“Chinese Guideline for Diagnosis and Treatment of Primary Liver Cancer （version-2022）” （China Liver Cancer Staging, Abbreviation “CNLC 2022”） was updated recently and the “Barcelona Clinical Liver Cancer Strategy for Prognosis Prediction and Treatment Recommendation: The 2022 update” （Abbreviation “BCLC 2022”） was also updated in December 2021. The similarities and differences of the two guidelines were interpreted. For the BCLC stage B and C, which are equivalent to CNLC stage Ⅱa and Ⅱb and CNLC stage Ⅲa, respectively, the recommendation of surgical treatment and radiation therapy are disparate in the CNLC 2022 and BCLC 2022. For the systematic treatment of advanced liver cancer, Atezolizumab-Bevacizumab, Renvatinib and Sorafenib were both recommended as the first-line medication in the two guidelines. However, the CNLC 2022 is more flexible than BCLC 2022, which provides more treatment options for Chinese liver cancer patients. It is worth paying attention to two important new concepts proposed in the BCLC 2022: stage migration during treatment and untreatable progression. The BCLC stage B was divided into three subgroups according to tumor burden and liver function and different clinical pathways were recommended in the BCLC 2022.
Primary liver cancer (hereinafter referred to as liver cancer) is the fourth most common cancer and second leading cause of cancer-related deaths of China. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) accounts for 75% to 85% of liver cancers, more than half of patients with HCC present at an advanced stage where surgery is not suitable. Conversion therapy can provide the opportunity for some unresectable patients to realize surgical resection. With the progress of non-surgical treatments for liver cancer, increased emphasis on comprehensive treatment approaches, and continuous clinical research outcome, conversion therapy of liver cancer has become a common clinical pathway in treatment practice in our country. This paper summarizes the progress in research on conversion therapy for HCC, analyzing its methods, efficacy, safety, and timing of surgery, to provide insights for the clinical practice and research of conversion treatment in HCC.
With the publication of a vast amount of clinical research on hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD), the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN), the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), and the National Health Commission of China have all updated their diagnostic and treatment guidelines for HCC. There are no differences in the definition of HCC risk populations among the AASLD 2023, NCCN 2024, and China Liver Cancer Staging and Treatment Guideline (CNLC) 2024. Notably, CNLC 2024 has updated its guidance on high-risk factors and prospective surveillance for HCC based on the characteristics of HCC patients in China. The four guidelines have seen significant updates in the areas of neoadjuvant and adjuvant therapies, local treatments, and systemic treatments for HCC. CNLC 2024 refines the indications for local treatment, improves systemic treatment, and introduces new first-line therapy, including camrelizumab combined with rivoceranib or tislelizumab. The second-line therapy nivolumab plus ipilimumab for advanced HCC are recommended by AASLD 2023, NCCN 2024, and ASCO 2024, which may become a new first-line therapeutic option for patients with advanced HCC. We compare and interpret these four guidelines in this paper.