{ "abstract": "Introduction\n\nAtezolizumab plus bevacizumab (Atezo-Bev) is a standard first-line systemic therapy for unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We aimed to explore the benefits of adding curative locoregional therapy (LRT) to patients who achieve a partial response (PR) to Atezo-Bev treatment.Methods\n\nThis multinational retrospective study enrolled patients who received Atezo-Bev as first-line systemic therapy for unresectable HCC and reached complete response (CR) or PR. Patients were categorized into three cohorts: patients who underwent curative LRT after PR, patients with PR but did not receive curative LRT, and patients achieving CR without LRT. Curative LRT included surgery, ablation, and definitive radiotherapy with imaging evidence showing disease-free status afterward.Results\n\nA total of 243 patients were enrolled from 8 countries or regions; 31 patients received curative LRT after PR, 180 patients obtained PR but did not receive curative LRT, and 32 patients achieved CR without LRT. The curative-LRT group, compared with patients who did not receive curative LRT after PR, exhibited significantly longer PFS (median, 44.4 months vs. 18.2 months, p = 0.004) and overall survival (OS) (median, not reached vs. 34.3 months, p < 0.001). The differences remained significant after inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) adjustment. By contrast, whether before or after IPTW adjustment, the curative-LRT group did not exhibit statistically significant difference in PFS, OS, and recurrence-free survival from patients who obtained CR without curative LRT.Conclusion\n\nCurative LRT may consolidate the efficacy of Atezo-Bev in patients achieving a PR, potentially prolonging survival compared to systemic therapy alone.", "abstract_shown": true, "affiliations": [ "Department of Oncology, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.", "Department of Medical Oncology, National Taiwan University Cancer Center, Taipei, Taiwan.", "Graduate Institute of Oncology, National Taiwan University School of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan.", "Department of Oncology, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.", "School of Medicine, College of Medicine, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei, Taiwan.", "Department of Hematology-Oncology, E-Da Cancer Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.", "Division of Gastroenterology & Hepatology, Taichung Veterans General Hospital; School of Medicine, Chung Shan Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan.", "State Key Laboratory of Translational Oncology, Department of Clinical Oncology, Sir YK Pao Centre for Cancer, Prince of Wales Hospital, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR.", "AW Morrow Gastroenterology and Liver Centre, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney, Australia.", "Division of Hepatology and Gastroenterology, Department of Internal Medicine, Taichung Municipal Geriatric Rehabilitation General Hospital, Center for Digestive Disease, Department of Internal Medicine, China Medical University Hospital, School of Chinese Medicine, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan.", "Storr Liver Centre, The Westmead Millennium Institute for Medical Research, Westmead Hospital and University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW, Australia.", "Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Royal North Shore Hospital, Sydney, NSW, Australia.", "Faculty of Medicine, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen, Thailand.", "Division of Hematology and Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Chi-Mei Medical Center, Tainan, Taiwan.", "Department of Internal Medicine, Chiayi Christian Hospital, Chiayi, Taiwan.", "Division of Medical Oncology, National Cancer Centre Singapore, Singapore, Singapore.", "Division of Hematology-Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.", "Department of Oncology, National Taiwan University Hospital Hsin-Chu Branch, Hsinchu, Taiwan.", "Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Tainan Municipal Hospital, Tainan, Taiwan.", "Department of Clinical Oncology, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.", "Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Dr. Cipto Mangunkusumo National General Hospital, Medical Faculty Universitas Indonesia, Jakarta, Indonesia.", "Gastrointestinal Cancer Centre, Mochtar Riyadi Comprehensive Cancer Centre, Siloam Semanggi Hospital, Jakarta, Indonesia.", "Department of Oncology, Hospital Centre S. Januario, Macao, Macau.", "Department of General Surgery, Hospital Centre S. Januario, Macao, Macau.", "Department of Medical Oncology, Royal North Shore Hospital, Sydney, NSW, Australia." ], "article_type": "research article", "arxiv": null, "author_total": 27, "authors": [ { "affs": [ 0, 1, 2 ], "name": "Yu-Yun Shao", "orcid": "0000-0001-7334-1912" }, { "affs": [ 3, 4 ], "name": "San-Chi Chen" }, { "affs": [ 5 ], "name": "Kun-Ming Rau" }, { "affs": [ 6 ], "name": "Teng-Yu Lee" }, { "affs": [ 7 ], "name": "Stephen L Chan" }, { "affs": [ 8 ], "name": "Ken Liu" }, { "affs": [ 9 ], "name": "Hsueh-Chou Lai" }, { "affs": [ 10 ], "name": "Jacob George" }, { "affs": [ 11 ], "name": "Cameron Gofton" }, { "affs": [ 12 ], "name": "Siraphong Putraveephong" }, { "affs": [ 13 ], "name": "Yin-Hsun Feng" }, { "affs": [ 14 ], "name": "Ming-Yang Lee" }, { "affs": [ 15 ], "name": "Jie XinJoycelyn Lee" }, { "affs": [ 15 ], "name": "David Tai" }, { "affs": [ 15 ], "name": "Suat Ying Lee" }, { "affs": [ 16 ], "name": "Yen-Hao Chen" }, { "affs": [ 0, 2, 17 ], "name": "Tsung-Che Wu" }, { "affs": [ 18 ], "name": "Lein-Ray Mo" }, { "affs": [ 19 ], "name": "Wan Zamaniah Wi" }, { "affs": [ 20, 21 ], "name": "Cosmas Rinaldi A Lesmana" }, { "affs": [ 22 ], "name": "Cheng Vai Hui" }, { "affs": [ 23 ], "name": "Shu Sen Sam Li" }, { "affs": [ 20, 21 ], "name": "Irsan Hasan" }, { "affs": [ 7 ], "name": "Landon L Chan" }, { "affs": [ 8 ], "name": "Melinda Nguyen" }, { "affs": [ 24 ], "name": "Madhawa De Silva" }, { "affs": [ 0, 1, 2 ], "name": "Chien-Huai Chuang" } ], "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/9gw3nhh0y4zq8.bib", "cited_by": 0, "doi": "10.1159/lic/admag004", "fulltext_url": "https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC13688689", "id": "9gw3nhh0y4zq8", "issns": [ "2235-1795", "1664-5553" ], "landing_url": "https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42923539", "language": "eng", "licence": "CC-BY-NC", "licence_label": "CC BY-NC", "licence_source": "article", "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/", "metadata_licence": null, "native_subjects": [ [ "openalex", "2721|Hepatocellular Carcinoma Treatment and Prognosis" ] ], "openalex": "W7220688343", "pdf_url": "https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC13688689?pdf=render", "pmcid": "PMC13688689", "pmid": "42923539", "published": "2026-08-12", "publisher": null, "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/9gw3nhh0y4zq8.ris", "sources": [ { "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:21:02Z", "native_id": "MED:42923539", "source": "europepmc", "url": "https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42923539" } ], "subjects": [ { "field": "medicine", "origin": "openalex:2721|Hepatocellular Carcinoma Treatment and Prognosis", "subfield": "general" } ], "title": "Curative Locoregional Therapy following Objective Response to Atezolizumab plus Bevacizumab in Unresectable Hepatocellular Carcinoma.", "title_text": "Curative Locoregional Therapy following Objective Response to Atezolizumab plus Bevacizumab in Unresectable Hepatocellular Carcinoma.", "type": "peer-reviewed", "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:21:02Z", "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/9gw3nhh0y4zq8", "venue": "Liver cancer", "versions": [] }