Copyright
©The Author(s) 2025. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
Anti-programmed death-1 immunotherapy-promising treatment for metastatic colorectal cancer: A case report
Tian-Hao Guo, Sheng-Wei Hong, Wen-Jian Zhu, Yi-Fan Hui, Wen-Li Qiu, Yan Wu, Xuan Li, Fei Ke, Liu Li, Hai-Bo Cheng
Tian-Hao Guo, Institute of Health and Regimen, Jiangsu Open University, Nanjing 210036, Jiangsu Province, China
Tian-Hao Guo, Sheng-Wei Hong, Wen-Jian Zhu, Yi-Fan Hui, Liu Li, Hai-Bo Cheng, The First Clinical Medical College, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210023, Jiangsu Province, China
Wen-Li Qiu, Department of Radiology, Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210029, Jiangsu Province, China
Yan Wu, Xuan Li, Hai-Bo Cheng, Department of Oncology, Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210029, Jiangsu Province, China
Fei Ke, Department of Pathology, Jiangsu Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine (Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine), Nanjing 210029, Jiangsu Province, China
Co-first authors: Tian-Hao Guo and Sheng-Wei Hong.
Co-corresponding authors: Fei Ke and Hai-Bo Cheng.
Author contributions: Guo TH and Cheng HB made substantial contributions to the conception and design of the study; Guo TH, Hong SW, Zhu WJ and Hui YF were primarily responsible for writing the manuscript; Guo TH, Hong SW, Zhu WJ, Hui YF, Qiu WL, Wu Y, Li X, Ke F and Li L were responsible for collecting the patient’s clinical data and data analysis; Guo TH, Ke F and Cheng HB confirmed the authenticity of all the raw data; All authors have read and approved the final manuscript; Guo TH and Hong SW made the equal contributions as the co-first authors; Ke F and Cheng HB made the equal contributions as the co-corresponding authors.
Supported by the National Key R and D Program of China, No. 2022YFC3500200 and No. 2022YFC3500204; Innovation Team and Talents Cultivation Program of National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine, No. ZYYCXTD-C-202208; NATCM’s Project of High-level Construction of Key TCM Disciplines, No. [2023]85; Qing Lan Project of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions, No. [2023]27; Jiangsu Postgraduate Practice Innovation Plan, No. SJCX22_0706; and General Project of Universities’ Philosophy and Social Science in Jiangsu Province, No. 2024SJYB0564.
Informed consent statement: The study participant provided informed written consent prior to study enrollment.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
CARE Checklist (2016) statement: The authors have read the CARE Checklist (2016), and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the CARE Checklist (2016).
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See:
https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/ Corresponding author: Hai-Bo Cheng, PhD, Chief Physician, Professor, The First Clinical Medical College, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, No. 138 Xianlin Road, Nanjing 210023, Jiangsu Province, China.
haibocheng@njucm.edu.cn
Received: August 31, 2024
Revised: October 30, 2024
Accepted: December 2, 2024
Published online: February 15, 2025
Processing time: 140 Days and 1.2 Hours
BACKGROUND
Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most prevalent form of cancer worldwide. Among patients with CRC, colorectal liver metastasis (CRLM) is the foremost direct contributor to mortality. In recent years, immunotherapy has swiftly risen to prominence as a vital approach for treating a range of solid tumors, including CRC. We present a unique case of a patient suffering from CRLM, with the goal of offering an insightful example and relevant references for the treatment of CRLM.
CASE SUMMARY
We report a patient who experienced liver metastasis after undergoing successful surgical removal of CRC, with the postoperative pathological stage identified as pT4N2aM0. The patient has been receiving a combination treatment of Western and Traditional Chinese Medicine. Regular assessments of the patient’s condition have been conducted, encompassing evaluations of serum carcinoembryonic antigen levels, carbohydrate antigen 199, and observations of the tongue complexion and its coating. The patient achieved clinical remission after anti-programmed death-1 immunotherapy when various systemic therapies failed. Since the diagnosis of CRLM, the patient has survived for more than 6 years, surpassing the expected survival time for those with advanced CRC.
CONCLUSION
This case illustrates the considerable promise of anti-programmed death-1 immunotherapy in managing CRLM, especially in scenarios of drug resistance and disease progression.
Core Tip: The patient described in this report has survived for more than 6 years since the diagnosis of colorectal liver metastasis. The patient achieved clinical remission after anti-programmed death-1 (PD-1) immunotherapy when different systemic therapies failed. This case demonstrates the promising potential of holistic integrative medicine, combining anti-PD-1 immunotherapy with complementary and alternative treatments, for managing advanced malignancies amid drug resistance and disease progression.
