Publications by authors named "Kirsten M Boberg"

Article Synopsis
  • People with primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) are at a significant risk of developing biliary tract cancer (BTC), and this study used whole-exome sequencing to analyze the genetic changes in BTC associated with PSC.
  • The researchers identified 53 candidate cancer genes, including some that had not been previously linked to BTC, while also recognizing genes known to be involved in other cancers.
  • Their findings reveal specific and common genetic alterations that could improve understanding of BTC development in PSC, paving the way for personalized treatment strategies.
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  • Cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC) can lead to multiple tumors and is dangerous for both immunocompetent and immunosuppressed patients, including organ transplant recipients.
  • This study analyzed data from nearly 48,000 cSCC patients in Norway to compare the rates of second cSCC, metastasis, and mortality between those who received organ transplants and those who didn't.
  • Findings revealed that organ transplant recipients had significantly higher rates of second cSCC (4.3 times more) and metastasis (1.5 times more), with a small percentage of deaths from cSCC, especially in the transplant group.
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Background And Aims: Several characteristic features of the fecal microbiota have been described in primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC), whereas data on mucosal microbiota are less consistent. We aimed to use a large colonoscopy cohort to investigate key knowledge gaps, including the role of gut microbiota in PSC with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), the effect of liver transplantation (LT), and whether recurrent PSC (rPSC) may be used to define consistent microbiota features in PSC irrespective of LT.

Approach And Results: We included 84 PSC and 51 liver transplanted PSC patients (PSC-LT) and 40 healthy controls (HCs) and performed sequencing of the 16S ribosomal RNA gene (V3-V4) from ileocolonic biopsies.

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Background And Aims: Primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) is associated with increased risk of cholangiocarcinoma (CCA). Early and accurate CCA detection represents an unmet clinical need as the majority of patients with PSC are diagnosed at an advanced stage of malignancy. In the present study, we aimed at establishing robust DNA methylation biomarkers in bile for early and accurate diagnosis of CCA in PSC.

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Introduction: Primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) is a progressive liver disease characterized by bile duct inflammation and fibrosis. The role of macrophages in PSC development and progression is less studied. Macrophage activation markers soluble (s)CD163 and mannose receptor (sMR) are associated with disease severity and outcome in other liver diseases, but not previously investigated in PSC.

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Background & Aims: Primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC), primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) and autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) are phenotypically distinct autoimmune liver diseases that progress to cirrhosis and liver failure; however, their histological fibrosis distribution differs. We investigated the extracellular matrix (ECM) profiles of patients with PSC, PBC, and AIH to establish whether the diseases display differential patterns of ECM turnover.

Methods: Serum samples were retrospectively collected from the UK (test cohort; PSC n = 78; PBC n = 74; AIH n = 58) and Norway (validation cohort; PSC n = 138; PBC n = 28; AIH n = 27).

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Background And Aims: Lifetime risk of biliary tract cancer (BTC) in primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) may exceed 20%, and BTC is currently the leading cause of death in patients with PSC. To open new avenues for management, we aimed to delineate clinically relevant genomic and pathological features of a large panel of PSC-associated BTC (PSC-BTC).

Approach And Results: We analyzed formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tumor tissue from 186 patients with PSC-BTC from 11 centers in eight countries with all anatomical locations included.

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Autotaxin has been associated with liver disease severity and transplant-free survival. This study aimed to validate autotaxin as a biomarker in two cohorts of Norwegian large-duct PSC patients, one discovery panel (n = 165) and one validation panel (n = 87). Serum activity of autotaxin was measured in diluted sera by a fluorometric enzymatic assay.

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Background: Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) complicates primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) in 10%-20% of cases, but current tools for prediction of a CCA diagnosis are inadequate. Recently, we demonstrated the utility of the enhanced liver fibrosis (ELF) test to stratify prognosis in PSC. We observed that patients with PSC + CCA had significantly higher ELF score than those with PSC alone.

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Cancer after liver transplantation (LT) constitutes a threat also for young recipients, but cancer risk factors are usually absent in children and large studies on the cancer risk profile in young LT recipients are scarce. Data of patients younger than 30 years who underwent LT during the period 1982-2013 in the Nordic countries were linked with respective national cancer registries to calculate standardized incidence ratios (SIRs). A total of 37 cancer cases were observed in 923 patients with 7846 person-years of follow-up.

