Research Progress on Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors in Treatment of Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common causes of cancer-related death, and most patients with HCC are diagnosed at an advanced stage. Before 2017, tyrosine kinase inhibitors were the main drugs for the treatment of advanced hepatocellular carcinoma. With the emergence of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), immunotherapy has gradually brought new hope to such patients. At present, the combination of ICIs and other systemic or local treatments has become a potential strategy for the treatment of advanced hepatocellular carcinoma, and some of these combinations have been included in large-scale clinical trials. The main challenges of immunotherapy for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma include the exploration of predictive biomarkers, management of immune-related adverse events, and exploration of effective combination regimens. This article provides the latest research progress on the single or combined use of ICIs and other immunotherapy for hepatocellular carcinoma and discusses the limitations of current research and clinical application and the future development direction.