Treatment Duration of Adjuvant Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors in Hepatocellular Carcinoma Patients at High Risk of Recurrence after Resection: A Prospective, Multicentric Cohort Study.

Introduction: Adjuvant immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) may improve recurrence-free survival (RFS) in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). This study evaluated the effects of adjuvant ICI treatment duration on RFS and overall survival (OS) among patients with HCC at high risk of recurrence.

Methods: The RFS and OS of patients from three centers who received either adjuvant ICI therapy or active surveillance after curative hepatic resection between January 1, 2019, and December 31, 2023, were analyzed.

The efficacy and safety of tislelizumab with or without tyrosine kinase inhibitor as adjuvant therapy in hepatocellular carcinoma with high-risk of recurrence after curative resection.

Background: Multiple studies have demonstrated that adjuvant therapy with programmed death-1 (PD-1) inhibitors can enhance the recurrence-free survival of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) following curative resection. This study aims to assess the efficacy and safety of adjuvant tislelizumab (a PD-1 inhibitor), with or without tyrosine kinase inhibitors, in HCC patients at high risk of recurrence.

Methods: This is a retrospective, multicenter, single-arm study that enrolled patients with high-risk factors for HCC recurrence.

Tertiary lymphoid structures in HCC: Influence on immune cell profiles in tumors and on efficacy of adjuvant PD-1 inhibitor therapy after hepatectomy.

Background And Aims: Tertiary lymphoid structures (TLSs) may promote immune responses to HCC and thereby potentiate PD-1 inhibitor therapy; whether the structures are associated with a better prognosis for patients who receive adjuvant PD-1 inhibitors after curative hepatectomy is unclear.

Approach And Results: We analyzed the prevalence and maturity of TLS in tumors, the associations of such structures with survival after hepatectomy that was followed or not by adjuvant PD-1 inhibitor therapy, and the associations of the structures with the extent and profile of immune cells infiltrating tumors. Of 195 patients in prospective cohort who underwent hepatectomy followed by adjuvant PD-1 inhibitor therapy, the tumors in 109 (56%) contained TLS, and those patients showed significantly better recurrence-free (HR 0.

Adjuvant Transarterial Chemoembolization After Truly Curative Resection Does Not Improve Survival of Patients With Hepatocellular Carcinoma at High Risk of Recurrence: A Target Trial Emulation Study.

Background: Consensus guidelines from China recommend adjuvant transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) who are at high risk of recurrence after curative resection. However, some of the clinical evidence behind this recommendation involves patients who underwent palliative resection.

Methods: The study design followed the target trial emulation framework with inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) and propensity score matching (PSM) to minimize biases.

Survival Benefit of Hepatectomy after Complete or Partial Response to Conversion Therapy in Unresectable Hepatocellular Carcinoma (GUIDANCE003): A Multicenter Study.

Introduction: Uncertainty exists regarding whether hepatectomy enhances the prognosis for initially unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) that becomes resectable subsequent to conversion therapy. This study conducted a comparative analysis of survival rates between patients who underwent hepatectomy and those who did not, following complete or partial response to conversion therapy.

Methods: This retrospective study examined 300 patients with HCC who underwent hepatectomy following conversion therapy, along with 265 nonsurgical control subjects (215 receiving locoregional/systemic therapy and 50 under active surveillance) across 20 Chinese medical centers from 2019 to 2023.

Sleep quality trajectories and their relationship with quality of life in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma: a prospective cohort study.

Purpose: To identify the classes of sleep quality trajectories in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and analyze differences in patient characteristics across these classes and to explore the relationship between sleep quality trajectory and quality of life (QOL) in patients.

Methods: A total of 205 patients completed sleep quality assessments at four time points (before surgery and 1, 3, and 6 months after surgery). Classes of heterogeneous sleep quality trajectories were identified using a latent class mixed-effects model.

Efficacy and safety of combined targeted therapy and immunotherapy versus targeted monotherapy in older patients with uHCC.

