BACKGROUND: Hepatitis C is the second leading cause of liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Although the discovery of direct-acting agents made the disease curable, HCV elimination can be achieved solely by the host’s immunologic arsenal. CASE REPORT: We report the case of a 29-year-old woman with chronic hepatitis C infection - elevated transaminases, positive serology. HCV was detectable on two occasions, and histology showed mild disease - A1F1. Upon follow up and without any treatment, the patient achieved spontaneous clearance confirmed by two consecutive undetectable HCV RNA tests. Spontaneous HCV clearance rarely occurs – 0.5% per person-year. This is sometimes accompanied by special circumstances like additional disease or medical interventions. Host factors like gender and interleukin-28B polymorphisms have been known to contribute to clearance. Viral factors like HCV RNA levels are also a factor. The characteristics of host-viral interplay – age of acquisition and fibrosis stage – cannot be overlooked. CONCLUSION: All of the abovementioned factors contribute to the complex immunological interaction between virus and host and the result, although rarely can be spontaneous clearance.

Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma is a rare type of cancer that is usually discovered at an advanced stage where surgical treatment is not an option. When compared to standard systemic therapy, transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) can provide a survival benefit to unresectable patients. Extrahepatic tumor spread is not rare, but cardiac involvement is an unusual complication. We present the case of a 56-year-old man with histologically proven intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma. Oncologic risk factors include hepatitis B and liver cirrhosis. Being in an unresectable stage of the disease, three TACE procedures were performed. Partial response was achieved (according to RECIST) leading to a 16-month survival. However, disease progression was present, with unusual heart metastases. TACE can bring a survival benefit to unresectable cholangiocarcinoma patients. Defining the best disease stages in which TACE can be implemented and introducing it as part of standard treatment guidelines still presents a challenge.

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