case_images: PMC10878169_01
case_images: PET-CT scans at diagnosis and after 6 cycles of systemic therapy.
case_images: fonc-14-1355798-g001.jpg
case_images: PMC10878169_01_fonc-14-1355798-g001.jpg
case_images: f1
case_images: A, with a blood alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) level of 41.28 ng/ml. A positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET-CT) scan (Figure 1) on 2019-10-28 demonstrated an enlarged right hepatic lobe measuring 95 mmx56 mm. T12 vertebra, measuring ~ 0.8 cm along its short axis with increased glucose metabolism (Figure 1). The patient's AFP levels had decreased substantially from 41.28 ng/ml to within the normal range (as shown in
case_images: A schematic of course of disease management.
case_images: fonc-14-1355798-g002.jpg
case_images: PMC10878169_01_fonc-14-1355798-g002.jpg
case_images: f2
case_images: T12 vertebral body. The diagnosis was established as Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) stage C HCC (equivalent to China Liver Cancer [CNLC] stage IIIb) as shown in Figure 2.
case_images: (A) The changes in AFP levels during the course of treatment. (B) Pathological features of the tumour lesion post-surgery (Hematoxylin and eosin stain, magnification x200).
case_images: fonc-14-1355798-g003.jpg
case_images: PMC10878169_01_fonc-14-1355798-g003.jpg
case_images: f3
case_images: Figure 3A), while his liver function remained unimpaired. Furthermore, antiviral therapy had effectively reduced HBV-DNA levels to less than 1.0 x 102 IU/mL, and no adverse events (AEs) were reported during the course of the systemic treatment. A small region of moderately differentiated HCC was encapsulated by fibrous tissue hyperplasia with hyaline degeneration and scattered inflammatory cell infiltration Figure 3B).
case_images: PET images showing no evidence of disease a month after the surgery.
case_images: fonc-14-1355798-g004.jpg
case_images: PMC10878169_01_fonc-14-1355798-g004.jpg
case_images: f4
case_images: A subsequent follow-up, including a PET-CT examination on 2021-04-26, revealed no clinical evidence of disease (Figure 4).
case_images: Identification of CTCs by CTCBIOPSY .
case_images: fonc-14-1355798-g005.jpg
case_images: PMC10878169_01_fonc-14-1355798-g005.jpg
case_images: f5
case_images: Concurrently, analysis via CTCBIOPSY  unveiled a circulating tumour cell count of two per 5 mL of blood, which is considered to be at a level indicating less possibility of disease recurrence (Figure 5).