Researchers have identified a “potentially curative treatment for large, unresectable liver cancer”.
Scientists from the School of Clinical Medicine at the University of Hong Kong have found that combined locoregional therapy and immunotherapy (LRT-IO) helped 46% of people with advanced liver cancer achieve long-term remission.
This innovative treatment approach is safe, sustainable and effective, according to the academics.
Also known as metastatic or stage 4 liver cancer, advanced liver cancer means the cancer has spread beyond the liver to other parts of the body.
This stage is often considered incurable, but in some cases, a combination of therapies can convert it to a treatable stage.
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As part of this study, the team of researchers examined the long-term outcomes of combining locoregional therapy and immunotherapy among people with inoperable liver cancer.
This combination includes stereotactic beam radiotherapy (SBRT) with optional transarterial chemoembolisation (TACE), followed by immunotherapy (IO).
A total of 63 people with locally advanced unresectable liver cancer took part in the trial, all of whom had been treated with the LRT-IO approach between January 2018 and December 2022.
In this time, 29 participants achieved a complete response, the study reported. It added that approximately 66% of these participants remained cancer-free for the duration of the experiment.
According to the findings, the participants with a complete response were 50% less likely to die after three years compared to those without.
Lead author Dr Chiang Chi-leung said: “Our study provides long-term data that confirms our previous findings: the LRT-IO approach is a potentially curative treatment for large, unresectable liver cancer, with a 46% complete response rate, and a 75% survival among people who achieved a complete response.
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“Professor Chan and I have continued to promote the use of this novel treatment in various local and national conferences.”
Dr Chiang Chi-leung added: “There are an increasing number of tertiary centres in Hong Kong that have adopted this LRT-IO strategy in their clinical practice. We hope to generate guidelines in Hong Kong to incorporate such practice in the near future.”
Corresponding author Professor Albert Chan Chi-yan said: “It will always be our passion and mission to explore novel and effective ways to tackle this deadly but common cancer.”
Read the study in the journal JAMA Oncology.
