Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41939858›Full record

ArticleFrontiers in immunology2026

Case Report: Pulsed electric field treatment of metastatic liver disease demonstrating a possible abscopal response.

Sandra Gad, Michael Mohnasky, Zachary Schrank, Jonathan David Sorah, Jacob Myhre, Bryan Harris, Hui Wang, Bahareh Gholami, Ali Afrasiabi, Nima Kokabi

Abstract readCase Reports
In one paragraph

Article in Frontiers in immunology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Sandra GadDivision of Vascular and Interventional Radiology, Department of Radiology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, United States.
Michael MohnaskySchool of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, United States.
Zachary SchrankSchool of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, United States.
Jonathan David SorahDivision of Oncology, Department of Medicine University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, United States.
Jacob MyhreDepartment of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, United States.
Bryan HarrisDivision of Vascular and Interventional Radiology, Department of Radiology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, United States.
Hui WangDivision of Vascular and Interventional Radiology, Department of Radiology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, United States.
Bahareh GholamiDivision of Vascular and Interventional Radiology, Department of Radiology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, United States.
Ali AfrasiabiDivision of Vascular and Interventional Radiology, Department of Radiology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, United States.
Nima KokabiDivision of Vascular and Interventional Radiology, Department of Radiology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, United States.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) is a rare and aggressive endocrine malignancy, typically presenting at an advanced stage with distant metastases. We report a unique case of a 49-year-old female with metastatic ACC in the liver who exhibited an abscopal effect following pulse electric field (PEF) ablation. The patient initially presented with hypertension, male-patterned hair loss, voice hoarseness, and weight gain and was subsequently diagnosed with a large left adrenal mass along with liver and pulmonary metastases. Following surgical interventions-including left salpingo-oophorectomy, hepatic wedge resection, and left adrenalectomy-and initial systemic treatment with doxorubicin, etoposide, and cisplatin-mitotane (EDP-M), disease progression prompted initiating therapy with pembrolizumab and mitotane. The patient then received Y90 treatment in the right lobe; however, imaging demonstrated viable metastatic disease in the left lobe, which prompted PEF treatment. The patient received PEF almost 7 months post-pembrolizumab and mitotane initiation. Remarkably, two months post-PEF treatment, PET/CT imaging demonstrated complete resolution of three of the four untreated lesions, suggesting an abscopal response. This case adds to the limited literature on PEF ablation, highlighting its potential not only as a local control strategy but also as an adjunct to systemic immunotherapy in liver tumors. Further prospective studies incorporating immune profiling are warranted to elucidate the underlying mechanisms and long-term benefits of this approach.

Indexed as

Adrenal Cortex NeoplasmsAdrenocortical CarcinomaLiver NeoplasmsAntibodies, Monoclonal, HumanizedAntineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy ProtocolsCombined Modality TherapyFemaleHumansIrreversible Electroporation TherapyMiddle AgedMitotaneTreatment OutcomeAntibodies, Monoclonal, HumanizedMitotanepembrolizumabAblaHonabscopaladrenocorHcal carcinomacheckpoint inhibitorsliver tumorpulse electric field

Identifiers

PMID41939858
PMCPMC13044040

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.