Potential Impact of IMbrave150 Results in the Evolving Treatment Landscape of Advanced Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Multidisciplinary Expert Opinion

• Main Authors: Kulik L, da Fonseca LG, He AR, Rimola J, Wilson Woods A, Zöllner YF, Galle PR
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Dove Medical Press 2020-12-01
• Series: Journal of Hepatocellular Carcinoma
• Subjects: hepatocellular carcinoma; immuno-oncologics; biomarkers; patient-reported outcomes
• Online Access: https://www.dovepress.com/potential-impact-of-imbrave150-results-in-the-evolving-treatment-lands-peer-reviewed-article-JHC

Laura Kulik,1 Leonardo G da Fonseca,2 Aiwu Ruth He,3 Jordi Rimola,4 Andrea Wilson Woods,5 York F Zöllner,6 Peter R Galle7 1Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA; 2Clinical Oncology, Instituto do Cancer do Estado de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil; 3Georgetown University, Washington, DC, USA; 4Radiology Department, Hospital Clínic de Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain; 5Blue Faery: The Adrienne Wilson Liver Cancer Association, Birmingham, AL, USA; 6Hamburg University of Applied Sciences, Competence Center Health, Hamburg, Germany; 7University Medical Centre Mainz, Mainz, GermanyCorrespondence: Peter R GalleUniversity Medical Centre Mainz, Mainz, GermanyTel [phone]Email [e-mail]: A virtual expert roundtable was convened on April 16, 2020, to discuss the evolving landscape of care for treating patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and discuss questions related to patient care and treatment selection. This commentary presents highlights from this discussion and provides an expert opinion about approaches to treatment for HCC in the Americas and the European Union. We anticipate that atezolizumab plus bevacizumab will become the standard of care for advanced HCC patients. However, this approach will make decisions regarding the sequencing of treatments for second-line therapies and beyond more challenging. Therapy will require individualization based on patient characteristics and preferences, while insurance coverage decisions and requirements may also impact the options that patients can access. Additional research regarding prognostic and predictive biomarkers is needed to help better identify optimal treatment approaches for specific patient populations. Multidisciplinary tumor boards will continue to play a critical role in guiding treatment selection for individual patients. Atezolizumab plus bevacizumab offers a promising new first-line therapeutic option for patients with advanced HCC, but more research is needed to optimize and individualize patient therapy.Keywords: hepatocellular carcinoma, immuno-oncologics, biomarkers, patient-reported outcomes