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Best et al. Hepatoma Res 2021;7:32 https://dx.doi.org/10.20517/2394-5079.2021.52 Page 5 of 6

Immunotherapy of tumors with immune checkpoint inhibitors has also shown encouraging results in a
variety of tumor diseases. In a phase III study (IMbrave150), the combination of a checkpoint inhibitor
(atezolizumab) with a VEGF antibody (bevacizumab) compared with sorafenib treatment significantly
[24]
improved OS in first-line HCC therapy of HCC . Furthermore, a better quality of life was documented
compared to sorafenib. Thus, this was the first positive phase III study to show an OS benefit in favor of
cancer immunotherapy in this tumor entity and represents the first landmark therapeutic advance in more
than a decade.

DECLARATIONS
Authors’ contributions
Conception or design of the work, drafting the article: Best J
Critical revision of the article, final approval of the version to be published: Best J, Gerken G

Availability of data and materials
Not applicable.

Financial support and sponsorship
None.

Conflicts of interest
Both authors declared that there are no conflicts of interest.

Ethical approval and consent to participate
Not applicable.

Consent for publication
Not applicable.

Copyright
© The Author(s) 2021.

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