Publications by authors named "Kei Amioka"
Article Synopsis
- The study examined the effects of immune-checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) in patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma, specifically looking at switching between different ICI regimens.
- Sixteen patients underwent treatment with atezolizumab-bevacizumab (Atezo+Bev) as first-line therapy and durvalumab-tremelimumab (Dur+Tre) as second-line therapy, with outcomes related to response rates and adverse events recorded.
- Findings indicated that while Atezo+Bev had a higher overall response rate and a significant drop in liver function scores, Dur+Tre maintained relatively safe disease control, although it presented risks of worsening immune-related side effects, particularly colitis, in patients previously treated
Aim: Shear wave (SW) elastography is used to evaluate metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) pathophysiology. Increased elasticity due to fibrosis and increased viscosity due to necrosis and inflammation affect SW. Assessing fibrosis, the most prognostically relevant pathology, is critical.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAim: Atezolizumab plus bevacizumab combination therapy (Atezo + Beva) is used as the first-line therapy for unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (u-HCC). Serious adverse events (AEs), including rupture of esophagogastric varices, have been seen during treatment. Therefore, the relationships of efficacy, safety, and portal hypertension (PH) were analyzed.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Zoledronic acid reduces the risk of bone metastasis, but denosumab is a better option for treating bone metastases. However, few studies have evaluated the use of denosumab to treat bone metastasis originating from hepatocellular carcinoma. This study aimed to assess the clinical outcomes of switching from zoledronic acid to denosumab for treating bone metastasis in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.
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- * Among 50 patients with progressive disease post-treatment, those who were later given lenvatinib had a median OS of 15.3 months and a PFS of 4.0 months, with response rates of 33.3% to 54.2% depending on evaluation criteria.
- * Key factors associated with better OS included lower Child-Pugh class and minimal intrahepatic tumor occupancy, while
Background: Lenvatinib, a multiple receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor, might exert antitumor effects via tumor immune modulation. However, changes in the tumor immune microenvironment induced by lenvatinib are poorly understood. We investigated the effect of lenvatinib on immune features in clinical samples from patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Systemic therapy is recommended for patients with Child-Pugh A in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We analyzed the outcomes of a cohort of patients with HCC who received either sorafenib (Sor), lenvatinib (Len) or atezolizumab plus bevacizumab (Atezo + Bev) as first-line systemic therapy for HCC, with the aim of identifying prognostic factors for survival.
Methods: A total of 825 patients with advanced HCC and Child-Pugh A or B received either Sor, Len or Atezo + Bev as first-line systemic therapy.
Introduction: Proteinuria is one of the adverse events of atezolizumab plus bevacizumab combination therapy (Atezo + Bev) and can cause interruption in the use of Bev. However, the risk factors for proteinuria in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) who are receiving Atezo + Bev have not yet been investigated. The aim of this study was to identify the risk factors for early onset of proteinuria in Atezo + Bev for patients with unresectable HCC.
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- The study investigates how skeletal muscle changes during treatment with atezolizumab plus bevacizumab (Atezo + Beva) or lenvatinib (Len) relate to prognosis in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).
- It found that while the arm skeletal muscle index (SMI) decreased in patients receiving Len, it remained stable in those treated with Atezo + Beva.
- Additionally, factors like arm SMI and extracellular water to total body water ratio (ECW/TBW) were significant indicators of progression-free survival in the Len group.
Background: Metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) represents a new classification system for fatty liver disease. In this study, we investigated the clinical characteristics of patients with MAFLD-hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in comparison with those with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and considered the validity and challenges of the new criteria.
Methods: This study included 237 untreated non-B, non-C HCC patients with hepatic steatosis.
Atezolizumab plus bevacizumab combination therapy (Atezo + Beva) is currently positioned as the first-line therapy for unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (u-HCC). It may be difficult to decide whether to continue this treatment if radiological response is assessed as stable disease (SD). Therefore, the relationship between radiological response and prognosis was analyzed.
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- The study evaluated the effectiveness of stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) on 220 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) treated at Hiroshima University Hospital from 2008 to 2021.
- Participants had a median overall survival of 52 months and a disease-free survival of 17 months, with a low local tumor recurrence rate of 3.4% over five years.
- Repeated SBRT showed promising results, with a median overall survival of 76 months and minimal severe side effects, indicating good local control of the disease.
Background: Balloon-occluded retrograde transvenous obliteration (BRTO) is a treatment option for patients with gastric varices (GVs). This study aimed to clarify the clinical significance of portal hypertension estimated by the hepatic venous pressure gradient (HVPG), subsequent exacerbation of esophageal varices (EVs), and prognosis of patients who underwent BRTO for GVs.
