Efficacy of anti-PD-1 antibody SHR-1210 as second-line treatment in hepatocellular carcinoma patient with sorafenib resistance: A case report

RATIONALE: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), one of the most common cancers worldwide, is an aggressive tumor with very poor prognosis. Regorafenib was the first agent to show a survival benefit over placebo in patients who showed progression while being treated with sorafenib, but it remains an unsatisfactory agent owing to its serious side effects. Therefore, more efficient and milder therapies are needed. PATIENT CONCERNS: Herein, we report a patient with advanced HCC with many lung metastases who showed progression during sorafenib treatment. DIAGNOSES: HCC with lung metastases (stage IVB). INTERVENTIONS: SHR-1210 alone was used as second-line treatment. OUTCOMES: Although the lung metastases did not decrease 3 months after the treatment, they decreased significantly at 6 months after the treatment and partially disappeared. The tumor response indicated partial response. Furthermore, all of the lung metastases continued to decrease at about 17 months after treatment. The alpha-fetoprotein levels showed a similar trend. After a follow up of 19 months, the patient remains in good health. LESSONS: SHR-1210 alone as a second-line treatment for a patient with HCC showed excellent antitumor effects. We think that SHR-1210 may exert its antitumor effects through a late-onset model, which persist for a long time. The side effects were mild and well tolerated.