The Current Status of Tumor Markers as Biomarkers in the Era of Immunotherapy for Hepatocellular Carcinoma: Alpha-Fetoprotein Alone Is Not Sufficient

Based on introduction of systemic treatment in an early stage and increasing numbers of HCC cases with a nonviral etiology, the positive rate of AFP level has been declining. Thus, determination of DCP and AFP-L3 in addition to AFP as markers should be more actively utilized in clinical practice, as well as clinical trials for monitoring and evaluating treatment response in this era of combination immunotherapy as a powerful treatment.