Although immunotherapies have greatly improved the treatment of liver cancer, they are not effective for all patients. The problem is that liver tumors can differ substantially in their biology depending on factors such as the cause of the disease and genetic changes in the cancer cells. Consequently, they can respond very differently to drugs.

A research team led by Professor Markus Heim and Dr. Sandro Nuciforo at the University of Basel now reports on new uses for approved drugs and new drug combinations. Their results are published in Cell Reports. One of these combinations proved promising in an animal model.