Liver/Biliary Disorders News

LAS VEGAS — In this video exclusive, Kevin Moore, MD, discussed a study assessing real-world outcomes in patients with esophageal variceal hemorrhage and liver cirrhosis treated with terlipressin.

LAS VEGAS – In this video exclusive, Nancy S. Reau, MD, FAASLD, AGAF, discussed the Liver Health Annual Trends Report, which was launched during a panel discussion hosted by Salix Pharmaceuticals at the ACG Annual Scientific Meeting.

LAS VEGAS – Pharmacological treatments of alcohol use disorder have been found to improve mortality outcomes for patients with alcohol-associated liver disease, according to a presenter at the ACG Annual Scientific Meeting.

LAS VEGAS – A trained convolutional neural network detected key cholangioscopy image features suggestive of malignancy supporting intra-procedural decision making, according to a presentation at the ACG Annual Scientific Meeting.

LAS VEGAS — Fecal microbiota transplant capsules may improve cognition in patients with hepatic encephalopathy; however, results may vary by donor and recipient factors, according to a presentation at the ACG Annual Scientific Meeting. “FMT is likely safe with rigorous screening protocol, though some patient subgroups with very advanced cirrhosis and decompensated disease potentially warrant exclusion of this treatment,” Patricia P. Bloom, MD, transplant hepatologist from the University of Michigan, said during the presentation. “It is possible reversing rifaximin (Xifaxan, Salix Pharmaceuticals) resistance is another mechanism by which FMT is effective in this condition.”

LAS VEGAS — No safety and efficacy concerns for COVID-19 messenger RNA vaccines were noted among patients with cirrhosis compared with the general population, according to a presentation at the ACG Annual Scientific Meeting.

Waiting list registrations and deceased donor liver transplantations for alcoholic hepatitis increased significantly during the COVID-19 pandemic compared with earlier trends, according to data published in JAMA Network Open.

LAS VEGAS – In this video exclusive, Donna Cryer, JD, founder, president and CEO Global Liver Institute, spoke on the launch of the Liver Health Annual Trends Report and its possible impact for patients with chronic liver disease.

LAS VEGAS – In this video exclusive from the ACG Scientific Annual Meeting, Amit Singal, MD, from UT Southwestern Medical Center, discussed best practices for the screening, surveillance, and treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma.

This month’s cover story highlights the growing burden of hepatocellular carcinoma, the most common type of primary liver cancer, in the United States. Despite being a cancer that does not typically receive much attention, HCC is projected to become the third leading cause of cancer-related death in the United States by 2040 if current trends continue. Its increasing mortality is related to a growing number of cases in the setting of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, the liver manifestation of the metabolic syndrome, and a high proportion of HCC cases being detected at a late stage. While patients detected at an early stage are amenable to curative therapies such as liver transplantation and have a median survival exceeding 5 years, those diagnosed at a late stage traditionally have had limited therapeutic options and a median survival of only 1 year.