Liver cancer experts co-author new treatment framework for hepatocellular carcinoma

A team of liver cancer experts from Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center and 16 other cancer centers has developed a new treatment framework called BEACON-HCC for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in North America. This resource, published in the journal Hepatology, outlines treatment recommendations based on the latest medical literature for each stage of HCC, considering tumor burden, invasion into the vascular system, tumor biology, and more.

BEACON-HCC incorporates emerging treatment modalities such as external beam radiation therapy, transarterial radioembolization, and novel combination therapies. Unlike the Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) staging system, which has been the standard for nearly 30 years, BEACON-HCC includes treatment paradigms that reflect modern practices at Johns Hopkins and other institutions.

The BCLC often classifies vascular invasion as advanced disease, recommending systemic therapy alone, whereas BEACON-HCC demonstrates that vascular invasion can still be curable through resection in selected patients.

The development of BEACON-HCC took nearly two years, involving validation by the team's own cases and feedback from 18 North American HCC clinical experts. When compared to BEACON-HCC recommendations, expert treatment decisions aligned 96.6% of the time, while agreement with the BCLC 2025 recommendations was only 72.4%. The framework aims to provide a multidisciplinary approach to HCC management, recognizing the complexity of treatment options and the evolving landscape of therapeutic armamentarium.