Publication Name	World Journal of Gastrointestinal Oncology
Manuscript ID	126572
DOI	10.4251/wjgo.126572
Country	China

Category	Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Manuscript Type	Minireviews
Article Title	Stereotactic body radiotherapy for the treatment of early-stage hepatocellular carcinoma: Evolution from salvage to first-line alternative therapy
Manuscript Source	Invited Manuscript
All Author List	Zhi-Wei Ye, Xing-Yuan Cheng, Yao-Jun Zhang and Mian Xi
Funding Agency and Grant Number
Corresponding Author	Mian Xi, Chief Physician, Department of Radiation Oncology, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, No. 651 Dongfeng Road East, Guangzhou 510060, Guangdong Province, China. ximian@sysucc.org.cn
Key Words	Early-stage hepatocellular carcinoma; Stereotactic body radiotherapy; Radiofrequency ablation; Hepatic resection; Local tumor control; Prognosis; Liver function; Clinical decision-making
Core Tip	For early-stage hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), radiofrequency ablation is primarily effective for small, nonperivascular lesions but remains constrained by the heat-sink effect. As a noninvasive curative alternative, stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) overcomes this limitation and appears to offer favorable local control for perivascular and subcapsular tumors; however, in treatment-naive disease, this advantage is supported mainly by observational (level II) studies of low certainty, whereas randomized (level I) evidence currently demonstrates superior local control only for recurrent small HCC. Hepatic resection remains the gold standard treatment for large, operable tumors in patients with preserved liver function. Major clinical obstacles include unstandardized SBRT fractionation protocols and insufficient large-scale frontline trials. A stratified decision-making approach would balance antitumor efficacy with hepatic safety.
Citation	Ye ZW, Cheng XY, Zhang YJ, Xi M. Stereotactic body radiotherapy for the treatment of early-stage hepatocellular carcinoma: Evolution from salvage to first-line alternative therapy. World J Gastrointest Oncol 2026; In press DOI: https://doi.org/10.4251/wjgo.126572
PDF	126572-in-press.pdf

Received	2026-08-12 07:00
Peer-Review Started	2026-08-12 07:00
First Decision by Editorial Office Director
Return for Revision	2026-08-25 02:09
Revised	2026-09-07 14:44
Publication Fee Transferred
Second Decision by Editor	2026-11-02 02:18
Second Decision by Editor-in-Chief
Final Decision by Editorial Office Director	2026-11-04 10:47
Articles in Press	2026-11-04 10:47
Edit the Manuscript by Language Editor
Typeset the Manuscript

ISSN	1948-5204 (online)
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