Assessment of TLL1 variant and risk of hepatocellular carcinoma in Latin Americans and Europeans.

Introduction And Objectives: Tolloid like protein 1 (TLL1) rs17047200 has been reported to be associated with HCC development and liver fibrosis. However, to our knowledge, no studies have been performed on Latin Americans and comparative differences between TLL1 rs17047200 in HCC patients from Latin America and Europe are undefined.

Materials And Methods: Cross-sectional analysis was performed on Latin American and European individuals.

Assessment of STAT4 Variants and Risk of Hepatocellular Carcinoma in Latin Americans and Europeans.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the third leading cause of cancer death worldwide. The rs7574865 genetic variant has been associated with an increased risk of developing HCC in Asian populations. However, this association has not been studied in Latin America and is poorly assessed in European populations.

Validation and optimization of AFP-based biomarker panels for early HCC detection in Latin America and Europe.

Background: HCC is a major cause of cancer death worldwide. Serum biomarkers such as alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), protein induced by vitamin K absence-II, and the Gender, Age, AFP-L3, AFP, Des-gamma-carboxy prothrombin (GALAD) score have been recommended for HCC surveillance. However, inconsistent recommendations in international guidelines limit their clinical utility.

MBOAT7 rs641738 Variant Is Not Associated with an Increased Risk of Hepatocellular Carcinoma in a Latin American Cohort.

Background: The rs641738 C > T single-nucleotide polymorphism of MBOAT7 has been associated with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Latin Americans have high rates of HCC and NAFLD, but no assessment between MBOAT7 and HCC has been performed in this population.

Aims: We provide the first assessment of the impact of MBOAT7 on HCC risk in Latin Americans.

Levels of Antibodies to Hepatitis B Core Antigen Are Associated With Liver Inflammation and Response to Peginterferon in Patients With Chronic Hepatitis B.

Background: Emerging evidence suggests a pivotal role for B-cell responses in the natural history of chronic hepatitis B. Serum levels of antibodies to hepatitis B core antigen (anti-HBc) vary across infection stages, but their role in predicting response to antiviral therapy is uncertain.

Methods: Anti-HBc levels were assessed before peginterferon (PEG-IFN) therapy in patients with chronic hepatitis B who either started de novo PEG-IFN (n = 299; 195 hepatitis B e antigen [HBeAg] positive) or started PEG-IFN as add-on to an existing nucleo(s)tide analogue backbone (n = 91; all HBeAg-positive).