Trends in the Treatment of Hepatocellular Carcinoma

HepatoCellular Carcinoma (HCC) is the fifth most common cancer and the third most common cause of cancer- related deaths. In unresectable disease, chemotherapy has modest response rates without a clear improvement in overall survival. Sorafenib is a multikinase inhibitor that recently demonstrated improved overall survival in two randomized clinical trials. This review paper outlines the basic treatment options for HCC by stage, followed by a discussion of key issues in the treatment and management of patients with HCC: the use of targeted therapies and/or chemotherapy in metastatic disease and in different ethnic groups; the potential use of combination therapies in earlier disease stages; and the role of imaging in the era of targeted therapy and the associated challenges.