An Effective Case of Radiofrequency Ablation with the Combination of Durvalumab and Tremelimumab Treatment for Hepatocellular Carcinoma
Abstract
Recent advances in immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have improved the survival of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, the therapeutic efficacy is influenced by the tumor immune phenotype. We report the case of a 77-year-old man with advanced HCC who was treated with durvalumab plus tremelimumab. Although radiologic imaging showed tumor shrinkage and normalized serum tumor marker levels, contrast-enhanced ultrasound identified residual hypervascular lesions. A biopsy revealed scarce intratumoral lymphocytes, suggesting a cold tumor phenotype. Sequential radiofrequency ablation (RFA) was performed, resulting in a complete response according to the modified RECIST. This case highlights that cold tumors may persist despite an apparent regression, and suggests that combining RFA with ICIs may enhance antitumor immunity and improve treatment outcomes.
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BibTeX
@article{rinka2026effective,
title = {{An Effective Case of Radiofrequency Ablation with the Combination of Durvalumab and Tremelimumab Treatment for Hepatocellular Carcinoma}},
author = {Koji Rinka and Kiyohide Kioka and Rika Shioji and Maiko Adachi and Takayuki Kashima and Tetsuya Ikeda and Tsubasa Yamaguchi and Nanako Fukui and Yuhei Sakata and Tadashi Ochiai and Hiroaki Okuda and Yuga Amano and Naoto Hirata and Satoshi Sugimori and Tomoaki Yamasaki and Takashi Nakai and Yuta Akahane and Naomi Ishii and Takeshi Inoue},
journal = {Internal Medicine},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.2169/internalmedicine.6699-25},
url = {https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/internalmedicine/65/19/65_6699-25/_article},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - An Effective Case of Radiofrequency Ablation with the Combination of Durvalumab and Tremelimumab Treatment for Hepatocellular Carcinoma
AU - Koji Rinka
AU - Kiyohide Kioka
AU - Rika Shioji
AU - Maiko Adachi
AU - Takayuki Kashima
AU - Tetsuya Ikeda
AU - Tsubasa Yamaguchi
AU - Nanako Fukui
AU - Yuhei Sakata
AU - Tadashi Ochiai
AU - Hiroaki Okuda
AU - Yuga Amano
AU - Naoto Hirata
AU - Satoshi Sugimori
AU - Tomoaki Yamasaki
AU - Takashi Nakai
AU - Yuta Akahane
AU - Naomi Ishii
AU - Takeshi Inoue
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/01
JO - Internal Medicine
DO - 10.2169/internalmedicine.6699-25
UR - https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/internalmedicine/65/19/65_6699-25/_article
AB - Recent advances in immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have improved the survival of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, the therapeutic efficacy is influenced by the tumor immune phenotype. We report the case of a 77-year-old man with advanced HCC who was treated with durvalumab plus tremelimumab. Although radiologic imaging showed tumor shrinkage and normalized serum tumor marker levels, contrast-enhanced ultrasound identified residual hypervascular lesions. A biopsy revealed scarce intratumoral lymphocytes, suggesting a cold tumor phenotype. Sequential radiofrequency ablation (RFA) was performed, resulting in a complete response according to the modified RECIST. This case highlights that cold tumors may persist despite an apparent regression, and suggests that combining RFA with ICIs may enhance antitumor immunity and improve treatment outcomes.
SN - 1349-7235
SN - 0918-2918
ER -