High PD-L1 level of advanced hepatic lymphoepithelioma-like carcinoma response favorably to lenvatinib plus toripalimab

Lymphoepithelioma-like carcinoma (LELC) is an uncommon subtype of primary liver cancer with predominant lymphocyte infiltration and a relatively favorable outcome. However, no standard treatment for advanced hepatic LELC has been established. Here, we give a first report of a 60-year-old man with advanced hepatic LELC who had a high expression of PD-L1 in tumor cells and a high level of tumor-infiltrating leukocytes (TILs) in the tumor microenvironment (TME). After receiving six cycles of multiple receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor (rTKI) with lenvatinib plus PD-1 inhibitor toripalimab treatment, the patient achieved persistent partial response (PR). Our report indicates that advanced hepatic LELC with high expression of PD-L1 may benefit from the combination of rTKI and PD-L1/PD-1 blockade. Therefore, this potential strategy should be considered when treating those rare liver cancers.

Automated summary

This study presents the case of a 60-year-old male with advanced hepatic lymphoepithelioma-like carcinoma (LELC). The patient had high expression of PD-L1 in tumor cells and a high level of tumor-infiltrating leukocytes (TILs) in the tumor microenvironment (TME). After treatment with a combination of multiple receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor (rTKI) lenvatinib and PD-1 inhibitor toripalimab, the patient achieved persistent partial response (PR).