Open AccessRadiofrequency combined with immunomodulation for hepatocellular carcinoma: State of the art and innovations
Author(s) -
Adriano Carneiro da Costa,
Mikael H. Sodergren,
Kumar Jayant,
Fernando Santa Cruz,
Duncan Spalding,
Madhava Pai,
Nagy Habib
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
world journal of gastroenterology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.427
H-Index - 155
eISSN - 2219-2840
pISSN - 1007-9327
DOI - 10.3748/wjg.v26.i17.2040
Subject(s) - radiofrequency ablation , hepatocellular carcinoma , medicine , ablative case , immunotherapy , oncology , tumor progression , tumor ablation , radiology , ablation , cancer , radiation therapy
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common primary liver tumor and has been considered a very immunogenic tumor. The treatment with radiofrequency ablation (RFA) has been established as the standard ablative therapy for early HCC, and is currently recognized as the main ablative tool for HCC tumors < 5 cm in size; however, progression and local recurrence remain the main disadvantages of this approach. To solve this clinical problem, recent efforts were concentrated on multimodal treatment, combining different strategies, including the combination of RFA and immunotherapy. This article reviewed the combination treatment of RFA with immunotherapy and found that this treatment strategy leads to an increased response of anti-tumor T cells, significantly reduces the risk of recurrence and improves survival rates compared to RFA alone. This review highlighted scientific evidence that supports the current recommendations for pre-clinical studies, and discuss the need for further research on this topic.