Potential of ramucirumab in treating hepatocellular carcinoma patients with elevated baseline alpha-fetoprotein

Potential of ramucirumab in treating hepatocellular carcinoma patients with elevated baseline alpha-fetoprotein Marine Gilabert,1,2 Jean-Luc Raoul3 1Department of Medical Oncology, Paoli-Calmettes Institute, 13232 Marseille Cedex 9, France; 2Centre de Recherche en Cancérologie de Marseille, Stress Cell Unit, Institut National de la Sante et de la Recherche Medicale 1068, Aix-Marseille University, Cedex 8, Marseille, France; 3Department of Medical Oncology, Institut de Cancérologie de l’Ouest René Gauducheau, 44805 Nantes, France Abstract: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) represents ~90% of primary liver cancers and constitutes a major global health problem. Since a decade ago, the management of advanced disease that cannot be locally treated has mainly been based on multi-targeted antiangiogenic therapies. Some have demonstrated improvement in overall survival over best supportive care in first- and second-line treatment. This study focused on the efficacy of antiangiogenics in patients with advanced HCC and particularly the rising role of ramucirumab in patients with elevated alpha-fetoprotein at diagnosis. Keywords: hepatocellular carcinoma, antiangiogenic drugs, ramucirumab