Purpose
Intermediate-stage hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is usually treated with locoregional therapy using transarterial chemoembolization (TACE). Transarterial radioembolization (TARE) using
β
...-emitting yttrium-90 integral to the glass matrix of the microspheres is an alternative to TACE. This retrospective case-control study compared the outcomes and safety of TARE versus TACE in patients with unresectable HCC.
Materials and Methods
Patients with unresectable HCC without portal vein thrombosis treated with TARE between 2005 and 2008 (
n
= 61) were retrospectively frequency-matched by age, sex, and liver dysfunction with TACE-treated patients (
n
= 55) in the Mayo Clinic Hepatobiliary Neoplasia Registry. Imaging studies were reviewed, and clinical and safety outcomes were abstracted from the medical records.
Results
Complete tumor response was more common after TARE (12 %) than after TACE (4 %) (
p
= 0.17). When complete response was combined with partial response and stable disease, there was no difference between TARE and TACE. Median survival did not differ between the two groups (15.0 months for TARE and 14.4 months for TACE;
p
= 0.47). Two-year survival rates were 30 % for TARE and 24 % for TACE. TARE patients received fewer treatments (
p
< 0.001). Fifty-nine (97 %) TARE patients received outpatient treatment. In contrast, 53 (98 %) TACE patients were hospitalized for ≥1 day (
p
< 0.001). Compared with TACE, TARE was more likely to induce fatigue (
p
= 0.003) but less likely to cause fever (
p
= 0.02).
Conclusion
There was no significant difference in efficacy between TARE and TACE. TARE patients reported more fatigue but had less fever than TACE patients. Treatment with TARE required less hospitalization than treatment with TACE. These findings require confirmation in randomized trials.
Introduction
Recurrent hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) following liver transplantation (LT) carries a poor prognosis. The aim of our study was to assess the safety and efficacy of sorafenib in ...patients with recurrent HCC following LT.
Methods
A prospectively maintained LT database was retrospectively analyzed for patients with recurrent HCC following LT between 2001 and 2011–34 patients. Patients were divided into two groups based on whether they were prescribed sorafenib (n = 17) or not prescribed sorafenib (n = 17). The primary endpoint was overall survival.
Results
There were no significant differences between the two groups analyzed. Seventeen patients were on sorafenib for recurrent HCC, with a mean daily dose of ~444 mg. Mean duration of treatment was ~10 months. Side effects included: thrombocytopenia, diarrhea, rising transaminases, fatigue, hand–foot skin reaction, and nausea. Survival in the sorafenib vs. non‐sorafenib group was greater at three‐, six‐, nine‐, and 12‐month intervals and overall survival.
Conclusion
Sorafenib can be well tolerated and safe in patients with recurrent HCC following LT and may be associated with a modest survival benefit. To our knowledge, this is the largest single‐center retrospective analysis of patients prescribed sorafenib for recurrent HCC after LT.
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19), mediated by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2), can manifest with flu‐like illness and severe pneumonia with acute respiratory distress ...syndrome (ARDS). Immunocompromised patients merit particular attention as altered host immunity may influence both disease severity and duration of viral shedding as is described with several other ribonucleic acid respiratory viruses. Yet immunocompromised status alone, in the absence of other comorbidities, may not necessarily predict severe illness presentations and poorer clinical outcomes as indicated by recent reports of COVID‐19‐infected solid organ transplant recipients and people living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Such patients may even be spared the robust inflammatory response that precipitates ARDS associated with COVID‐19, complicating the management of iatrogenic immunosuppression in this setting. We present a case of an orthotopic liver transplant recipient with well‐controlled HIV who successfully recovered from a mild, flu‐like illness attributed to SARS‐CoV‐2.
