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Zhong. Hepatoma Res. 2026;12:54 Page 3 of 4

experience and remain central components of HCC management in China. The rapid development of
immunotherapy and targeted therapy has further stimulated innovative combination strategies, and clinical
studies from China have contributed important evidence regarding treatment optimization, patient selection,
and real-world implementation . Continued international collaboration will be essential to translate these
[6,7]
advances into globally applicable treatment strategies.

The future of liver cancer treatment will likely depend on moving beyond the question of whether
locoregional and systemic therapies should be combined, toward determining how they should be integrated.
Key priorities include identifying predictive biomarkers, optimizing treatment sequencing and intensity,
developing adaptive treatment strategies, and establishing standardized approaches across different
healthcare settings. Artificial intelligence, radiomics, molecular profiling, and translational research may
further facilitate precision-based combination therapy.

The integration of locoregional and systemic therapies represents a conceptual transformation in HCC
management. Local and systemic treatments should no longer be viewed as separate therapeutic categories,
but rather as complementary components within an individualized treatment ecosystem. Through
multidisciplinary collaboration and continued innovation, integrated treatment strategies may ultimately
improve long-term survival and quality of life for patients with liver cancer.

We sincerely thank all authors and reviewers who contributed their expertise to this Special Topic and
appreciate the support of the editorial team of Hepatoma Research. We hope this collection will stimulate
further research and international collaboration toward more effective and personalized therapeutic
strategies for patients with liver cancer.

DECLARATIONS
Authors’ contributions
The author contributed solely to the article.

Availability of data and materials
Not applicable.

AI and AI-assisted tools statement
During the preparation of this manuscript, the AI tool ChatGPT (version 5, released 2025-08-07) was used
solely for language editing. The tool did not influence the study design, data collection, analysis,
interpretation, or the scientific content of the work. All authors take full responsibility for the accuracy,
integrity, and final content of the manuscript.

Financial support and sponsorship
None.

Conflicts of interest
Zhong BY serves as a Guest Editor for the Special Issue “Combining Locoregional and Systemic Therapies in
Liver Cancer: From Strategy to Survival” in Hepatoma Research. Zhong BY had no involvement in the
editorial process of this manuscript, including reviewer selection, manuscript handling, or the final editorial
decision.

Ethical approval and consent to participate
Not applicable.

Consent for publication
Not applicable.