Surg Oncol in press

Safety, efficacy, and tolerability of immune checkpoint
inhibitors in the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma.

Brown ZJ, Gregory S, Hewitt DB, Iacono S, Choe J, Labiner HE, Pawlik TM

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a major cause of mortality worldwide with an increasing incidence due to escalating rates of obesity and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Unfortunately, a majority of patients with HCC present with advanced disease. The immune checkpoint inhibitor atezolizumab, a PD-L1 inhibitor, in combination with bevacizumab, anti-VEGF, has become the new standard of care for patients with advanced HCC after demonstrating improved overall and progression free survival over sorafenib. In this review, we discuss the evolving role of immune checkpoint inhibitors in the treatment of HCC and their safety, efficacy, and tolerability.