title: Current systemic treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma: A review of the literature.
abstract: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the fifth most common form of human cancer worldwide and the third most common cause of cancer-related deaths. The strategies of various treatments for HCC depend on the stage of tumor, the status of patient's performance and the reserved hepatic function. The Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) staging system is currently used most for patients with HCC. For example, for patients with BCLC stage 0 (very early stage) and stage A (early stage) HCC, the curable treatment modalities, including resection, transplantation and radiofrequency ablation, are taken into consideration. If the patients are in BCLC stage B (intermediate stage) and stage C (advanced stage) HCC, they may need the palliative transarterial chemoembolization and even the target medication of sorafenib. In addition, symptomatic treatment is always recommended for patients with BCLC stage D (end stage) HCC. In this review, we will attempt to summarize the historical perspective and the current developments of systemic therapies in BCLC stage B and C in HCC.
authors.affiliation: Kai-Wen Chen, Department of Internal Medicine, Hualien Armed Forces General Hospital, Hualien 97144, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Kai-Wen
authors.initials: KW
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Kai-Wen Chen, Department of Internal Medicine, Hualien Armed Forces General Hospital, Hualien 97144, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Tzu-Ming
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Ou
authors.affiliation: Kai-Wen Chen, Department of Internal Medicine, Hualien Armed Forces General Hospital, Hualien 97144, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Chin-Wen
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Hsu
authors.affiliation: Kai-Wen Chen, Department of Internal Medicine, Hualien Armed Forces General Hospital, Hualien 97144, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Chi-Ting
authors.initials: CT
authors.lastname: Horng
authors.affiliation: Kai-Wen Chen, Department of Internal Medicine, Hualien Armed Forces General Hospital, Hualien 97144, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Ching-Chang
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Kai-Wen Chen, Department of Internal Medicine, Hualien Armed Forces General Hospital, Hualien 97144, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Yuh-Yuan
authors.initials: YY
authors.lastname: Tsai
authors.affiliation: Kai-Wen Chen, Department of Internal Medicine, Hualien Armed Forces General Hospital, Hualien 97144, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Chi-Chang
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Tsai
authors.affiliation: Kai-Wen Chen, Department of Internal Medicine, Hualien Armed Forces General Hospital, Hualien 97144, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Yi-Sheng
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Liou
authors.affiliation: Kai-Wen Chen, Department of Internal Medicine, Hualien Armed Forces General Hospital, Hualien 97144, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Chen-Chieh
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Kai-Wen Chen, Department of Internal Medicine, Hualien Armed Forces General Hospital, Hualien 97144, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Chao-Wen
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Hsueh
authors.affiliation: Kai-Wen Chen, Department of Internal Medicine, Hualien Armed Forces General Hospital, Hualien 97144, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Wu-Hsien
authors.initials: WH
authors.lastname: Kuo
keywords: Hepatocellular carcinoma; Molecular target therapy; Sorafenib; Systemic treatment; Transarterial chemoembolization