Primary liver cancer is the sixth most common cancer worldwide and the third leading cause of cancer-related death. Conventional therapies offer limited survival benefit despite improvements in locoregional liver-directed therapies, which highlights the underlying complexity of liver cancers. This review explores the latest research in primary liver cancer therapies, focusing on developments in genomics, molecular biomarkers, and artificial intelligence.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPrimary biliary cholangitis (PBC) is a chronic cholestatic autoimmune liver disease characterized by a destructive, small duct, and lymphocytic cholangitis, and marked by the presence of antimitochondrial antibodies. The incidence and prevalence of PBC vary widely in different regions and time periods, and although disproportionally more common among White non-Hispanic females, contemporary data show a higher prevalence in males and racial minorities than previously described. Outcomes largely depend on early recognition of the disease and prompt institution of treatment, which, in turn, are directly influenced by provider bias and socioeconomic factors.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFLiver injury is one of the nonpulmonary manifestations described in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Post-COVID-19 cholangiopathy is a special entity of liver injury that has been suggested as a variant of secondary sclerosing cholangitis in critically ill patients (SSC-CIP). In the general population, the outcome of SSC-CIP has been reported to be poor without orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT).
View Article and Find Full Text PDF: Pruritus is adisabling symptom common to cholestatic liver disorders. Its pathophysiology has not been completely elucidated and although multiple mediators have been identified, only lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) and its synthetizing enzyme autotaxin (ATX) appear to consistently correlate with symptom intensity. This review aims to summarize the most relevant safety and efficacy data regarding both standard and new medications utilized to treat pruritus in cholestatic liver disease.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF: Prolonged liver injury results in tissue damage and replacement by extracellular matrix and fibrosis. Cirrhosis represents a leading cause of mortality worldwide and imposes a major financial burden on health-care systems. Fortunately, fibrogenesis has proven to be reversible if halted early, encouraging the development of novel anti-fibrotic agents that may accelerate histological restoration.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: Lower gastrointestinal hemorrhage is a common cause of hospitalization and has substantial associated morbidity and financial cost. CT angiography (CTA) is emerging as an alternative to (99m)Tc-labeled RBC scintigraphy (RBC scintigraphy) for the localization of acute lower gastrointestinal bleeding (LGIB); however, data on comparative efficacy are scant. The aim of this study was to assess the utility of CTA compared with RBC scintigraphy in the overall evaluation and management of acute LGIB.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Evidence-based guidelines and quality indicators for cirrhosis care have been established. Whether there are variations in adherence to these cirrhosis standards at different specialty settings has not been investigated.
Aims: To evaluate the quality of cirrhosis care delivered at diverse hepatology care sites.
Expert Opin Pharmacother
March 2015
Introduction: Treatment of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection with direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) has revolutionized the care of infected patients. Among these novel compounds are non-nucleoside analogs, which bind viral RNA-dependent RNA polymerase resulting in a conformational change inhibiting RNA synthesis.
Areas Covered: Efficacy and tolerability of treatment regimens containing the non-nucleoside analog polymerase inhibitor dasabuvir (ABT-333).