Fibrolamellar hepatocellular carcinoma in pregnancy

A Multicenter Randomized Three-Arm Phase II Study of (1) Everolimus, (2) Estrogen Deprivation Therapy (EDT) with Leuprolide + Letrozole, and (3) Everolimus + EDT in Patients with Unresectable Fibrolamellar Carcinoma

LESSONS LEARNED

FLC is a complex cancer with many implicated oncogenic pathways. Single or dual targeting does not appear to alter the natural history of the cancer, and novel therapeutics are needed. Estrogen deprivation therapy with letrozole and leuprolide, alone or in combination with the mTOR inhibitor, everolimus, did not demonstrate clinical activity in advanced fibrolamellar carcinoma. The study drugs were well tolerated when administered as single agents or in combination in this patient population. This study demonstrates that, despite the rarity of FLC, multicenter therapeutic clinical trials are feasible and support the value of this consortium.

BACKGROUND

Fibrolamellar carcinoma (FLC) is an uncommon malignancy in young people and is sometimes associated with pregnancy and oral contraceptive use. Immunohistochemical staining and genetic profiling of FLC tumor specimens have revealed aromatase overexpression. The overexpression of mTOR and S6 kinase has been noted in 25% of FLC. On the basis of interaction between estrogen and the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway, we hypothesized that suppression of estrogen and mTOR signaling could have antineoplastic activity in FLC.

METHODS

Patients were randomized to arm A (everolimus), arm B (letrozole/leuprolide; estrogen deprivation therapy [EDT]), or arm C (everolimus/letrozole/leuprolide). Upon disease progression, patients in arm A or B could proceed to part 2 (everolimus/letrozole/leuprolide). The primary endpoint was progression-free survival (PFS) at 6 months (PFS6) assessed using a Simon's minimax two-stage design, hypothesizing an improvement in PFS6 from 40% to 64% with the study regimen.

RESULTS

Twenty-eight patients were enrolled. An unplanned analysis was performed because of perceived concern for lack of efficacy. Stable disease was observed in 9 of 26 evaluable patients (35%). PFS6 was 0%. Median overall survival (OS) was 12.4 months (95% confidence interval [CI], 7.4-20.9) for the whole study cohort. Grade 3 adverse events in ≥10% of patients were nausea (11%), vomiting (11%), anemia (11%), elevated aspartate transaminase (AST; 32%), alanine transaminase (ALT; 36%), and alkaline phosphatase (14%). All 28 patients experienced an event for PFS outcome, and four deaths were due to disease progression.

CONCLUSION

Neither EDT nor mTOR inhibition improved outcomes in FLC. Other treatment strategies are needed.

Hepatocellular Carcinoma Presenting with Obstructive Jaundice during Pregnancy

Introduction. Both hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) presenting during pregnancy and HCC presenting with obstructive jaundice due to a tumor cast in the biliary tract are very rare. The management of these patients remains challenging. Presentation of Case. A 23-year-old lady presented with obstructive jaundice at 38 weeks of gestation. Investigations showed HCC with a biliary tumor thrombus. She received percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage (PTBD) and caesarean section. Right hepatectomy, extrahepatic bile duct resection, and left hepaticojejunostomy were carried out when the jaundice improved. The postoperative course was uneventful. She was discharged home on postoperative day 10. Histopathology showed HCC with a tumor thrombus in the bile duct. The surgical margins were clear. One year after surgery, the mother was disease-free and the baby was well. Conclusion. With proper management, curative treatment is possible in a pregnant patient who presented with obstructive jaundice due to a biliary tumor thrombus from HCC.

Liver diseases in pregnancy: Diseases not unique to pregnancy

Pregnancy is a special clinical state with several normal physiological changes that influence body organs including the liver. Liver disease can cause significant morbidity and mortality in both pregnant women and their infants. Few challenges arise in reaching an accurate diagnosis in light of such physiological changes. Laboratory test results should be carefully interpreted and the knowledge of what normal changes to expect is prudent to avoid clinical misjudgment. Other challenges entail the methods of treatment and their safety for both the mother and the baby. This review summarizes liver diseases that are not unique to pregnancy. We focus on viral hepatitis and its mode of transmission, diagnosis, effect on the pregnancy, the mother, the infant, treatment, and breast-feeding. Autoimmune hepatitis, primary biliary cirrhosis, primary sclerosing cholangitis, Wilson’s disease, Budd Chiari and portal vein thrombosis in pregnancy are also discussed. Pregnancy is rare in patients with cirrhosis because of the metabolic and hormonal changes associated with cirrhosis. Variceal bleeding can happen in up to 38% of cirrhotic pregnant women. Management of portal hypertension during pregnancy is discussed. Pregnancy increases the pathogenicity leading to an increase in the rate of gallstones. We discuss some of the interventions for gallstones in pregnancy if symptoms arise. Finally, we provide an overview of some of the options in managing hepatic adenomas and hepatocellular carcinoma during pregnancy.