Sustained virological response (SVR) to the treatment of recurrent HCV in liver transplant recipients has excellent clinical outcomes; however, little is known about the effects on allograft ...histology. The study aimed to assess the histology of the allograft liver. In this single-center, retrospective cohort study, patients with recurrent hepatitis C (HCV) in allograft liver who were cured with antiviral therapy between 2010 and 2016 were identified. Biopsies were reviewed by two liver pathologists blinded to the treatment and SVR status. Paired analysis was performed to compare pre- and post-treatment histological features. Of the 62 patients analyzed, 22 patients received PEGylated interferon/ribavirin (IFN) therapy, while 40 patients received direct-acting antiviral agents (DAA). The mean age was 57 years, 24% were female, and 79% were Caucasian. RNA in situ hybridization testing for HCV and HEV was negative in all the tested patients. Significant reduction in the inflammatory grade of post-treatment biopsy specimens was noted in all subjects (
n
= 57;
p
< 0.001) and in the IFN group (
n
= 21;
p
= 0.001) but not in the DAA group (
p
= 0.093). Of all subjects, 21% had worsening stage, 31% had improvement, and 48% had no change in stage. Of the treatment groups, 27% in the IFN and 17% in the DAA groups had worsening stage; however, the results were not statistically significant in all subjects or by treatment modality. Persistent inflammatory infiltrates and fibrosis was noted in allograft tissue of patients cured with DAA. Significant improvement in grade was noted in the IFN group, without a significant change in stage.
Advances in surgical and medical technology over the years has made liver transplantation possible for older and higher risk patients. Despite rigorous preoperative cardiac testing, cardiovascular ...events remain a major cause of death after orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT). However, there are little data on the outcomes of OLT in patients with preexisting coronary artery disease (CAD). This study aimed to compare all-cause and cardiovascular mortality of patients with and without history of CAD undergoing OLT.
Six hundred ninety-three adult patients with cirrhosis underwent liver transplantation between July 2013 and December 2018 (female n = 243, male n = 450; median age 59).
During the study period of 5 y (median follow-up, 24.1 mo), 92 of 693 patients (13.3%) died. All-cause mortality in the CAD group was significantly higher than in the non-CAD group (26.7% versus 9.6%; P <0.01). Cardiovascular events accounted for 52.5% of deaths (n = 21) in patients with CAD compared with 36.5% (n = 19) in non-CAD patients. At 6 mo, patients with combined nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH)/CAD had significantly worse survival than those with CAD or NASH alone ( P <0.01). After 6 mo, patients with CAD alone had similar survival to those with combined NASH/CAD.
Patients with preexisting CAD before liver transplantation are at higher risk of death from any cause, specifically cardiovascular-related death. This risk increases with coexisting NASH. The presence of NASH and CAD at the time of liver transplant should prompt the initiation of aggressive risk factor modification for patients with CAD.
Introduction. The progression of chronic liver disease to cirrhosis involves both innate and adaptive immune system dysfunction resulting in increased risk of infectious complications. Vaccinations ...against pneumococcus, hepatitis A virus (HAV), and hepatitis B virus (HBV) are well tolerated and effective in disease prevention and reduction in morbidity and mortality. Prior studies assessing vaccination rates in patients with cirrhosis have specific limitations and to date no study has provided a comprehensive evaluation of vaccination rates in patients with cirrhosis in the United States. Aim. This study assessed vaccination rates for pneumococcus, HAV, and HBV in patients with cirrhosis. Results. Overall 59.7% of patients with cirrhosis received at least 1 vaccination during the study period. Vaccination rates within the same or following year of cirrhosis diagnosis were 19.9%, 7.7%, and 11.0% against pneumococcus, HAV, and HBV, respectively. Trend analysis revealed significant increases in vaccination rates for pneumococcus in all patients with cirrhosis and within subgroups based on age, gender, and presence of concomitant diabetes. Conclusion. The study demonstrated that vaccination rates in patients with cirrhosis remain suboptimal. Ultimately, the use of electronic medical record (EMR) reminders improved communication between healthcare professionals and public health programs to increase awareness are fundamental to reducing morbidity, mortality, and health-care related costs of vaccine preventable diseases in patients with cirrhosis.
Patients undergoing simultaneous liver-kidney transplantation (SLK) have impaired native kidney function. The relative contribution of allograft versus native function after SLK is unknown. We sought ...to characterize the return of native kidney function following SLK.
Following SLK, patients underwent technetium-99 m-mercaptoacetyltriglycine renal scintigraphy following serum creatinine nadir. Kidney contributions to estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) were determined. Patients with native kidney function at serum creatinine nadir contributing eGFR ≥30 versus <30 mL/min/1.73 m 2 were compared, and multiple linear regression analysis for native eGFR improvement was performed.
