Novel drugs in clinical development for hepatocellular carcinoma.

Abstract

INTRODUCTION:

Sorafenib is the only systemic drug approved for the treatment of advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Within recent years, several investigational agents mainly targeting angiogenesis failed in late-phase clinical development either due to toxicity or lack of benefit.

AREAS COVERED:

This review covers recent clinical data on systemic agents and ongoing trials in patients with advanced HCC.

EXPERT OPINION:

In unselected patients with advanced HCC, disappointing results have been reported from several large trials. However, in two subgroups encouraging results have been achieved. Treatment with the MET inhibitor tivantinib resulted in a substantial survival benefit in the subgroup of MET overexpressing tumors in a randomized Phase II trial. Furthermore, the vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 antibody ramucirumab resulted in improved overall survival in patients with baseline α-fetoprotein (AFP) ≥ 400 ng/ml in a Phase III trial. These two agents, and several others, will be further developed in HCC. Moreover, immunotherapeutics such as checkpoint inhibitors, programmed death receptor-1 blocking antibodies and oncolytic viruses are under investigation in advanced HCC.

• Authors: Oliver Waidmann, Jörg Trojan
• Journal: Expert opinion on investigational drugs (Expert Opin Investig Drugs) Vol. 24 Issue 8 Pg. 1075-82 ( 2015) ISSN: 1744-7658 [Electronic] England
• PMID: 26108356 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Review)

Chemical References

• Angiogenesis Inhibitors
• Antineoplastic Agents
• Phenylurea Compounds
• Niacinamide
• Sorafenib

Topics

• Angiogenesis Inhibitors (adverse effects, pharmacology, therapeutic use)
• Antineoplastic Agents (adverse effects, pharmacology, therapeutic use)
• Carcinoma, Hepatocellular (drug therapy, pathology)
• Drug Design
• Humans
• Liver Neoplasms (drug therapy, pathology)
• Neovascularization, Pathologic (drug therapy, pathology)
• Niacinamide (analogs & derivatives, therapeutic use)
• Phenylurea Compounds (therapeutic use)
• Sorafenib