HCC Webinar 1: Combination Therapy Strategies — Personalizing Treatment Through Multidisciplinary Decision-Making

Moderator: 

Edward Kim, MD, FSIR (IR), Mount Sinai

Speakers: 

Aparna Kalyan, MD

Christopher D. Malone, MD

Anjana Pillai, MD  

Lecture 1: "First-Line Systemic Therapy in 2026: Navigating the Options for the Multidisciplinary Team" 
Speaker: Aparna Kalyan 
 
- Learning Objective: Identify the evidence-based criteria for selecting among preferred first-line systemic regimens (atezolizumab/bevacizumab, durvalumab/tremelimumab, nivolumab/ipilimumab) based on patient-specific factors, and understand how systemic therapy selection affects multidisciplinary treatment planning including locoregional therapy timing. 
 
Lecture 2: "Integrating Locoregional and Systemic Therapy: Evidence, Technique, and Timing" 
Speaker: Christopher D. Malone, MD (IR) 
 
- Learning Objective: Evaluate the clinical evidence supporting locoregional combination strategies with immunotherapy and anti-VEGF agents, and apply IR-specific procedural considerations — including technique selection, timing relative to systemic therapy, and treatment planning — to optimize outcomes within combination regimens. 
 
Lecture 3: "Patient Selection, Liver Function, and the Path to Curative Intent" 
Speaker: Anjana Pillai, MD (Hepatology) 
 
- Learning Objective: Apply liver function assessment tools (Child-Pugh, ALBI grade, MELD) and multidisciplinary evaluation to optimize patient selection for combination therapy, recognize when treatment should be de-escalated to preserve hepatic reserve, and identify candidates for conversion/downstaging to curative-intent treatment including transplant considerations in the immunotherapy era. 

Key Themes: 
 
1. Personalized first-line therapy selection requires input from all disciplines 
 
2. The locoregional procedure as a foundation for combination strategies 
 
3. Applying liver function tools in practice: translating hepatology assessment into combination therapy eligibility 
 
4. Conversion/downstaging to curative intent as a multidisciplinary treatment goal 
 
5. The tumor board is where the best treatment decisions are made