Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Nonenhanced MRI showed promise as an option for hepatocellular carcinoma surveillance in high-risk patients based on high-performance results with a short scan time and lack of contrast agent-associated risks, according to a study published in Journal of Hepatology.

Excitement has peaked this year for potential nonalcoholic steatohepatitis therapies as many more studies have revealed positive outcomes in either resolution of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis without worsening of fibrosis or reduction in fibrosis stage without worsening of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis.

Patients with hepatocellular carcinoma had lower rates of sustained virologic response to treatment with direct-acting antiviral agents for hepatitis C than those without HCC, according to published results of a systematic review and meta-analysis.

The European Commission granted orphan drug designation to Dicerna Pharmaceuticals’ DCR-A1AT for the treatment of congenital alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency, a genetic disorder that can lead to liver disease in children and adults, according to a press release.

Patients with autoimmune hepatitis who had a rapid response after treatment were the most likely to achieve normalization of transaminase levels in the following year and had a lower risk for liver-related death or transplantation, according to results of a retrospective study.

Treatment with transarterial chemoembolization and Nexavar improved progression-free survival compared with transarterial chemoembolization alone in patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma, according to a study published in Gut.

Patients with current or prior hepatitis C infection were willing to engage in alcohol intervention including counseling and referral to treatment when encouraged by liver medical providers, according to data published in Hepatology.

The GALAD score was superior to individual serum markers in detecting hepatocellular carcinoma in patients with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, according to a case-control study published in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology Journal.

HCV screening varied among practices that served disadvantaged populations in the United States despite the implementation of an intervention to improve adherence to U.S. Preventive Services Task Force guidelines, according to a study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

A combination of atezolizumab and bevacizumab conferred statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvements in PFS and OS compared with sorafenib among patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma, according to results of the randomized phase 3 IMbrave150 study presented at European Society for Medical Oncology Asia Congress.