Selecting a short-term prognostic model for hepatocellular carcinoma: comparison between the model for end-stage liver disease (MELD), MELD-sodium, and five cancer staging systems.

Background: The model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) and MELD-sodium (MELD-Na) are prognostic models for cirrhotic patients with or without hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). This study compared the predictive accuracy between the MELD, MELD-Na, TNM (tumor, node, metastasis), Cancer of the Liver Italian Program (CLIP), Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC), Japan Integrated Scoring (JIS), and Tokyo score for 3-month and 6-month mortality in HCC patients.

Methods: A total of 953 patients were prospectively enrolled.

Characteristics and outcome of patients with dual hepatitis B and C-associated hepatocellular carcinoma: are they different from patients with single virus infection?

Background: Patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) caused by dual hepatitis B and C virus (HBV, HCV) infection may constitute a distinct disease group that is different from patients with single virus infection. This study compared the clinical characteristics and outcomes of patients with HBV, HCV and dual virus infection.

Methods: A prospective database of 1215 HCC patients with chronic hepatitis B, C or dual virus infection was investigated.

Validation of the HCC-MELD for dropout probability in patients with small hepatocellular carcinoma undergoing locoregional therapy.

Background: The model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) is used in prioritizing cirrhotic patients awaiting liver transplantation. Patients with small hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) are eligible candidates. An HCC-MELD equation was recently proposed to predict the dropout rate of HCC patients on the waiting list.

Survival impact of delayed treatment in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma undergoing locoregional therapy: is there a lead-time bias?

Objective: Many reports indicate the importance of active treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), but there are few studies available that address the impact of delayed therapy on survival or take the lead-time bias into account. The objective of this study was to investigate whether patients with delayed locoregional therapy for HCC truly have a shortened survival from the time of diagnosis.

Material And Methods: Survival rates were compared between 48 HCC patients with treatment delay and 96 age- and gender-matched controls without delay.

The sequential changes of the model for end-stage liver disease score correlate with the severity of liver cirrhosis in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma undergoing locoregional therapy.

Background: The model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) has been used to prioritize cirrhotic patients awaiting liver transplantation. It is not clear whether MELD correlates with liver functional reserve that changes over time. This study investigated the correlation of sequential changes between MELD and Child-Turcotte-Pugh (CTP) scores in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

The model for end-stage liver disease-based Japan Integrated Scoring system may have a better predictive ability for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma undergoing locoregional therapy.

Background: The Japan Integrated Scoring (JIS) system was revealed as a better model for outcome prediction compared with the Cancer of Liver Italian Program system for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and the Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) was better as a prognostic predictor for patients with cirrhosis compared with the Child-Turcotte-Pugh (CTP) system, which is a parameter used in the JIS system. The objective of the current study was to investigate the performance of the modified MELD-based JIS system.

Methods: In the modified JIS system, the CTP class in the original JIS was replaced with MELD cut-off scores of <10, 10 to 14, and >14.

Proposal of a modified Cancer of the Liver Italian Program staging system based on the model for end-stage liver disease for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma undergoing loco-regional therapy.

Background: The Cancer of Liver Italian Program (CLIP) system was suggested as the primary staging system for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) is a better prognostic predictor for cirrhotic patients compared to Child-Turcotte-Pugh (CTP) system, which is a parameter used in the CLIP model.

Aim: To investigate the performance of the modified MELD-based CLIP systems.

Differentiating colonic diverticulitis from colon cancer: the value of computed tomography in the emergency setting.

Background: The purpose of this study was to establish practical diagnostic criteria to differentiate colonic diverticulitis from colon cancer by computed tomography (CT) in the emergency department (ER).

Methods: Helical CT scans of 40 patients admitted to the ER with the clinical diagnosis of diverticulitis and 14 patients diagnosed with colon cancer were retrospectively reviewed. In total, 18 imaging parameters were analyzed and were compared between the 2 groups of patients.

The role of transcatheter arterial embolization in patients with resectable hepatocellular carcinoma: a nation-wide, multicenter study.

Purpose: The role of transcatheter arterial embolization (TAE) for patients with resectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is controversial. Analyzing a cohort of nation-wide data can delineate the beneficial effect of TAE for those patients.

Methods: From 1991 to 1995, 818 patients who had potentially resectable HCC from four medical centers in Taiwan were enrolled.

Differential mechanism and prognostic impact of diabetes mellitus on patients with hepatocellular carcinoma undergoing surgical and nonsurgical treatment.

Objectives: Diabetes mellitus (DM) is prevalent in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) due to coexisting cirrhosis. This study aimed to investigate the long-term impact of DM on HCC patients and its underlying mechanism.

Methods: A total of 567 (120 diabetic) HCC patients were included.

Thrombocytosis: a paraneoplastic syndrome in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.

Aim: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients manifest a variety of paraneoplastic syndromes. Thrombocytosis was reported in children with hepatoblastoma. The aims of this study were to evaluate the prevalence and clinical significance of thrombocytosis in HCC patients and its relationships with serum thrombopoietin (TPO).

Clinical characteristics and prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma patients with paraneoplastic syndromes.

Background/aims: Hepatocellular carcinoma patients with paraneoplastic syndromes usually have a larger tumor volume and a higher serum alpha-fetoprotein. Whether the presence of paraneoplastic syndromes, such as hypercholesterolemia, hypoglycemia, hypercalcemia, and erythrocytosis in hepatocellular carcinoma patients is a significant prognostic factor in patients' survival is of clinical interest.

Methodology: We evaluated the occurrence of paraneoplastic syndromes in 903 hepatocellular carcinoma patients; 179 (20%) patients developed paraneoplastic syndromes either upon diagnosis or during follow-up, 179 age-sex-tumor volume-matched hepatocellular carcinoma patients without paraneoplastic syndromes were selected as controls.