HCC seriously threatens human health, and the treatment methods are of crucial importance. The tumor microenvironment is critical to the origin and progression of HCC, and aberrant regulation of the immune checkpoint signaling pathway is a key method by which tumor cells avoid immune surveillance. Conventional single-treatment approaches for HCC have drawbacks. Inhibitors of PD-1/PD-L1 and CTLA-4, together known as the "golden combination," are the primary treatment for primary HCC. Compared with single treatment, it has a synergistic effect and benefits in boosting the immune response against the tumor and growing the number of recipients. However, it also has challenges. This study examines the state of combination treatment in HCC clinical trials as well as the current understanding of immune checkpoint inhibitors. By elaborating the cancer immune mechanism, it examines the mechanisms of action of the CTLA-4 and PD-1/PD-L1 immune checkpoints, and also the theoretical underpinnings and synergistic mechanism of combination treatment in HCC. Together with clinical study data, it assesses the effectiveness and potential of combination treatment for the cure of HCC, thoroughly examines the effects of conjunction treatment of CTLA-4 inhibitors and PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors in the immunologic therapy of HCC, and anticipates the future of combination treatment, offering useful references for HCC immunotherapy.
Read full abstract