AUTHOR=Li Yun , Lai Yanzhen , Luo Xuqiang , Wu Jian , Wu Kunpeng , Ma Haiqing TITLE=Case report: Massive hepatocellular carcinoma with complete response to the non-surgical systematic treatment strategy JOURNAL=Frontiers in Oncology VOLUME=14 YEAR=2024 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/oncology/articles/10.3389/fonc.2024.1291131 DOI=10.3389/fonc.2024.1291131 ISSN=2234-943X ABSTRACT=Background

The five-year recurrence rate of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains as high as 70%. A complete clinical response has not been observed without surgical resection. Here, we report a rare case of clinical complete response and long-term survival in a patient with massive HCC receiving treatment with immunotherapy, anti-angiogenic therapy, and radiotherapy.

Case description

A 38-year-old woman presented to our hospital for abdominal pain that persisted for 3 months. She was diagnosed as Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer(BCLC) stage A, with a Cancer of the Liver Italian Program (CLIP) score of 3, American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) Tumor-Node-Metastasis (TNM) staging systems stage IB. She refused surgical resection and trans-arterial chemoembolization and accepted a non-invasive systematic treatment strategy involving immunotherapy, anti-angiogenic therapy, and radiotherapy. Her tumor burden decreased, and she experienced partial response before radiotherapy. Following radiotherapy, she experienced a complete clinical response and has been alive for more than 36 months after her initial presentation. She is currently alive.

Conclusion

A non-invasive systematic treatment strategy is a potential radical treatment option for patients with massive HCC.