Recent advances in hepatocellular carcinoma therapeutic strategies and imaging-guided treatment

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common malignant cancer in the world, which greatly threatens human health. However, the routine treatment strategies for HCC have failed to specifically eradicate the tumorigenic cells, leading to the occurrence of metastasis and recurrence. To improve treatment efficacies, the development of novel effective technologies is urgently required. Recently, nanotechnologies have gained the extensive attention in cancer targeted therapy, which could provide a promising way for HCC clinical practice. However, a successful cancer management depends on accurate diagnosis of the tumour along with precise therapeutic protocol, thereby predicting the tumour response to existing therapies. The synergistic effect of targeted therapeutic systems and imaging approaches (also called 'imaging-guided cancer treatment') may establish a more effective platform for individual cancer care. This review outlines the recent advanced nano-targeted and -traceable therapeutic strategies for HCC management. The multifunctional nano agents that have both diagnosis and therapy abilities are highlighted. Finally, we conclude with our perspectives on the future development and challenges of HCC nanotheranostics.