Balancing anticancer therapy efficacy and safety in advanced hepatocellular carcinoma: a case report

Abstract

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a significant health problem associated with several risk factors, increasingly driven by non-alcoholic steatohepatitis and metabolic syndrome. This association poses a challenge for the primary treatments of HCC, which may include immune checkpoint inhibitors and vascular endothelial growth factor inhibitors, due to their potential cardiotoxic effect. Therefore, it is imperative to balance the therapeutic effects of these agents with their potential cardiovascular adverse events.

Case description: We describe the case of a man in his seventies with advanced HCC and significant cardiovascular comorbidities who was treated with atezolizumab and bevacizumab. Despite achieving a clinical and radiologic complete response, the patient experienced a deterioration in cardiac function after 16 months, necessitating the discontinuation of bevacizumab. The patient continued to respond well to atezolizumab, but unfortunately, he passed away due to a cardiac event after 4 years of follow-up.

Conclusions: Careful risk stratification and optimization of modifiable risk factors is of uttermost importance in management of HCC. Close monitoring, comprehensive patient management in a cardio-oncology clinic is also vital, particularly for patients at high risk of developing cardiovascular adverse events. The delicate balance between the efficacy of cancer treatments and their potential cardiotoxicity is one of the principal determinants of outcomes of patients diagnosed with HCC.

Keywords: Case report; atezolizumab; bevacizumab; cardio-oncology; cardiovascular toxicity.

Figure 1

Sequential MRI of the abdomen demonstrating reduction in hepatocellular carcinoma tumor size during treatment. Red arrow indicates the location of the tumor. The length of each cycle is 21 days. MRI, magnetic resonance imaging.