Open AccessProlonged Survival of a Patient with Advanced-Stage Combined Hepatocellular-Cholangiocarcinoma
Author(s) -
Loosen Sven H.,
Gaisa Nadine T.,
Schmeding Maximilian,
Heining Christoph,
Uhrig Sebastian,
Wirtz Theresa H.,
Kalverkamp Sebastian,
Spillner Jan,
Tacke Frank,
Stenzinger Albrecht,
Glimm Hanno,
Fröhling Stefan,
Trautwein Christian,
Roderburg Christoph,
Longerich Thomas,
Neumann Ulf Peter,
Luedde Tom
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
case reports in gastroenterology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.247
H-Index - 18
ISSN - 1662-0631
DOI - 10.1159/000511034
Subject(s) - case and review
Combined hepatocellular-cholangiocarcinoma (cHCC/CCA) represents a rare type of primary liver cancer with a very limited prognosis. Although just recently genomic studies have contributed to a better understanding of the disease’s genetic landscape, therapeutic options, especially for advanced-stage patients, are limited and often experimental, as no standardized treatment protocols have been established to date. Here, we report the case of a 38-year-old male patient who was diagnosed with extensive intrahepatic cHCC/CCA in an otherwise healthy liver without signs of chronic liver disease. An interdisciplinary stepwise therapeutic approach including locoregional liver-targeted therapy, systemic chemotherapy, liver transplantation, surgical pulmonary metastasis resection, and next-generation sequencing-based targeted therapy led to a prolonged overall survival beyond 5 years with an excellent quality of life. This case report comprises several provocative treatment decisions that are extensively discussed in light of the existing literature on this rare but highly aggressive malignancy.