Salvage Surgery Improves Overall Survival Rates in Unresectable Hepatocellular Carcinoma Patients

Among patients with initially unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (uhcc), combination therapy with transcatheter arterial chemoembolization, lenvatinib, and anti-PD-1 antibodies achieved high tumor response rates and converted some cases to resectable disease. A retrospective study compared outcomes in uhcc patients who underwent salvage surgery (sr group) versus those who did not (non-sr group). The sr group demonstrated significantly better overall survival rates, with 1- and 2-year rates of 92.0% and 79.9% compared to 85.5% and 39.6% in the non-sr group, respectively. Salvage surgery is recommended for unresectable uhcc patients who achieve partial response after conversion therapy.