Case report of complete remission in two patients with Barcelona stage C hepatocellular carcinoma treated with apatinib combined with camrelizumab

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the fourth leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. Due to its insidious onset and nonspecific clinical manifestations, most patients are diagnosed at an advanced stage and are no longer candidates for curative surgical resection. Treatment options for advanced HCC remain limited. Immunotherapy, particularly immune checkpoint inhibitors, in combination with anti-angiogenic agents, has emerged as a promising therapeutic strategy. Several studies have demonstrated the safety and efficacy of apatinib combined with camrelizumab in various solid tumors; however, complete remission is rarely reported. This report presents two cases of Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) stage C HCC that achieved complete remission following treatment with apatinib plus camrelizumab. According to the Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors, both patients achieved complete response, allowing for drug discontinuation.