Currently, various tyrosine kinase inhibitors and immune checkpoint inhibitors have been suggested in the treatment guidelines for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, sorafenib was the only systemic drug approved 10 years ago. In 2010, a woman diagnosed with HCC rupture and multiple lung metastases visited our hospital. At the time of visiting our hospital, she had undergone transarterial chemoembolization at another hospital to control bleeding due to HCC rupture. We treated her with hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy and sorafenib combination therapy to increase the control of intrahepatic tumors in consideration of the modest efficacy of sorafenib. The intrahepatic tumor was almost controlled. Metastasectomy was performed to control lung oligometastasis. Subsequently, additional muscle metastasis was confirmed, and metastasectomy was performed. Although this is a very rare case, it shows that a multidisciplinary approach can improve the prognosis of patients with HCC.
Keun-Ho Lee, Ja Kyung Kim, Kwang-Hyub Han, Jong Tae Lee, Do Youn Lee, Jong Yoon Won, Hyun Woong Lee, Hwa Sook Kim, Ki Tae Yoon, Sang Hoon Ahn, Chae Yoon Chon, Young Myoung Moon
Journal of the Korean Liver Cancer Study Group. 2006;6(1):42-46. Published online June 30, 2006
There is no treatment of curative aim in advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with portal vein thrombosis
(PVT), which is associated with poor prognosis. Albeit one of the treatment options is intra-arterial infusional
chemotherapy, its therapeutic efficacy was minimal. In this report, we present an unusual case of a patient with
favorable result after intra-arterial infusional chemotherapy. This patient was HBV carrier and diagnosed having
HCC of stage IVb (T4N0M1) with right PVT on February 1999. Direct right adrenal gland and right kidney
invasion and numerous intrahepatic metastases were also noted. The serum AFP level showed more than 60,000
ng/mL, and the Child-Pugh score was 5 (class A). The patient received three sessions of intra-arterial
5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and cisplatin combination chemotherapy and two additional sessions of systemic (5-FU)
chemotherapy combined with intra-arterial cisplatin infusion. After total 5 sessions of combination chemotherapy,
follow-up CT scan revealed grossly total necrosis of main HCC and numerous intrahepatic metastases, without
evidence of viable portion in July 1999. The AFP level decreased to 79.4 ng/mL. The latest CT scan taken in
November 2005 also showed no evidence of recurrence. It is noteworthy that the patient with advanced HCC with
PVT showed complete remission only after 5 sessions of intra-arterial chemotherapy and the status of complete
remission is maintained for more than 76 months.