Pierre Gholam, MD, provides insight on the case of a 61-year-old man with stage 4 hepatocellular carcinoma and evaluates current treatment options on TKIs.
Case: A 61-Year-Old Man with Stage 4 Hepatocellular Carcinoma
Initial presentation
A 61-year-old man presented with nausea, vomiting, decreased appetite and occasional generalized itching
PMH: diabetes, medially controlled; hepatitis C and B coinfection diagnosed and treated 6 years ago; diagnosed with HCC December 2018
Labs: AFP 436 ng/mL, bilirubin 1.6 mg/dL, AST 105 U/L, ALT 110 U/L, ALP 390 U/L, INR 1.9, albumin 3.8 g/dL, BUN 13 mg/dL, creatinine 1 mg/dL, plt 95,000
HBV+, HCV+
Abdominal ultrasound revealed 3 small hepatic lesions
Chest/abdominal/pelvic CT scan confirmed 2 focal nodules in the right and 1 in the left hepatic lobe measuring 3.6 cm, 4.9 cm and 5.2 cm, a suspicious lesion in the right lower lung lobe; wide-spread lymphadenopathy was noted
Biopsy findings showed grade 3 hepatocellular carcinoma with marked fibrosis
Surgical consult: unresectable due to tumor size and location
Child-Pugh A; BCLC stage C
ECOG 1
Treatment and Follow-Up
2018: treated with lenvatinib 400 mg PO q12hr; he experienced diarrhea for 2 weeks which resolved; achieved PR
2020: Imaging showed a new lung lesion
Treatment was with cabozantinib 60 mg PO qDay was initiated