ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The combination of atezolizumab (ATZ) and bevacizumab (BVZ) was approved as first-line systemic therapy for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) owing to its superior rates of response and patient survival. However, ATZ + BVZ is associated with increased risk of upper gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding, including arterial bleeding, which is rare and potentially fatal. We present a case of massive upper GI bleeding from a gastric pseudoaneurysm in a patient with advanced HCC who had been treated with ATZ + BVZ. CASE SUMMARY: A 67-year-old man presented with severe upper GI bleeding after atezolizumab (ATZ) + bevacizumab (BVZ) therapy for HCC. Endoscopy failed to detect the bleeding site. Digital subtraction angiography revealed a gastric artery pseudoaneurysm and contrast extravasation from the inferior splenic artery and a branch of the left gastric artery. Successful hemostasis was achieved with embolization. CONCLUSION: HCC patients who have been treated with ATZ + BVZ should be followed for 3 to 6 mo to monitor for development of massive GI bleeding. Diagnosis may require angiography. Embolization is an effective treatment.
ABSTRACT
Background: Abdominal lymph node (ALN) metastasis is associated with a poor prognosis in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) because of the limited number of effective therapeutic options available. Immunotherapy with immune checkpoint inhibitors, such as those targeting programmed death receptor-1 (PD-1), have produced encouraging results in patients with advanced HCC. Here, we report a complete response (CR) in a patient with advanced HCC and ALN metastasis after combination treatment with tislelizumab (a PD-1 inhibitor) and locoregional therapy. Case summary: A 58-year-old man with HCC experienced progressive disease with multiple ALN metastases after undergoing transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE), radiofrequency ablation (RFA), and laparoscopic resection. Because the patient did not wish to receive systemic therapy, including chemotherapy and targeting therapy, we prescribed tislelizumab (as a single immunotherapeutic agent) together with RFA. After four tislelizumab treatment cycles, the patient achieved a CR without tumor recurrence for up to 15 months. Conclusion: Tislelizumab monotherapy can be effectively used to treat advanced HCC with ALN metastasis. Moreover, the combination of locoregional therapy and tislelizumab is likely to further increase therapeutic efficacy.
Subject(s)
Carcinoma, Hepatocellular , Chemoembolization, Therapeutic , Liver Neoplasms , Male , Humans , Middle Aged , Carcinoma, Hepatocellular/drug therapy , Carcinoma, Hepatocellular/pathology , Liver Neoplasms/drug therapy , Liver Neoplasms/pathology , Lymphatic Metastasis , Combined Modality Therapy , Chemoembolization, Therapeutic/methods , Neoplasm Recurrence, Local/therapy , Lymph Nodes/pathologyABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the effect of percutaneous vertebroplasty on vertebral tumor metastasis using instruments and drugs made in China and to explore the technique of percutaneous vertebroplasty. METHODS: Thirty-two patients with vertebral metastasis were treated with percutaneous vertebroplasty with instruments and drugs made in China. Anterolateral approach for cervical vertebrae and transpedicular approach for thoracic and lumbar vertebrae were used. The volume of disease focus and the amount of polymethy methacrylate (PMMA) injected were calculated with formula V = 4/3pi (D/2)(3) preoperatively. PMMA with contrast was mixed according to the ratio of powder/liquid/contrast of 3:2:1. The procedures were monitored under fluoroscopy. PMMA was injected in the polymerization time. CT scanning was performed before and after the operation. RESULTS: The percentage of lesion PMMA fill was more than 50% as demonstrated by CT. Clinical data were obtained from the cases followed up for 7 - 12 months, and the rate of pain relief was 90.6% (29/32) at one week, 71.8% (23/32) at six months, and 58.6% (17/29) at 12 months after operation. There were no cases of PMMA leakage that affected clinical performance. CONCLUSIONS: Percutaneous vertebroplasty for vertebral tumor metastasis using instruments and drugs made in China was effective. It is important to prevent paravertebral leaks of PMMA and to ensure that PMMA is injected within the polymerization time.
