Survival improvements in advanced hepatocellular carcinoma with sequential therapy by era

Treatment modalities for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (aHCC) have changed dramatically, with systemic therapy as the primary option. A retrospective study in Ehime prefecture (Japan) included aHCC patients who started systemic therapy between 2009 and 2013 (n=86), 2014 and 2018 (n=132), or 2019 and 2022 (n=118). Across these periods, the proportion of patients receiving more than 2 lines of therapy progressively increased (1.2%; 12.9%; and 17.0%, respectively), coinciding with improved progression-free survival (median, 3.1 months; 3.4 months; and 12.1 months; respectively; p<0.001) as well as improved overall survival (median, 14.3 months; 16.8 months; and 31.0 months, respectively; p<0.001). The authors conclude that sequential therapies have contributed to significant improvements in aHCC prognosis.