Oncology News

Patients with hepatocellular carcinoma and clinically evident portal hypertension had significantly lower rates of complete response, progression free survival and overall survival after treatment with transarterial chemoembolization compared with those without portal hypertension, according to recently published data.

Researchers observed a low rate of complete response to sorafenib treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma in a recent retrospective study; however, nearly all patients who achieved complete response also developed dermatologic adverse events, which may provide a correlation between toxicity and treatment response.

Surveillance for hepatobiliary cancers with imaging modality significantly improved outcomes and overall survival in patients with primary sclerosing cholangitis, according to recently published data.

Portal hypertension did not negatively affect survival rates in patients who underwent liver resection for hepatocellular carcinoma, according to recently published data. While multiple tumors did affect survival, researchers considered the survival benefit from liver resection in these patients to be acceptable.

Overweight and obesity are significant risk factors for liver disease, especially fatty liver disease. Weight loss and exercise can not only decrease the risk for developing fatty liver but also improve outcomes after liver transplantation, protect and reverse hepatic steatosis, and improve kidney function in patients with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis.

Patients with hepatitis B who underwent liver resection for intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma had worse prognoses for viral reactivation, particularly those with high levels of HBV DNA, according to a recently published study. Preoperative antiviral therapy decreased viral reactivation and prolonged long-term survival.

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease correlated significantly with the development of hepatocellular carcinoma and colorectal cancer in men and breast cancer in women, especially among those with a high NAFLD fibrosis score and fibrosis-4 score, according to a recently published study.

The risk for hepatocellular carcinoma recurrence after living donor liver transplantation increased in correlation with higher preoperative platelet count, according to a recently published study.

Investigators found no evidence that regular use of aspirin or NSAIDs increases the risk for pancreatic cancer in a recent study.

Liver transplantation is a necessity for many chronic liver diseases, including hepatocellular carcinoma, chronic hepatitis C, and alcoholic liver disease. Over the past year, researchers and physicians have reported changes among the leading indications on the liver waitlist and improvements in transplantation outcomes.