Successful Liver Transplantation After Achieving Complete Clinical Remission of Hepatocellular Carcinoma With Combination Therapy of Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors and Targeted Agents: A Case Report.

Abstract

Immunotherapy, primarily with immune checkpoint inhibitors, has become pivotal in the treatment of advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), leading to significant tumor burden reduction. However, its applicability in liver transplantation remains controversial. Due to the potential risks of rejection limiting large-scale clinical trials and the incomplete understanding of underlying mechanisms, whether transplant recipients can benefit from immunotherapy remains uncertain. This report describes the application of immunotherapy in liver transplantation, wherein two patients achieved complete tumor remission after receiving immunotherapy combined with other treatments before transplantation, enabling successful liver transplantation surgeries. Additionally, one patient received combination therapy with tislelizumab and lenvatinib before transplantation (Case 2), representing the first reported case utilizing this combination therapy as a bridging treatment before LT.