Introduction: Unfortunately, some hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients do not qualify for curative-intent treatments such as surgical resection or transplantation. Hence, locoregional treatments such as transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) remain instrumental in the treatment of HCC. Systemic therapy has improved over the past decade with the introduction of combination atezolizumab and bevacizumab as the new standard of care for advanced disease. These new therapies are currently under investigation in combination with TACE.
Area covered: Combination therapies with TACE including systemic therapies, locoregional therapies, and immunotherapies are reviewed.
Expert opinion: There has been limited progress in the management of advanced and intermediate HCC. Recent advances in the management of advanced disease with systemic therapy could be beneficial in combination with TACE for the treatment of intermediate stage disease. Immune based therapies are potentially beneficial in combination with TACE because TACE may produce increased antigen release and immune recognition.
Keywords: Hepatocellular carcinoma; immunotherapy; locoregional therapy; radiofrequency ablation; transarterial chemoembolization.