Current Research

Research for HCC is ongoing. The following advances may still be under investigation in clinical trials and may not be approved or available at this current time. Always discuss all diagnostic and treatment options with your doctor.

Cancer vaccines. These are experimental treatments that may help the patient's immune system recognize and attack HCC cells. Sometimes, the vaccine is given with an immune system stimulant, such as GM-CSF (sargramostim).

Combination chemotherapy. Different drugs kill cancer cells in different ways. Using a combination of drugs increases the chance that the tumor will be destroyed; many times the first drug will help the second drug work better.

Gene therapy. This new treatment changes a gene to fight cancer. Although gene therapy is in the very early stages of development, some clinical trials are already underway. In one example, the new gene makes an anticancer drug work better. In this therapy, a gene can be directly injected into the tumor. The doctor then gives the patient the inactive drug; this new gene helps activate the drug at the site of the tumor. These and the targeted therapy sorafenib (see Treatment) are being tested in combination with other treatments as listed above.

Anti-angiogenesis drugs. The formation of new blood vessels that feed tumors is known as angiogenesis. Some scientists think that by cutting off a tumor’s blood supply, it may be possible to starve the tumor to stop it from growing. Several anti-angiogenic agents are being extensively tested in clinical trials, and the agent sorafenib, which in part may be active by a pathway that inhibits angiogenesis has recently undergone a successful clinical trial that suggested improvement in survival. Sorafenib is discussed in the Treatment section. Several other targeted therapies are currently being investigated for treatment of HCC.

Combining therapies. Several centers are looking into whether combining treatments, such as RFA and chemoembolization, is more effective than single treatments.

Greater use of liver transplantation. The possibility of expanding the criteria for liver transplantation (allowing more patients to be eligible) is being actively investigated for HCC.