Journal of Hepatocellular Carcinoma (Oct 2018)
Update on hepatocellular carcinoma from the 2018 Gastrointestinal Cancer Symposium (ASCO GI)
Abstract
Victor Hugo Fonseca de Jesus, Aldo Lourenço Abbade Dettino Department of Medical Oncology, A.C. Camargo Cancer Center, São Paulo, Brazil Abstract: At the 2018 Gastrointestinal Cancer Symposium, sponsored by the American Society of Clinical Oncology, significant advances in the management of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) were announced. In intermediate-stage disease (Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer stage B), interest in combining transarterial chemoembolization and sorafenib has been reignited as a consequence of the TACTICS trial. In advanced-stage disease (BCLC C), external-beam radiotherapy combined with transarterial chemoembolization proved to be superior to sorafenib in patients with portal vein thrombosis according to the START trial. Also, in patients with advanced-stage HCC, the CELESTIAL trial demonstrated survival benefits for patients undergoing treatment with cabozantinib in the second-line setting. Lastly, recent data on the activity of pembrolizumab in patients with HCC highlight the role of immunotherapy in the management of this disease in the years to come. Keywords: hepatocellular, carcinoma, liver, cancer, meeting, highlights, ASCO