luiz Serrano Uson Junior, MD, Doctor, Research Associate, Center for Personalized Medicine, Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein, 627/701 Avenue, Albert Einstein, Morumbi, Sao Paulo 05651-901, Brazil. pedro.serrano@einstein.br
Received: June 17, 2024
Revised: September 14, 2024
Accepted: October 12, 2024
Published online: December 15, 2024
Processing time: 148 Days and 10 Hours
Abstract

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a lethal disease and unfortunately, most patients will be diagnosed with unresectable/advanced stages and the overall prognosis is poor. For patients with initially unresectable HCC (uHCC), transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) was the mainstream treatment. Lately, the incorporation of immune checkpoint inhibitors and antiangiogenics for the treatment of metastatic disease has paved the way for significant improvements in the treatment of initially uHCC. In this editorial we will discuss an article that evaluated ICI combinations with lenvatinib and TACE for the treatment of uHCC patients, and highlight future advances in the field.

Keywords: Hepatocellular carcinoma; Liver cancer; Lenvatinib; Immunotherapy; Checkpoint inhibitors

Core Tip: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the fifth most common cancer worldwide and the third most common cause of cancer-related death, accounting for approximately 8% of overall cancer deaths. For patients with initially unresectable HCC (uHCC), transarterial chemoembolization is being evaluated associated with systemic treatments including immune checkpoint inhibitors and antiangiogenics. The synergism of these strategies can improve outcomes for patients deemed unresectable and ineligible for transplantation. In this article we will discuss a very interesting combination evaluated in uHCC patients, and highlight new studies and trials coming forward.