Hepatocellular Carcinoma – from Immunobiology to Immunotherapy

Abstract

Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC) is an entity characterized by a highly heterogenous tumor immune microenvironment. The introduction of immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) therapy as standard of care in advanced disease stages and with promising results in earlier stages has highlighted the need for a better understanding of the underlying immunobiology. In this review, we provide a summary about the immune landscape in HCC and discuss novel potential therapeutic targets as well as how spatial immune profiling may help identify optimal candidates for ICI therapy.

Zusammenfassung

Das Hepatozelluläre Karzinom (HCC) zeichnet sich durch ein heterogenes Tumorimmunmilieu aus. Die Einführung von Immuncheckpointinhibitoren (ICI) als Standardtherapie bei fortgeschrittenem HCC sowie als vielversprechende Option in früheren Krankheitsstadien hebt die Bedeutung eines besseren Verständnisses der zugrunde liegenden Tumorimmunologie hervor. Diese Übersichtsarbeit fasst die immunologische Landschaft beim HCC zusammen, stellt potenzielle neue Therapieoptionen dar und geht im Besonderen auf die Bedeutung von räumlichen Analysen bei der Auswahl geeigneter Patienten für Immuntherapien ein.

Keywords

Liver - Oncology - Immunotherapy - Immunology - Hepatocellular Carcinoma - Immunotype

Schlüsselwörter

Leber - Onkologie - Immuntherapie - Immunologie - Hepatozelluläres Karzinom - Immunotyp

Publication History

Received: 15 August 2025

Accepted after revision: 03 November 2025

Article published online:
26 January 2026

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