Treatment of unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma at an intermediate or advanced stage

peer reviewedHepatocellular carcinoma is the main primitive tumor of the liver. It occurs in the setting of liver cirrhosis in more than 90% of the cases in developping countries. The prognosis depends on the size, number and extension of the tumor as well as on the severity of the underlying liver disease. The Barcelona Clinic Classification takes into account these different parameters and helps the clinician in the therapeutic decision. Some patients (around 25%) are amenable to therapy with a curative intent (liver transplantation, resection, destruction by radiofrequency). In patients with hepatocellular carcinoma at an intermediate stage, lipiodolized chemoembolization gives a survival advantage in comparison with placebo. No conventional regimen of chemotherapy has a proven survival benefit. In patients with a hepatocellular carcinoma at an advanced stage, sorafenib, an oral multi-targeted kinase inhibitor, is the first coumpound to demonstrate a significant effect on survival free of disease progression in a selected group of patients. Its toxicity profile is particularly favourable. Combination of surgical and medical therapies should be properly evaluated in clinical trials in the near future