Search

HCC represents the sixth most common cancer worldwide and the second leading cause of cancer-related death. Despite the high incidence, treatment options for advanced HCC remain limited and unsuccessful, resulting in a poor prognosis. Despite the major advances achieved in the diagnostic management of HCC, only one third of the newly diagnosed patients are presently eligible for curative treatments. Advances in technology and an increased understanding of HCC biology have led to the discovery of novel biomarkers. Improving our knowledge about serum and tissutal markers could ultimately lead to an early diagnosis and better and early treatment strategies for this deadly disease. Serum biomarkers are striking potential tools for surveillance and early diagnosis of HCC thanks to the non-invasive, objective, and reproducible assessments they potentially enable. To date, many biomarkers have been proposed in the diagnosis of HCC. Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is an aggressive malignancy, characterized by early lymph node involvement and distant metastasis, with 5-year survival rates of 5%-10%. The identification of new biomarkers with diagnostic, prognostic or predictive value is especially important as resection (by surgery or combined with a liver transplant) has shown promising results and novel therapies are emerging. However, the relatively low incidence of CCA, high frequency of co-existing cholestasis or cholangitis (primary sclerosing cholangitis -PSC- above all), and difficulties with obtaining adequate samples, despite advances in sampling techniques and in endoscopic visualization of the bile ducts, have complicated the search for accurate biomarkers. In this review, we attempt to analyze the existing literature on this argument.

We describe the case of a woman who has been undergoing treatment for HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer since 2002. She presented liver metastasis at diagnosis in February 2002. Combination therapy with docetaxel and trastuzumab was administered as first-line treatment, and a complete response of the hepatic lesion and a partial response at the breast primary cancer site were achieved. After 6 cycles of therapy, the patient underwent surgical excision of the breast and then received trastuzumab alone until progression, which occurred in March 2010 with the development of a right chest wall lesion. The patient progressed after therapy with trastuzumab emtansine (T-DM1) received as second-line treatment. Subsequently, a combination of lapatinib and capecitabine was started in April 2011. At this writing, the patient is still receiving treatment (24 months) and is showing a long-lasting response with a favorable safety profile.