Downstaging case of hepatocellular carcinoma“Written informed consent was obtained from the patient to publish this report in accordance with the journal’s patient consent policy”ABSTRACTIntroduction: Transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) is the most used treatment option for patients with intermediate-stage hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) who are not candidates for a curative approach. Through it, it is possible both to carry out palliative treatment and to reduce the size of the tumor so that the patient is eligible for a curative treatment such as a liver transplant. This modality of offering TACE to reduce the tumor stage and allow curative treatment is called “Downstaging”. Patients with HCC greater than 7 cm generally do not respond very well to chemoembolization to reduce tumor size, and generally this “downstaging” is not performed.Objective: To disseminate information in the medical community about a case of a patient with a hepatocellular carcinoma larger than 7 cm, who underwent chemoembolization to reduce staging and who met eligibility criteria for liver transplantation.Methods: Data were collected from notes in the medical records, after signing the informed consent form by the patient and approval by the Research Ethics Committee.Results: This study presents a case report of a 55-year-old man with chronic liver disease and a history of infection by the hepatitis C virus and the human immunodeficiency virus, who evolved with non-invasive hepatocellular carcinoma in segment VI/VII of the liver out of Milan criteria for curative therapeutic proposal. The patient underwent two sessions of TACE, which were effective in reducing the size of the tumor, making him eligible for curative treatment – liver transplantation.Conclusion: The case in question stands out for being a condition of atypical evolution, where often, due to the size of the tumor, the response to chemoembolization is not so significant. The case report is justified in order to provide information and enable downstaging attempts to be made in patients with similar profiles.Keywords: Hepatocellular carcinoma. Transarterial chemoembolization. TACE. Hepatitis C