What drugs are used to treat liver cancer?

Traditional Chinese herbal formulas for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) have a long history of clinical application. Their rational and scientifically grounded herb combinations have been validated through practice, making them a valuable resource for modern novel drug development. So, what are the currently available anti-HCC drugs?

What Are the Anti-Hepatocellular Carcinoma Drugs?

Drugs used to treat HCC—commonly referred to as targeted therapies—are a relatively recent advancement in treatment strategies. Key agents include sorafenib, regorafenib, and lenvatinib. Sorafenib is indicated for patients with unresectable or metastatic hepatocellular carcinoma who are not candidates for surgical resection. The most common adverse reactions during sorafenib therapy include diarrhea, fatigue, alopecia, infections, hand-foot skin reaction, and rash. Regorafenib is approved for patients with HCC who have progressed on prior sorafenib treatment; no genetic testing is required before initiating regorafenib. Lenvatinib is indicated for first-line treatment of patients with unresectable HCC who have not received prior systemic therapy.

Early-stage HCC often presents with nonspecific or subtle symptoms and warning signs. Patients may experience dull or distending pain in the upper abdomen—particularly the right upper quadrant—and accompanying gastrointestinal symptoms such as acid reflux, belching, nausea, and diarrhea. As the tumor enlarges, it may cause compressive symptoms. For example, compression of the stomach can lead to gastric outlet obstruction or gastric retention, resulting in nausea and vomiting; compression of the common bile duct may cause biliary obstruction, leading to jaundice and hepatic dysfunction; compression of the portal vein can induce portal hypertension, potentially causing hypersplenism, esophageal or gastric varices (with associated hematemesis), or ascites.

Sorafenib remains the traditional first-line targeted therapy for HCC. In recent advances, combination immunotherapy—specifically bevacizumab plus PD-1 inhibitors—has demonstrated improved efficacy in HCC treatment. We hope this information is helpful to you!