Lymphocyte exhaustion in hepatocellular carcinoma: a dynamic evolution across disease stages.

Background: Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have transformed cancer therapy. However, their efficacy in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is limited, highlighting the need to further explore immune microenvironments and novel biomarkers. This study examined lymphocyte populations and immune checkpoint dynamics in early, advanced, and post-progression HCC to better understand immune dynamics in HCC and to help identify predictive biomarkers and immune modulation strategies.

Correction to "New systemic treatment paradigms in advanced biliary tract cancer and variations in patient access across Europe" [The Lancet Regional Health - Europe, volume 50, March 2025, 101170].

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1016/j.lanepe.

Dolutegravir-based Antiretroviral Therapy in People With HIV With Solid Organ Transplantation: A Single-arm Pilot Clinical Trial (DTG-SOT).

Background: This study assessed the pharmacokinetic interactions between dolutegravir (DTG)-based antiretroviral therapy (ART) and immunosuppressants in solid organ transplantation (SOT) recipients with HIV and ART safety.

Methods: A phase IV, single-center, open-label, single-arm clinical trial (DTG-SOT, NCT03360682) including adult SOT recipients with HIV conducted between 2017 and 2019. People with HIV with plasma viral load <50 copies/mL during ≥12 months and receiving stable raltegravir-based ART during ≥6 months were switched to tenofovir disoproxil fumarate/emtricitabine or lamivudine/abacavir + DTG and followed up for 48 weeks.

New systemic treatment paradigms in advanced biliary tract cancer and variations in patient access across Europe.

In recent years, treatment options for patients with advanced biliary tract cancer (BTC) have increased significantly due to the positive results from phase 2/3 clinical trials of immune checkpoint inhibitors, combined with chemotherapy, and molecularly targeted agents. These advances have led to the need for molecular testing to identify actionable alterations and patients amenable to targeted therapies. However, these improvements have brought with them many questions and challenges, including the identification of resistance mechanisms and therapeutic sequences.

Diagnostic performance of contrast-enhanced US in small liver nodules not conclusively characterized after MRI in cirrhotic patients.

Objective: In patients at risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), new focal liver lesions identified at ultrasound screening require further characterization by CT or MRI. If these techniques cannot conclusively characterize a lesion, a biopsy or an alternative imaging modality such as contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) is considered. We aimed to determine the diagnostic yield of CEUS in a sequential noninvasive diagnostic strategy for solitary nodules ≤ 20 mm detected in cirrhotic patients during US surveillance characterized as inconclusive on MRI.

Liver cancer risk and changes in lifestyle habits after successful hepatitis C virus therapy post-DAA HCV therapy: lifestyle changes and liver cancer risk.

Background: The eradication of the Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) reduce the risk of liver cancer (LC), but lifestyle changes after cure may counterbalance its benefit. Our study investigates lifestyle changes that occur in HCV patients with Sustained Virological Response (SVR) after direct-acting antiviral (DAA) treatment.

Methods: In this prospective, single-center study, HCV patients with advanced liver disease (F3/F4) treated and cured with DAA were invited to fill a lifestyle habits questionnaire in and perform abdominal ultrasound (US), blood extraction and anthropometric measurements within the 1st month after SVR and every 6 months thereafter until 48 months of follow-up, LC development, death, or loss to follow-up.

Utilizing a domain-specific large language model for LI-RADS v2018 categorization of free-text MRI reports: a feasibility study.

Objective: To develop a domain-specific large language model (LLM) for LI-RADS v2018 categorization of hepatic observations based on free-text descriptions extracted from MRI reports.

Material And Methods: This retrospective study included 291 small liver observations, divided into training (n = 141), validation (n = 30), and test (n = 120) datasets. Of these, 120 were fictitious, and 171 were extracted from 175 MRI reports from a single institution.

Challenges in Liver Transplantation for Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Review of Current Controversies.

Liver transplantation (LT) remains one of the most effective treatments for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and significantly enhances patient survival. However, the application of LT for HCC faces challenges owing to advancements in cancer-specific treatment modalities and the increased burden of patients' comorbidities. This narrative review explores current controversies and advancements in LT for HCC.

Integrating Molecular Insights into Biliary Tract Cancer Management: A Review of Personalized Therapeutic Strategies.

Biliary tract cancers (BTCs) are rare and aggressive malignancies with an increasing incidence and poor prognosis. The standard systemic treatment for BTCs has evolved to include immune checkpoint inhibitors associated with gemcitabine-cisplatin as first-line therapies. However, survival rates remain low, highlighting the critical need for personalized treatment strategies based on molecular profiling.

Histological predictors of aggressive recurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma after liver resection.

Background & Aims: Assessment of recurrence risk after liver resection (LR) is critical in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), particularly with the advent of effective adjuvant therapy. The aim of this study was to analyze the clinical and pathological factors associated with recurrence, aggressive recurrence, and survival after LR.

Method: We performed a retrospective study in which all single HCC (BCLC-0/A) patients treated with LR between February 2000 and November 2020 were included.

Evaluation of Overall Survival by Restricted Mean Survival Time of Advanced Biliary Tract Cancer treated with Immunotherapy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Background: For biliary tract cancer (BTC), the addition of immunotherapy (durvalumab or pembrolizumab) to gemcitabine and cisplatin (GemCis) significantly improved overall survival (OS) in phase 3 clinical trials (RCTs). However, the interpretation and magnitude of the treatment effect is challenging because OS Kaplan-Meier curves violate the proportional hazards (PH) assumption. Analysis using restricted mean survival time (RMST) allows quantification of the benefits in the absence of PH.

Sensitization of cholangiocarcinoma cells to chemotherapy through BCRP inhibition with β-caryophyllene oxide.

Cholangiocarcinomas (CCAs) are cancers originated in the biliary tree, which are characterized by their high mortality and marked chemoresistance, partly due to the activity of ATP-binding cassette (ABC) export pumps, whose inhibition has been proposed as a strategy for enhancing the response to chemotherapy. We have previously shown that β-caryophyllene oxide (CRYO) acts as a chemosensitizer in hepatocellular carcinoma by inhibiting ABCB1, MRP1, and MRP2. Here, we have evaluated the usefulness of CRYO in inhibiting BCRP and improving the response of CCA to antitumor drugs.

From evidence to clinical practice: Bridging the gap of new liver cancer therapies in Latin America.

The most common primary liver tumors are hepatocellular carcinoma and cholangiocarcinoma. They constitute the sixth most common neoplasia and the third cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Although both tumors may share etiologic factors, diagnosis, prognostic factors, and treatments, they differ substantially in determining distinctive clinical management.

Risk of Treatment Failure and Death after Ablation in Hepatocellular Carcinoma Patients-A Multiparametric Prediction.

Background: Ablation is a first-line treatment for Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC)-0/A hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, there are scarce data about patients' outcomes after recurrence. The present study evaluates the impact of patient and tumor characteristics at baseline and at recurrence on the Clinical Decision-Making process.

Integrated phenotyping of the anti-cancer immune response in HIV-associated hepatocellular carcinoma.

Background & Aims: HIV-seropositivity shortens survival in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Although risk factors for HCC including HCV infection can influence T cell phenotype, it is unknown whether HIV can influence functional characteristics of the T cell infiltrate.

Methods: From the Liver Cancer in HIV biorepository, we derived 129 samples of transplanted (76%) or resected (20%) HCC in eight European and North American centres.