CASE REPORT article
Front. Immunol.
Sec. Cancer Immunity and Immunotherapy
Case Report:Long-Term Disease-Free Survival in an Advanced Hepatocellular Carcinoma Patient: An Exceptional Response to PD-1 Inhibitor Therapy
Provisionally accepted
- 1Xiamen Translational Medical Key Laboratory of Digestive System Tumor, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Chronic Liver Disease and Hepatocellular Carcinoma, Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Zhongshan Hospital of Xiamen University, School of Medicine, Xiamen University, Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine, School of Medicine, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
- 2Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Zhongshan Hospital of Xiamen University, School of Medicine, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
- 3Department of Pathology, Zhongshan Hospital of Xiamen University, School of Medicine, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian Province, 361000, P. R. China., Xiamen, China
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Abstract Introduction: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a leading cause of cancer-related death, with most patients diagnosed at advanced stages, often precluding surgical resection. Recently, immune checkpoint inhibitors, particularly PD-1 inhibitors, have emerged as promising therapies, though long-term disease-free survival (DFS) remains rare. We report a case of an advanced HCC patient who achieved complete remission (CR) after just four cycles of reduced-dose pembrolizumab and maintained a disease-free status for more than seven years. Case Report: A 55-year-old male with chronic hepatitis B and alcohol-related liver disease presented with a ruptured HCC. After initial treatments, including surgery and chemotherapy, the patient was started on reduced-dose pembrolizumab (100 mg). After four cycles, the patient achieved CR. Conclusion: This case highlights the potential for long-term survival with reduced-dose PD-1 inhibitor therapy in advanced HCC. The patient's exceptional response provides important insights into the role of personalized dosing, immune checkpoint inhibitors, and the management of immune-related adverse events.
Keywords: Hepatocellular Carcinoma, PD-1 inhibitor, Disease-Free Survival, Pembrolizumab, follow-up
Received: 01 Aug 2025; Accepted: 28 Oct 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Fang, Yu, Xiong, Zhang, Wang, Zhou, Wang and Yin. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Jianyin Zhou, zhoujianyin2000@sina.com
Fuqiang Wang, wangfq@xmu.edu.cn
Zhenyu Yin, yinzy@xmu.edu.cn
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