Triple adjuvant therapy with transarterial chemoembolization, lenvatinib, and programmed death-1 inhibitors improves short-term recurrence control in high-risk patients with resected intermediate-stage hepatocellular carcinoma

TAP therapy demonstrated significant potential as an adjuvant treatment for intermediate-stage HCC following curative resection, offering superior recurrence control and survival benefits compared to TACE alone. Patients with a predicted recurrence risk >37% showed improved DFS outcomes in TAP therapy, suggesting that recurrence risk thresholds could guide tailored treatment decisions in clinical practice. The manageable safety profile of TAP further supports its feasibility in the postoperative setting.Our findings represent a substantial advancement in the field of adjuvant therapy for resected intermediate-stage HCC.