Dr. Pinato on Guidelines for Toxicity Management in HCC

David J. Pinato, MD, clinician scientist, consultant medical oncologist, Department of Surgery and Cancer, Imperial College of London, discusses guidelines for toxicity management in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). 

Although papers have been published on the characteristics of toxicities in HCC, the guidelines set forth by the American Society of Clinical Oncology, the European Society for Medical Oncology, and the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer offer reliable sources of guidance for toxicity evaluation, Pinato explains. These guidelines include information on diagnosingimmune pathology in the context of checkpoint inhibitors, as well as maintaining broad differentials when a patient develops toxicity, Pinato says. 

It is important to take these differentials into consideration so that the cause of the toxicity can be correctly identified and the treatment can be tailored based on adverse effect ​severity, Pinato continues. Understanding this can ensure patients are not over or undertreated, Pinato concludes.