A Case of Unresectable Combined Hepatocellular-cholangiocarcinoma Treated with Combination Therapy Consisting of Durvalumab Plus Tremelimumab

Intern Med. 2024 Mar 4. doi: 10.2169/internalmedicine.3071-23. Online ahead of print.

Abstract

Combined hepatocellular cholangiocarcinoma is a rare and challenging primary liver malignancy that lacks any established standard treatments for unresectable cases. We herein present the first known case of a 49-year-old woman diagnosed with unresectable combined hepatocellular-cholangiocarcinoma, who underwent novel chemotherapy involving durvalumab plus tremelimumab combination therapy. The treatment was temporarily discontinued owing to immune-related adverse events, such as rash, and the patient was subsequently managed with systemic steroid therapy; however, the disease progressed after two courses of this treatment. Further studies are needed to validate the efficacy and safety of immune checkpoint inhibitors such as durvalumab and tremelimumab for the treatment of unresectable combined hepatocellular cholangiocarcinoma.

Keywords: combined hepatocellular-cholangiocarcinoma; durvalumab; immune check-point inhibitor; tremelimumab.