Prospective Comparison of Hepatocellular Carcinoma Behavior and Survival of Patients who Did or Did not Receive HCV Direct-Acting Antivirals.

Background & Aims: The safety and efficacy of hepatitis C (HCV) direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) have been established in several real-world trials; however, some reports have claimed an association between DAAs and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) occurrence or aggressive behavior. We aimed to prospectively examine differences in de-novo HCC tumor behavior and overall survival (OS) in DAAs-treated versus HCV-untreated patients as measured by BCLC progression during a two-year follow-up period.

Methods: This multicenter cohort study recruited 523 patients with de-novo HCV-related HCC.

Endoscopic ultrasound-guided gallbladder drainage: Results of long-term follow-up.

Background/aim: Recently, endoscopic ultrasound-guided gallbladder drainage (EUS-GBD) has emerged using a self-expandable metallic stent (SEMS). The aim of the study was to evaluate the long-term outcomes of this procedure. In addition, the efficacy and safety of EUS-GBD with SEMS were assessed.