Sorafenib Improves Survival in Metastatic Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Case Report

Abstract

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a very common cancer. Curative treatments and local ones are well validated. Sorafenib, a multi-kinase receptor inhibitor was introduced in 2007 for advanced HCC in patients with preserved liver function. HCC is known to be resistant to systemic chemotherapy, and there are no validated therapies improving survival for metastatic disease. Herein, we report a case of a 45 years old woman with chronic hepatitis B infection submitted to a right hepatectomy in May 2001 for an hepatic tumor with more than 10 cm wide, confirmed as a HCC moderately differentiated. Three years later, a solitary pulmonary metastasis was documented and a metastectomy was done. In February 2009, the patient started on sorafenib 400 mg twice daily due to an inferior mediastinal metastasis with a vena cava thrombus associated. Computed tomography (CT) scan done 13 months after revealed a consistently mass reduction in more than 50% and a clinically well patient without important collateral effects. HCC is a highly vascularized tumor and sorafenib is known to inhibit both tumor angiogenesis and tumor cell survival. It is already approved for the treatment of advanced and metastatic renal cell cancer. In our case, the combination of two well done surgical procedures and the posterior use of sorafenib when a metastasis was found in an inaccessible surgical place with macroscopic vascular invasion, led to a long survival without important side effects.

Keywords: Hepatocellular carcinoma; Metastatic disease; Sorafenib.

Figure 1

α-Fetoprotein evolution and principal events along the clinical course.

Figure 2

Mass involution under sorafenib treatment: (A) December 2008; (B) May 2009; (C) November 2009; (D) March 2010.