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Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a critical global health issue and the third most common cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. The majority of patients who present HCC are already at an advanced stage and their tumors are unresectable. Sorafenib is a multikinase inhibitor of the vascular endothelial growth factor pathway and was recently introduced as a therapy for advanced HCC. Furthermore, studies have shown that oral sorafenib has beneficial effects on survival. However, many patients experience diverse side effects, and some of these are severe. Liver abscess development has not been previously documented to be associated with sorafenib administration in HCC. Here, we report the case of a HCC patient that developed a liver abscess while being treated with sorafenib.
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Fig. 1.
Liver CT scan at the time of hepatocellular carcinoma diagnosis, showing a 10-cm sized high density mass in the arterial phase (arrow) and washout in the portal venous phase, with portal vein thrombosis (arrow head) in the right lobe of the liver. (A) Arterial phase. (B) Portal venous phase.
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