Liver and Bile Duct Cancer Research Results and Study Updates
See Advances in Liver Cancer Research for an overview of recent findings and progress, plus ongoing projects supported by NCI.
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NIH scientists develop blood test to help improve liver cancer screeningPosted:
The new test is relatively simple and could improve screening for people who are at risk for developing hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the most common form of liver cancer. It could help doctors find and treat HCC early.
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Atezolizumab Plus Bevacizumab Approved to Treat Liver CancerPosted:
FDA has approved atezolizumab (Tecentriq) plus bevacizumab (Avastin) as an initial treatment for some people with advanced liver cancer. This is the first approval in 13 years for a treatment that is more effective than the current standard, sorafenib.
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Some Children with Liver Cancer May Need Less Chemotherapy, Study SuggestsPosted:
Some children with liver cancer may need less chemotherapy than is typically used, new research suggests. The study included children and infants with hepatoblastoma whose tumors had been surgically removed when the disease was diagnosed.
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Curbing Production of Immune Checkpoint Protein Slows Liver Cancer in MicePosted:
Researchers have found an unconventional way to unleash the immune system against liver cancer in mice. The researchers used an investigational drug to curb the production of a checkpoint inhibitor protein that shields tumors from the immune system.
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Targeted Treatment for Rare Digestive Tract Cancers May Extend SurvivalPosted:
In an early-phase trial, dabrafenib plus trametinib shrank tumors in patients with biliary tract cancer and adenocarcinoma of the small intestine whose tumors had a specific mutation in the BRAF gene.
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NCI study finds gut microbiome can control antitumor immune function in liverPosted:
An NCI study in mice that found a connection between gut bacteria and antitumor immune responses in the liver has implications for understanding mechanisms that lead to liver cancer and for potential treatments. The study was published in Science.
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Nivolumab Receives Accelerated Approval from FDA for Advanced Liver CancerPosted:
The FDA has granted accelerated approval to the immunotherapy drug nivolumab (Opdivo®) for patients with advanced liver cancer who have previously been treated with the targeted therapy sorafenib (Nexavar®).
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TCGA study of liver cancer reveals potential targets for therapyPosted:
Only two drugs are FDA-approved for liver cancer. This study of hepatocellular carcinoma found genetic alterations in tumors—including mutations in tumor-suppressing genes and high expression of immune checkpoint genes—that could be targets for drugs that already exist.
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Regorafenib Becomes First FDA-Approved Drug for Liver Cancer in Nearly a DecadePosted:
FDA approved the kinase inhibitor regorafenib for some patients with hepatocellular carcinoma, the most common form of liver cancer.