New therapies to overcome the unmet needs in hepatocellular carcinoma, says analyst

The overall level of unmet need in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the most common type of primary liver cancer, is high due to its severity and low survival. However, the needs will soon be relatively well met, as many new therapies entering the market have different mechanisms of action and are aiming to meet needs in different treatment settings, says data and analytics company GlobalData.

The variety of pipeline products in the adjuvant setting (Barcelona clinic liver cancer [BCLC] Stage A), intermediate (BCLC Stage B), and advanced (BCLC Stages B and C) stages bring hope for improvements to the cure rate for early-stage disease and survival in all stages over the currently marketed therapies.

The five key unmet needs and opportunities in the HCC market are as follows: better HCC surveillance and prophylactic treatments, curative therapies in early-stage HCC, improved survival for intermediate-stage HCC, predictive biomarkers, and treatments for patients with impaired liver function.