Clinicopathologic characteristics and survival outcomes of patients with fibrolamellar carcinoma: data from the fibrolamellar carcinoma consortium

BACKGROUND

Fibrolamellar carcinoma is a rare and poorly understood malignancy that affects the young in the absence of underlying liver disease. Despite reported small review series, the literature lacks large retrospective studies that may help in understanding this disease.

METHODS

Medical record review was undertaken for all patients histopathologically diagnosed with fibrolamellar carcinoma, seen at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, the University of California San Francisco, and Johns Hopkins Hospital from 1986 to 2011. Demographic, clinical, pathologic, and treatment data were recorded. Overall survival was estimated by using Kaplan-Meier methods. The impact of different clinicopathologic variables on survival was assessed with Cox regression models.

RESULTS

Ninety-five patients were identified. Median age was 22 years, 86% were Caucasian, and 50% presented with stage IV disease. There were more females than males (58% vs. 42%). Seventy-seven percent of the patients underwent surgical resection and/or liver transplantation; of these 31.5% received perioperative therapy. Patients with unresectable disease, including 8 patients treated in clinical trials, were treated with chemotherapy, occasionally given with interferon or biologic agents. Ten patients received sorafenib, and 7 received best supportive care. Median survival was 6.7 years. Factors significantly associated with poor survival were female sex, advanced stage, lymph node metastases, macrovascular invasion, and unresectable disease.

CONCLUSIONS

The clinicopathologic characteristics and survival outcomes from this dataset are consistent with those reported in the literature. Surgical resection and disease extent were confirmed as important predictors of survival. The possibility of a negative association between female sex and prognosis could represent a clue as to future therapeutic strategies.

Hepatocellular carcinoma during pregnancy: is hepatocellular carcinoma more aggressive in pregnant patients?

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) during pregnancy is a very rare condition and is believed to have a worse prognosis than HCC in non-pregnant women. We evaluated the prognosis and the diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for HCC in pregnant women.

METHODS

We retrospectively analyzed 4 cases in our hospital and 44 cases described in the medical literature since 1957; we also compared the cases reported before 1995 and those reported during/after 1995.

RESULTS

The overall 6-month and 1-, 2-, and 3-year survival rates in the patients reported in the literature were 50, 29.5, 18.2, and 13.6%, respectively (n = 44). The mean ages at diagnosis before and during/after 1995 were 31.4 ± 7.2 and 28.9 ± 4.4 years, respectively (P = 0.113). The following characteristics were significantly more common in the later group: fewer pregnancies; the absence of advanced signs or symptoms; receipt of therapy; tendency to undergo surgery; and higher 6-month and 1-, 2-, and 3-year survival rates. The median survivals of the groups before and during/after 1995 were 18 and 25.5 months, respectively (P < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

The morbidity and mortality of HCC during pregnancy has improved over time, as diagnoses have tended to be made earlier and patients have tended to receive surgical and other treatments.

Fibrolamellar hepatocellular carcinoma

Fibrolamellar hepatocellular carcinoma (FHLCC) generally occurs in young individuals lacking a background of chronic liver disease and other risk factors for hepatocellular carcinoma. The clinical presentations of FLHCC are generally nonspecific, and the alpha-fetoprotein level is typically within the normal range in most cases. Imaging studies have a major role in clinical diagnosis, but pathology is the gold standard in confirming diagnosis. Pathological characteristics of FLHCC include the presence of tumor cells with a deeply eosinophilic cytoplasm and macronucleoli surrounded by abundant fibrous bands. The most effective treatment for FLHCC is aggressive surgical resection. This comprehensive literature review gives a full account of the clinical, pathological, and molecular features of FLHCC.