Treatment of advanced hepatocellular carcinoma with HBsAg-targeted TCR engineered -T Cells: a case report

Abstract Objective To present the clinical course and outcome of a patient with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) who received HBsAg-targeted T cell receptor-engineered T cells (TCR-T). Case presentation A 61-year-old man with advanced HCC developed cytokine release syndrome (CRS) after HBsAg-targeted TCR-T infusion, which met grade 3 criteria within 24 h and then rapidly improved to grade 2, alleviated after two weeks. Although hematologic toxicities were prominent, recovery was achieved and there were no severe consequences. At 6 weeks post-infusion, the patient's cervical lymph nodes and pulmonary metastases showed slight reduction, suggesting a possible transient therapeutic effect. However, by day 87 post-infusion, all lesions had progressed again. Meanwhile, the bone metastases demonstrated continuous progression. Conclusion HBsAg-targeted TCR-T cell therapy may represent a potential therapeutic strategy for advanced HCC, demonstrating a manageable safety profile when carefully monitored for ≥ Grade 3 cytokine release syndrome and hematological toxicities.