Thirty-one patients were included in this analysis. Average native kidney contribution to overall kidney function following SLK was 51.1% corresponding to native kidney eGFR of 44.5 mL/min/1.73 m 2 and native kidney function eGFR improvement of 30.3 mL/min/1.73 m 2 ( P < 0.001). Twenty-six of 31 patients had native kidney contribution of eGFR ≥30 mL/min/1.73 m 2 . Hepatorenal syndrome as the sole primary etiology of kidney dysfunction was 100% specific for native kidney eGFR >30 mL/min/1.73 m 2 and predicted native eGFR improvement ( P = 0.03).
Substantial improvement in native kidney function follows SLK, and hepatorenal syndrome as the sole primary etiology of kidney dysfunction is predictive of improvement. Whether such patients are suitable for liver transplant followed by surveillance with option for subsequent kidney transplants requires investigation.
Background. Postcapillary pulmonary hypertension (PH) can be seen in cirrhosis. Research and treatment goals exist for patients with portopulmonary hypertension but not for postcapillary PH. The aim ...of this study was to investigate outcomes after liver transplant (LT) for patients with postcapillary PH. Methods. This was a retrospective cohort study of 1173 patients who underwent LT at our center between 2010 and 2020. Using a propensity score matched analysis followed by multivariable Cox modeling on matched patients, we compared post-LT survival between patients with and without postcapillary PH. We also compared several post-LT outcomes between patient with different types of PH. Results. Sixty-eight patients had PH, and 50 had postcapillary PH. The median age was 59 y and the sample was 54% male. There was no significant difference in mortality between patients with postcapillary PH and patients without PH (hazard ratio, 1.72; 95% confidence interval, 0.90-3.31; P = 0.10). There was no significant difference in survival between patients with any type of PH and those without PH. There was no significance difference in post-LT survival, acute kidney injury, or pulmonary edema between patients with different types of PH. Patients with postcapillary PH who survived had a higher cardiac output than those who died (11 L/min in patients who lived, as compared with 8 L/min in patients who died; P = 0.03). Conclusions. Postcapillary PH does not appear to convey a negative impact on post-LT survival. A higher cardiac output may be protective against mortality in patients with postcapillary PH.
Liver transplantation(LT) for hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC) has been established as a standard treatment in selected patients for the last two and a half decades. After initially dismal outcomes, the ...Milan criteria(MC)(single HCC ≤ 5 cm or up to 3 HCCs ≤ 3 cm) have been adopted worldwide to select HCC patients for LT, however cumulative experience has shown that MC can be too strict. This has led to the development of numerous expanded criteria worldwide. Morphometric expansions on MC as well as various criteria which incorporate biomarkers as surrogates of tumor biology have been described. HCC that presents beyond MC initially can be downstaged with locoregional therapy(LRT). Post-LRT monitoring aims to identify candidates with favorable tumor behavior. Similarly, tumor marker levels as response to LRT has been utilized as surrogate of tumor biology. Molecular signatures of HCC have also been correlated to outcomes; these have yet to be incorporated into HCC-LT selection criteria formally. The ongoing discrepancy between organ demand and supply makes patient selection the most challenging element of organ allocation. Further validation of extended HCCLT criteria models and pre-LT treatment strategies are required.
Decompensation of liver function after cardiac surgery in patients with cirrhosis has resulted in high morbidity and mortality. A treatment strategy, for which there is a scarcity of data in the ...literature, encompasses combined liver transplantation and cardiac surgery.
We performed a retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data on 15 patients who underwent combined liver transplantation and cardiac surgery between 2005 to 2017 at our institution.
Between 2005 and 2017, 15 patients with cirrhosis and coronary artery disease or valve disease were identified who underwent combined liver transplantation and cardiac surgery. The cardiac disease was considered severe enough to preclude liver transplantation alone. Likewise, the advanced cirrhosis precluded cardiac surgery alone. Eighty percent of the patients were male and average age was 60 years. Six patients had coronary artery disease, 2 patients had severe aortic stenosis and coronary artery disease, 1 patient had severe mitral regurgitation and coronary artery disease, 2 patients had severe aortic stenosis, 1 patient had mitral valve prolapse, and 3 patients had severe aortic insufficiency. The mean model for end-stage liver disease score was 24. Four subjects were Child-Pugh class B, and 11 were class C. One-year survival was 73.3%.
Combined liver transplant and cardiac surgery is feasible in this selected, otherwise inoperable, patient population with an acceptable early and midterm survival when performed in high volume centers with a cohesive multidisciplinary team.
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