Management of Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC) in a Real Life Multinational, Longitudinal, Observational Study (TARGET-HCC).

Challenge

Novel systemic therapies—including TKIs and immune checkpoint inhibitors—were expanding HCC treatment options, but real-world data on how treatment was actually sequenced by BCLC stage in an international multi-site registry were lacking, creating uncertainty about guideline adherence and practice variation.

Solution

The TARGET-HCC cohort was analyzed to describe treatment receipt within 6 months of diagnosis by BCLC stage across 1,027 enrolled patients, characterizing locoregional and systemic therapy utilization patterns and identifying where real-world practice diverged from AASLD staging guidelines.

Impact

Documenting that locoregional therapy use in advanced-stage HCC exceeded guideline recommendations identifies practice variation relevant to trial site selection and real-world effectiveness study design, and establishes the TARGET-HCC population profile for sponsors developing novel systemic therapies.