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REVIEW article

Front. Pharmacol.
Sec. Pharmacology of Anti-Cancer Drugs
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fphar.2024.1422033
This article is part of the Research Topic Reviews in Pharmacology of Anti-Cancer Drugs: 2023 View all 4 articles

Diversified Applications of Hepatocellular Carcinoma Medications: Moleculartargeted, Immunotherapeutic, and Combined Approaches

Provisionally accepted
Haoyang Chen Haoyang Chen 1Huihui Liu Huihui Liu 1Xiaowei Zhang Xiaowei Zhang 2Suhua Wang Suhua Wang 1Chunxia Liu Chunxia Liu 1Ke An Ke An 1Ruijuan Liu Ruijuan Liu 1*Xin Tian Xin Tian 1*
  • 1 First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
  • 2 School of Pharmacy, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan Province, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the primary forms of liver cancer and is currently the sixth most prevalent malignancy worldwide. In addition to surgical interventions, effective drug treatment is essential for treating HCC. With an increasing number of therapeutic drugs for liver cancer undergoing clinical studies, the therapeutic strategies for advanced HCC are more diverse than ever, leading to improved prospects for HCC patients. Molecular targeted drugs and immunotherapies have become crucial treatment options for HCC. Treatment programs include single-agent moleculartargeted drugs, immunotherapies, combinations of immunotherapies with moleculartargeted drugs, and dual immune checkpoint inhibitors. However, further exploration is necessary to determine the optimal pharmacological treatment regimens, and the development of new effective drugs is urgently needed. This review provides an overview of the current globally approved drugs for liver cancer, as well as the latest advances in ongoing clinical research and drug therapies. Additionally, the review offers an outlook and discussion on the prospects for the development of drug therapy approaches for HCC.

    Keywords: Hepatocellular Carcinoma, Molecular-targeted drugs, Sorafenib, Immunotherapeutic agents, and combination therapies

    Received: 23 Apr 2024; Accepted: 16 Sep 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Chen, Liu, Zhang, Wang, Liu, An, Liu and Tian. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Ruijuan Liu, First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
    Xin Tian, First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.