Hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy + pembrolizumab

Hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy (HAIC) + pembrolizumab is a combination therapy used primarily in the treatment of advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and other liver cancers. HAIC involves delivering chemotherapeutic agents directly into the hepatic artery to achieve high local concentrations in liver tumors while minimizing systemic toxicity. Pembrolizumab is a humanized monoclonal antibody that targets the programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) on T cells, blocking its interaction with PD-L1 and PD-L2 ligands. This blockade releases PD-1 pathway-mediated inhibition of immune responses against tumor cells, thereby enhancing anti-tumor immunity[3][6][8]. Pembrolizumab is developed by Merck & Co., marketed under the brand name Keytruda, and is approved for multiple cancer indications including HCC when used alone or in combination with other therapies[3][4][5]. The combination of HAIC with pembrolizumab is being investigated in clinical trials for improved efficacy over monotherapy or standard treatments.

Brand names

Keytruda

Other names

hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapyHAICpembrolizumab