Hepatopulmonary shunting after surgical, interventional and systemic therapy in patients with liver malignancies scheduled for radioembolization

Short-Term Oral Sorafenib for Therapy of Intratumoral Shunts of Hepatocellular Carcinoma to Enable Intraarterial Treatment

INTRODUCTION

Significant intratumoral shunts between tumor-supplying arteries and portal or liver veins are a contraindication for transarterial therapy of HCC because interventional treatment of these shunts is frequently insufficient. Sorafenib has anti-angiogenic effects and is indicated for palliative treatment of patients with HCC. Here, we report our experience with the use of sorafenib for the closure of intratumoral shunts in patients scheduled for transarterial therapy of HCC.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Three patients with HCC, aged 65, 82 and 79 years, exhibited a significant intratumoral shunting from tumor artery to portal (n = 1) or liver veins (n = 2). In all cases, intratumoral shunting had already been suspected based on pre-interventional CT angiography, and DSA confirmed the shunt. Oral sorafenib (800 mg/day) was administered for at least four weeks, only and specifically to occlude the shunt. Hereafter, patients were re-evaluated by CT and DSA.

RESULTS

All patients tolerated the full prescribed dose for at least 4 weeks. In one case, therapy was prolonged with an adapted dose (400 mg/day) due to sorafenib-related hand-foot syndrome. After sorafenib treatment, CT and DSA confirmed a complete closure of intratumoral shunts for all patients. No tumor progression was observed. All three patients hereafter underwent successful transarterial treatment by TACE (n = 2) or TARE (n = 1) without complications. Progression-free survival according to mRECIST was 501, 397 and 599 days, respectively.

CONCLUSION

Even short-term oral sorafenib seems to effectively close intratumoral shunts in patients with HCC and thus might enable transarterial treatment of these patients.

Hepatopulmonary Shunt Reduction With 177Lu-DOTATATE Therapy

A 72-year-old man was diagnosed with well-differentiated neuroendocrine tumor of unknown primary with liver metastasis. All liver lesions were detectable only on Ga-DOTATATE PET/CT and were negative on F-FDG PET/CT. Intrahepatic Y radioembolization therapy was planned, but the hepatopulmonary shunt fraction was found to be 31.6%. Because the hepatopulmonary shunt fraction greater than 20% is an absolute contraindication to radioembolization, we decided to give him Lu-DOTATATE therapy. He received 4 courses of Lu-DOTATATE and showed regression in posttherapy Ga-DOTATATE PET/CT imaging. The hepatopulmonary shunt fraction was reduced to 8% after Lu-DOTATATE therapy.