Copyright: ©Author(s) 2026. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license. No commercial re-use. See permissions. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc.
World J Gastrointest Oncol. Jul 15, 2026; 18(7): 118522
Published online Jul 15, 2026. doi: 10.4251/wjgo.v18.i7.118522
Published online Jul 15, 2026. doi: 10.4251/wjgo.v18.i7.118522
Lenvatinib and pembrolizumab plus FOLFOX-hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy in locally advanced, potentially resectable hepatocellular carcinoma
Xi Chen, Hao Liao, Jie Chen, Lin-Hui Peng, Ji-Hao Zhang, Xiu-Xiu Xuyun, Ya-Jin Chen, Tao Chen, Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Guangzhou 510120, Guangdong Province, China
Tao Chen, Key Laboratory of Malignant Tumor Gene Regulation and Target Therapy of Guangdong Higher Education Institutes, Department of Hepato-Pancreato-Billiary Surgery, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510120, Guangdong Province, China
Co-first authors: Xi Chen and Hao Liao.
Author contributions: Chen X and Liao H wrote the manuscript as co-first authors; Chen J and Peng LH prepared all figures; Zhang JH and Xuyun XX analyzed and interpreted the data; Chen YJ and Chen T designed the methodology; all authors read and approved the final version of the manuscript.
Supported by Guangdong Basic and Applied Basic Research Foundation Project, No. 2024A1515220164.
Institutional review board statement: The study studies involving human participants were reviewed and approved by the Ethics Committee of Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital (No. SYSKY-2024-660-01) and conducted with Declaration of Helsinki.
Informed consent statement: The informed consent to participate was waived by the Ethics Committee of Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital (SYSKY-2024-660-01).
Conflict-of-interest statement: All authors declare no conflict of interest in publishing the manuscript.
Data sharing statement: Not applicable.
Corresponding author: Tao Chen, PhD, Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, No. 107 Yanjiang West Road, Yuexiu District, Guangzhou 510120, Guangdong Province, China. ct0498@126.com
Received: January 5, 2026
Revised: February 4, 2026
Accepted: March 25, 2026
Published online: July 15, 2026
Processing time: 182 Days and 17.1 Hours
Revised: February 4, 2026
Accepted: March 25, 2026
Published online: July 15, 2026
Processing time: 182 Days and 17.1 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: This retrospective study of 38 patients with initially unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma treated with hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy, lenvatinib and pembrolizumab showed promising results. The overall response rate was 50.0%-52.6% with a disease control rate of 97.4%. The conversion to surgery rate was 44.7%, with a pathological complete response rate of 7.9%. Treatment was well-tolerated, with only 10.5% experiencing grade III/IV adverse events. Patients achieving successful conversion had significantly better long-term survival.