The study also emphasizes the potential of a 'watch-and-wait' strategy for elderly and medically unfit patients, marking a significant shift in the management of advanced liver cancer.

Overall, the findings suggest that advanced liver cancer, often deemed incurable, can become treatable through a combination of therapies, leading to potential curative surgery.

While previous studies indicated that 42% of patients showed complete cancer disappearance post-treatment, the long-term effects were previously unclear, making this study's findings particularly significant.

Patients who achieved a complete response had a significantly higher three-year overall survival rate of 76%, compared to just 28% for those who did not.

The LRT-IO treatment consists of three stages: stereotactic beam radiotherapy (SBRT), optional transarterial chemoembolization (TACE), followed by immunotherapy.

A recent study has emerged as the largest examination of long-term outcomes for advanced liver cancer patients treated with a novel approach combining locoregional therapy and immunotherapy (LRT-IO).

The study monitored 63 patients treated with LRT-IO from January 2018 to December 2022, revealing a 46% complete response rate and a median follow-up of almost three years.

Although about one-third of patients experienced cancer recurrence, 60% of these individuals were still eligible for curative surgery, highlighting the importance of achieving a complete response.

These findings contribute to the growing adoption of the LRT-IO strategy in clinical practice across multiple tertiary centers in Hong Kong.

Key researchers involved in this groundbreaking study included Professor Albert Chan and Dr. Chiang Chi-leung from the University of Hong Kong.

This research may influence future clinical guidelines, particularly following the inclusion of a similar approach in China's National Guidelines for Liver Cancer Management in 2024.

This interdisciplinary research team demonstrated that the LRT-IO strategy can convert previously inoperable liver cancer into a potentially curable state, with two-thirds of patients remaining cancer-free as of June 2023.