Progression of systemic chemotherapy with oxaliplatin-containing regimens for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma in China

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) characterized by insidious onset is a highly invasive malignance and has a rapid progress. The majority of patients, especially in Asian countries, present with locally advanced or distant metastatic disease at diagnosis and are not eligible for local treatment. Before the publication of the EACH study results showing the survival benefits of the FOLFOX 4 regimen in Chinese patients with advanced HCC, no chemotherapeutical drug or regimen was considered as systemic chemotherapy standard for this group of patients due to the lack of evidence-based recommendations. Oxaliplatin-containing regimens have shown clinical activity against advanced HCC with an acceptable safety profile. The aim of this article is to present a review of the scientific evidence mainly originating from China that supports the recommendation of oxaliplatin-based regimens for the treatment of Chinese patients with advanced HCC.