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 Printable version |
Management of non-resectable hepatocellular carcinoma: recent advances |
Hépato-Gastro. Volume 15, Number 6, 457-63, Novembre-Décembre 2008, Mini-revue
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 Résumé
Texte intégral
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Author(s) : Jean-Luc Raoul |
Summary : Palliative treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma is undergoing dramatic changes. Effectiveness of chemoembolization has been much debated, but new techniques of drug delivery could make its results more reproducible. New techniques making use of radioactive isotopes seem promising. The most encouraging results come from targeted therapies taking advantage of a better understanding of the tumors molecular biology. For the first time a novel systemic therapy, sorafenib, a multitargeted tyrosine kinase inhibitor, has shown promising results. Sorafenib is only the first in a long list of promising molecules and clinical trials are underway to extend its use to non-palliative treatment. The appearance of these new drugs will require renewed use of hepatic biopsy (to identify molecular predictive factors of treatment response), management of new adverse effects, development of new parameters to monitor efficacy and setting new guidelines for stopping the therapy. All this is a strong incentive to quickly include more of our patients in clinical trials. |
Keywords : hepatocellular carcinoma, palliative setting, advanced stages |
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