Chinese expert consensus on conversion therapy in hepatocellular carcinoma (2021 edition)

In China, the mortality rate associated with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is high, predominantly due to a high proportion of patients presenting with advanced disease. Following recent developments, the efficacy of systemic treatments for advanced HCC has improved greatly. Neoadjuvant treatment with these newer agents can result in tumor downstaging and consequently provide selected patients with initially unresectable HCC the opportunity for surgical intervention. In addition, combining systemic and locoregional therapies has been shown to further increase anti‑tumor efficacy, and novel, multi‑combination treatment is becoming the major way to provide the potential for long term survival in patients with advanced HCC. This consensus of Chinese experts in HCC aimed to collect and summarize current clinical experience of conversion therapy, propose remaining problems that need to be solved and provide a foundation for further research and development of HCC treatment in clinical practice.