Clinical Research Progress on Radiofrequency Ablation Combined with Immunotherapy for Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Hepatocellular carcinoma is one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths worldwide. As an effective curative treatment for early-stage hepatocellular carcinoma, radiofrequency ablation is widely used due to its minimally invasive nature, simplicity, and repeatability, however, its postoperative recurrence rate remains relatively high. Immunotherapy, particularly immune checkpoint blockade, has made significant progress in recent years, offering new treatment options for cancer. Combined immunotherapy is considered an important strategy for reducing recurrence and delaying progression after radiofrequency ablation. This review provides a systematic summary of the immunological basis of radiofrequency ablation, combined strategies of radiofrequency ablation with immunotherapy, recent clinical research progress, and discusses the challenges in this field. It aims to provide theoretical and practical references for the comprehensive treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma.