Immune Checkpoint Therapy for Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Abstract

Globally, chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is now caused about 60% of the liver cancer. In China, more than 90% of liver cancers are caused by HBV infection. Approximately 800,000 new cases of liver cancer are reported worldwide every year, and the overall prognosis is lack than normal. Most patients with liver cancer suffer from liver diseases such as hepatitis, liver cirrhosis, and abnormal liver function, which cause the onset of liver cancer to be hidden and progress rapidly. The diagnosis is the middle and late stage, and the best opportunity for surgery and other local treatments is lost. The Global Hepatitis Report 2017 released by the World Health Organization shows that more than 325 million people are infected with hepatitis B or C worldwide, and about 1.34 million people die each year. In China, there are about 90 million people with chronic hepatitis B virus, 30 million patients with chronic hepatitis B, and only 2 million people receive treatment, which is less than 1/10 of the total. How to improve the standardized diagnosis and treatment level of liver cancer and optimize the diagnosis and treatment strategy has always been a concern. The liver cancer drug develop is dominated by antibody drugs, of which PD-1/PD-L1 and CTLA-4 are the primary goal of antibody development. The research and development of chemical drugs takes VEGFR and BRAF proteins as the main research targets. At the same time, PD-1 and related drugs that have been on the market have shown good curative effects in a variety of tumor treatments.