PDCD1 and hepatocellular carcinoma: Although Kuo and colleagues previously reported higher ORRs for portal vein tumor thrombus versus intrahepatic lesions in patients receiving TKIs with or without immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy, patients in the present study received lenvatinib plus anti-PD-1 antibodies as a first-line treatment for advanced HCC, which is under investigation as a first-line therapy [16, 17].