Dr. Tabrizian on the Rationale for Examining Cemiplimab in HCC

Parissa Tabrizian, MD, an assistant professor of surgery at Mount Sinai School of Medicine, discusses the rationale for examining cemiplimab (Libtayo) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

The recommended first-line treatment for patients with early-stage HCC is surgery, either involving resection or transplantation, according to Tabrizian. Despite these efforts, recurrence following surgery remains high with approximately 50% to 70% of patients relapsing following resection, and 10% to 15% relapsing following transplantation, she says. Despite observing negative margins in the majority of patients, it is believed that disease recurrence stems from micrometastatic disease, Tabrizian explains.

Due to this, utilizing immunotherapy prior to surgery could help to decrease recurrence rates and achieve better outcomes. Currently, there are no standard recommended treatments for this setting, which led investigators to examine cemiplimab in patients with HCC prior to surgery, Tabrizian concludes.