Background: The prevalence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) among older patients is rising due to the aging population. This study aimed to compare the efficacy and safety of targeted therapy alone versus its combination with immunotherapy in older patients (≥ 65 years old) with unresectable HCC (uHCC).

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 158 patients aged ≥ 65 diagnosed with uHCC who received targeted therapy alone or in combination with immunotherapy from the CLEAP database between March 2019 and July 2023.

Adjuvant lenvatinib in combination with transarterial chemoembolization for hepatocellular carcinoma patients with high risk of postoperative recurrence: A multicenter prospective cohort study.

Background: The high recurrent rate after surgery hinders the survival of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). This prospective cohort study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of lenvatinib plus transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) as an adjuvant therapy in HCC patients with high risk of recurrence.

Methods: Patients were enrolled from eight hepatobiliary centers in China.

Identification of a liver fibrosis and disease progression-related transcriptome signature in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD)-related liver fibrosis is closely associated with long-term outcomes of patients. This study aimed to establish a transcriptome signature to distinguish NAFLD patients with mild or advanced fibrosis and to monitor disease progression. Using least absolute shrinkage selection operator regression, we identified a signature of 11 hub genes by performing differential gene expression analysis in six bulk transcriptome profiles in the Gene Expression Omnibus database from liver fibrosis patients with different etiologies.

Multicenter, retrospective GUIDANCE001 study comparing transarterial chemoembolization with or without tyrosine kinase and immune checkpoint inhibitors as conversion therapy to treat unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma: Survival benefit in intermediate or advanced, but not early, stages.

Background And Aims: Various conversion therapy options have become available to patients with unresectable HCC, but which conversion therapy is optimal for which type of patient is controversial. This study compared the efficacy and safety of TACE alone or combined with immune checkpoint and tyrosine kinase inhibitors.

Approach And Results: Data were retrospectively compared for patients with initially unresectable HCC who underwent conversion therapy consisting of TACE alone (n=459) or combined with immune checkpoint and tyrosine kinase inhibitors (n=343).

Global, Regional, and National Burden of Primary Liver Cancer Attributable to Metabolic Risks: An Analysis of the Global Burden of Disease Study 1990-2021.

Introduction: The global burden of metabolic diseases is increasing, but estimates of their impact on primary liver cancer are uncertain. We aimed to assess the global burden of primary liver cancer attributable to metabolic risk factors, including high body mass index (BMI) and high fasting plasma glucose (FPG) levels, between 1990 and 2021.

Methods: The total number and age-standardized rates of deaths and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) from primary liver cancer attributable to each metabolic risk factor were extracted from the Global Burden of Disease Study 1990-2021.

Recovery of gastrointestinal functional after surgery for abdominal tumors: A narrative review.

Postoperative gastrointestinal dysfunction, including temporary nonmechanical suppression of gastrointestinal motility (known as postoperative ileus), occurs in about 10% surgeries of abdominal tumors. Since these complications can prolong hospitalization and affect eating, it is important to understand their risk factors and identify effective interventions to manage or prevent them. The present review comprehensively examined the relevant literature to describe risk factors for postoperative ileus and effective interventions.

Adjuvant Therapy for Hepatocellular Carcinoma After Curative Treatment: Several Unanswered Questions.

Most patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) have a poor prognosis. Hepatectomy and local ablation are the main curative treatments for HCC. Nevertheless, the recurrence rate after hepatectomy or ablation is up to 70%, which seriously affects patient prognosis.

Global prevalence of metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease-related hepatocellular carcinoma: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background/aims: The global proportion of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) attributable to metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) is unclear. The MAFLD diagnostic criteria allows objective diagnosis in the presence of steatosis plus defined markers of metabolic dysfunction, irrespective of concurrent liver disease. We aimed to determine the total global prevalence of MAFLD in HCC cohorts (total-MAFLD), including the proportion with MAFLD as their sole liver disease (single-MAFLD), and the proportion of those with concurrent liver disease where MAFLD was a contributary factor (mixed-MAFLD).