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He et al. Hepatoma Res 2018;4:40 Hepatoma Research
DOI: 10.20517/2394-5079.2018.45

Review Open Access

Immunotherapy: a new era for hepatocellular
carcinoma

Ya-Jing He , Ya-Bing Guo , Wei Zhu , Yu-Kai He , Jin-Lin Hou 1
1
1
1
2,3
1 State Key Laboratory of Organ Failure Research, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Viral Hepatitis Research, Department
of Infectious Diseases, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China.
2 Georgia Cancer Center, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta University, Augusta, GA 30912, USA.
3 Department of Medicine, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta University, Augusta, GA 30912, USA.
Correspondence to: Dr. Ya-Jing He, State Key Laboratory of Organ Failure Research, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory
of Viral Hepatitis Research, Department of Infectious Diseases, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou
510515, China. E-mail: heyajing529@126.com

How to cite this article: He YJ, Guo YB, Zhu W, He YK, Hou JL. Immunotherapy: a new era for hepatocellular carcinoma.
Hepatoma Res 2018;4:40. http://dx.doi.org/10.20517/2394-5079.2018.45

Received: 29 Apr 2018 First Decision: 20 Jun 2018 Revised: 28 Jun 2018 Accepted: 28 Jun 2018 Published: 6 Aug 2018
Science Editor: Guang-Wen Cao Copy Editor: Jun-Yao Li Production Editor: Cai-Hong Wang

Abstract
Cancer is a major disease threatening human health. The overall prognosis for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients
is poor, with a dismal 5-year survival rate of approximately 5%-30%. The dysfunction of immune system plays a
pivotal role in the development of cancer, which has attracted attention of several researchers. Recent advances in
immunotherapy have led to various inspired achievements and refreshed our concepts about cancer treatments. In
this article, several types of immune-based therapies for treating HCC are reviewed. Their underlying mechanisms,
preclinical and clinical study results, potential prospects, and deficiencies are discussed, and an outline for future
research directions is proposed.

Keywords: Hepatocellular carcinoma, immunotherapy, cancer treatments

INTRODUCTION
Cancer is one of the primary diseases that threaten human health. Nearly 14.1 million new cases of cancer
and 8.2 million cancer-related deaths worldwide were estimated in 2012. Moreover, 782,000 new cases of
liver cancer have been recorded, with nearly half of these cases reported in China alone . Liver cancer is
[1]
the second most common cause of cancer deaths among adult men worldwide. Nearly 746,000 deaths (9.1%
of the total) were caused by liver cancer in 2012. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most primary,

© The Author(s) 2018. Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0
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