Comparative Effectiveness and Safety of Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors in Patients with Hepatocellular Carcinoma Based on Viral Etiology

Background : Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) are antitumor agents employed in the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), which enhance T-cell function by targeting immune escape pathways.HCC is classified into viral and non-viral types based on its etiology, with the viral form often linked to an immunosuppressive microenvironment due to T-cell tolerance.However, existing research on how viral etiology influences ICI therapy outcomes is limited.This study evaluated the efficacy and safety of ICI in viral versus non-viral HCC in a Korean population.