The American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD) recently announced the publication of BEACON-HCC, a landmark multidisciplinary consensus now available online in HEPATOLOGY.
The consensus was developed by 20 North American experts representing hepatology, medical oncology, surgery, radiology, and radiation oncology. BEACON-HCC provides a contemporary framework to modernize treatment decision-making for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), reflecting current clinical practice and the expanding range of therapies available to patients.
HCC is the third-leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide and the leading cause of cancer-related mortality among patients with cirrhosis. Despite advances in surveillance and treatment, 5-year survival remains below 25%, underscoring the need for contemporary approaches to treatment decision-making.
BEACON-HCC provides a more nuanced and clinically relevant framework by integrating tumor biology, disease burden, and the extent of vascular invasion. It also reflects the full range of contemporary treatment options, including external-beam radiation therapy, transarterial radioembolization, and combined systemic-locoregional strategies, enabling treatment recommendations that better match the complexity of modern HCC care.
“HCC treatment has evolved dramatically over the past decade, yet many existing treatment frameworks have not fully incorporated these advances,” said first author Amit G. Singal, MD, MS, of the University of Texas Southwestern. “BEACON-HCC reflects how multidisciplinary experts evaluate patients today by integrating the latest evidence with real-world clinical expertise to support more personalized treatment decisions.”
Using a modified Delphi consensus process, the panel developed recommendations that better reflect contemporary North American practice patterns while accounting for the growing complexity of available therapies. The framework was then evaluated in a pilot study of 29 real-world patient cases.
Key findings include:
- 96.6% concordance between BEACON-HCC recommendations and independent multidisciplinary expert treatment decisions.
- 72.4% concordance between expert recommendations and the current Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) 2025 treatment recommendations
- A more nuanced approach that incorporates tumor biology and several prognostic factors alongside liver function and disease stage
- Integration of newer treatment modalities that have become increasingly important in multidisciplinary HCC care.
“The treatment landscape for liver cancer is changing rapidly,” said senior author Mark Yarchoan, MD, of Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins Medicine. “This framework provides clinicians with a contemporary roadmap that better reflects current evidence, multidisciplinary expertise, and the expanding therapeutic options available to patients.”
The authors emphasize that BEACON-HCC is intended to complement multidisciplinary clinical decision-making and will continue to evolve as additional evidence emerges. Further validation of the framework is planned through the HCC-Live Consortium using prospective clinical data.
The publication represents one of the most comprehensive multidisciplinary consensus efforts to redefine treatment allocation for HCC in North America and highlights the importance of collaborative, evidence-based approaches to improving outcomes for patients with liver cancer.
DISCLOSURE: For full disclosures of the study authors, visit ovid.com/jnls/hep.
