Case Report: Pulsed Electric Field Treatment of Metastatic Liver Disease Demonstrating a Possible Abscopal Response

    June 2026 in “ UNC Libraries
    Jacob Myhre, Hui Wang, Bahareh Gholami, Jonathan David Sorah, Zachary Schrank, Michael Mohnasky, Ali Afrasiabi, Sandra Gad, Nima Kokabi, Bryan Harris
    TLDR Pulsed electric field treatment may help shrink untreated liver tumors.
    This case report describes a 49-year-old female with metastatic adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) in the liver who experienced an abscopal effect following pulsed electric field (PEF) ablation. Despite initial treatments, including surgery and systemic therapy, the disease progressed, leading to the use of pembrolizumab and mitotane, followed by Y90 treatment and PEF for viable metastatic disease. Remarkably, two months after PEF treatment, PET/CT imaging showed complete resolution of three out of four untreated lesions, indicating a potential abscopal response. This case highlights the potential of PEF ablation as a local control strategy and an adjunct to systemic immunotherapy in liver tumors, suggesting the need for further studies to understand its mechanisms and benefits.
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