Methods: Thirty-six patients with GVs treated with BRTO were enrolled in this study, and their HVPG was measured before (pre-HVPG) and on the day after BRTO (post-HVPG).
Article Synopsis
- - A case study reports the first instance of a patient with advanced liver cancer who was successfully treated with lenvatinib (LEN) after failing prior treatments with LEN and atezolizumab/bevacizumab (Atezo-Bev).
- - The patient initially had a poor response to transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) before immunotherapy, but after rechallenging with LEN, they showed a significant improvement with sequential TACE.
- - The findings indicate that the treatment approach for advanced liver cancer may need to evolve, considering the benefits of combining molecular-targeted drugs like LEN and TACE in light of advancements in immunotherapy.
Article Synopsis
- Transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) has traditionally been the go-to treatment for intermediate-stage, unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (u-HCC), but new studies show systemic therapy can be effective for patients considered TACE-refractory or -unsuitable.
- A study involving 140 patients evaluated the effectiveness of the drug lenvatinib, finding median overall survival of 24.4 months and progression-free survival of 9.0 months, suggesting a good response to treatment.
- The research highlights the importance of using systemic therapy in TACE-refractory patients and indicates that combining TACE after initiating lenvatinib can enhance patient outcomes.
Background: Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma is the second most common primary cancer of the liver. It is highly malignant and its prognosis is very poor. Although there have been various reports on the effects of calcium channel blockers on cancer, the effects of calcium channel blockers on intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma have not been reported so far.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and macrovascular invasion (MVI) who receive systemic chemotherapy have a poor prognosis. This study aimed to determine if one-shot cisplatin (CDDP) chemotherapy via hepatic arterial infusion (HAI) combined with radiation therapy (RT) prior to systemic chemotherapy could improve the outcomes of these patients.
Methods: This study consisted of 32 HCC patients with the following eligibility criteria: (i) portal vein invasion 3/4 and/or hepatic vein invasion 2/3; (ii) received one-shot CDDP via HAI; (iii) received RT for MVI, (iv) a Child-Pugh score ≤ 7; and (v) an Eastern Clinical Oncology Group Performance Status score of 0 or 1.
Article Synopsis
- Benign recurrent intrahepatic cholestasis (BRIC) is a liver disorder resulting in jaundice and itching, classified into two types: BRIC1 and BRIC2, linked to different genetic mutations.
- A 16-year-old girl with severe jaundice was diagnosed with BRIC1 after excluding other liver diseases, confirming her symptoms from infancy.
- Novel mutations in a specific gene (c.2989G>A and c.1547T>A) were found in both her parents, suggesting these genetic changes are responsible for her condition, and may aid in diagnosing similar cases.
Article Synopsis
- - The study looked at how well radiological responses to lenvatinib treatment predicted overall survival (OS) in 182 patients with advanced liver cancer, using specific evaluation criteria.
- - Results showed that a favorable initial radiological response was linked to longer OS and served as an important independent predictor of survival outcomes.
- - In cases where patients had stable disease at first evaluation, assessments like macrovascular invasion and liver function scores could help decide whether to continue or change treatment strategies.
Article Synopsis
- * It involved 81 patients, assessing factors like overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), and handgrip strength alongside body composition metrics.
- * Results indicated that a lower extracellular water to total body water ratio (ECW/TBW) and higher skeletal muscle mass index (SMI) are linked to better survival outcomes in HCC patients undergoing lenvatinib treatment.
Rationale: Various treatments are available for treating hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The immune checkpoint inhibitor combination of atezolizumab plus bevacizumab was recently approved for the treatment of unresectable HCC, but there are few reports on the failure of the combination treatment. Here, we present a case of unresectable HCC with adrenal metastasis that was eventually operated on after lenvatinib (LEN) treatment that followed failed treatment with atezolizumab plus bevacizumab.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe aim of this study was to investigate the early tumor response and safety of atezolizumab plus bevacizumab for patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma in real-world practice. Forty patients with Child-Pugh class A liver function and eastern cooperative oncology group performance status 0 or 1 were enrolled. The objective response rate (ORR) at six weeks after the start of treatment, changes in α-fetoprotein (AFP) and des-γ-carboxyprothrombin, incidence of adverse events (AEs), and changes in albumin-bilirubin (ALBI) score and serum ammonia level, were evaluated.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe overall survival of patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma with tumor thrombosis of the main trunk or bilobar branches of the portal vein is extremely poor. Moreover, there is no standard treatment established for the condition. Herein, we present the case of a 65-year-old man who were treated the patient with hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy, radiation therapy for tumor thrombosis, portal vein stent placement, lenvatinib administration, and renal venous shunt embolization.
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