Updates in Treatment of Unresectable Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the sixth-leading cause of cancer-related death in the United States, with an estimated 41,630 new diagnoses and 29,840 deaths in 2024.¹ Globally, HCC ranks as the sixth most common cancer and third in cancer-related mortality.² The median age at diagnosis is 67 years, and incidence rates for males are 2 to 3 times greater than for females due to an imbalance in risk factors.³ In the United States, the overall incidence has declined since 2011, and mortality plateaued in 2013, likely due to advances in prevention and treatment.⁴ However, the 5-year relative survival rate remains low, at 21.7%, highlighting the aggressive nature of HCC and the need for improvements in treatment.³ To this end, systemic therapies such as immunotherapy and anti-VEGF monoclonal antibodies have dramatically transformed the treatment landscape in the past 5 years.