Abstract:Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains highly prevalent in China and worldwide, with less than 20% of newly diagnosed patients eligible for radical resection and a postoperative 5-year recurrence rate as high as 70%. Perioperative therapy is a key strategy to reduce recurrence, yet evidence for neoadjuvant therapy in HCC is still limited. In recent years, immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have shown significant progress in HCC treatment, and their potential in the neoadjuvant setting has attracted growing attention. Neoadjuvant immunotherapy can utilize the primary tumor as an antigen reservoir to induce sustained antitumor immunity, and its combination with targeted agents or local therapies may yield synergistic effects. Early studies have demonstrated acceptable safety and preliminary efficacy; however, optimal patient selection, ideal combination strategies, and reliable predictive biomarkers remain to be established. High-quality randomized controlled trials are warranted to verify its impact on long-term survival and to optimize treatment approaches.