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Objectives: The risk for recurrent primary sclerosing cholangitis (rPSC) after liver transplantation is associated with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). We assessed the frequency of rPSC and studied risk factors for recurrent disease with special focus on IBD. We also evaluated the importance of rPSC for prognosis.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study focuses on primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC), a serious liver disease with unclear genetic causes, aiming to understand the genetic factors that influence its progression and complications.
  • Researchers analyzed data from 3,402 PSC patients, examining over 130,000 genetic variants to find associations with disease outcomes using statistical models.
  • They discovered a specific genetic variant (rs853974) linked to liver transplant-free survival, showing that individuals with certain genetic profiles have significantly different survival rates post-diagnosis.
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Background: Trimethylamine--oxide (TMAO) is produced in the liver from trimethylamine, which is exclusively generated by gut bacteria.

Objective: The objective of this article is to investigate the relationship between TMAO and primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) and its clinical characteristics.

Methods: Serum TMAO was measured in 305 PSC patients, 90 ulcerative colitis patients and 99 healthy controls.

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Background & Aims: Primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) is an orphan hepatobiliary disorder associated with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). We aimed to estimate the risk of disease progression based on distinct clinical phenotypes in a large international cohort of patients with PSC.

Methods: We performed a retrospective outcome analysis of patients diagnosed with PSC from 1980 through 2010 at 37 centers in Europe, North America, and Australia.

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Background & Aims: Biomarkers reflecting disease activity and prognosis in primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) have not been firmly established. Enhanced liver fibrosis (ELF) test was previously reported to predict outcome in PSC. We aimed to validate the prognostic utility of ELF test in an independent, multi-centre, retrospective PSC study population.

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Background & Aims: Prognostic biomarkers are lacking in primary sclerosing cholangitis, hampering patient care and the development of therapy. We aimed to identify novel protein biomarkers of disease severity and prognosis in primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC).

Methods: Using a bead-based array targeting 63 proteins, we profiled a derivation panel of Norwegian endoscopic retrograde cholangiography bile samples (55 PSC, 20 disease controls) and a Finnish validation panel (34 PSC, 10 disease controls).

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Primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) is a rare progressive disorder leading to bile duct destruction; ∼75% of patients have comorbid inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). We undertook the largest genome-wide association study of PSC (4,796 cases and 19,955 population controls) and identified four new genome-wide significant loci. The most associated SNP at one locus affects splicing and expression of UBASH3A, with the protective allele (C) predicted to cause nonstop-mediated mRNA decay and lower expression of UBASH3A.

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Background & Aims: Recruitment of gut-derived memory T-cells to the liver is believed to drive hepatic inflammation in primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC). However, whether gut-infiltrating and liver-infiltrating T-cells share T cell receptors (TCRs) and antigenic specificities is unknown. We used paired gut and liver samples from PSC patients with concurrent inflammatory bowel disease (PSC-IBD), and normal tissue samples from colon cancer controls, to assess potential T cell clonotype overlap between the two compartments.

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Background & Aims: Patients with primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) are at increased risk for developing cholangiocarcinoma (CCA). Patients with PSC also can have inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs) or features of autoimmune hepatitis (AIH), and therefore are treated with azathioprine. Azathioprine has been associated with an increased risk for malignancy, therefore we investigated whether azathioprine use affects the risk of CCA in persons with PSC.

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Background & Aims: The strongest genetic risk factors in primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) are encoded in the HLA complex. Antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCA) have been reported in up to 94% of PSC patients, but their clinical significance and immunogenetic basis are ill defined. We aimed to characterize clinical and genetic associations of ANCA in PSC.

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Background: Primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) is 1 of the leading causes of liver transplantation (LTX) in Scandinavia, and an increasing number of PSC patients have been transplanted in Norway during the last 2 decades. This trend is partly attributable to the recently established practice in Norway of offering LTX to PSC patients with cholangiocellular dysplasia. Based on the controversy associated with this practice, we herein aimed to report the main features and outcomes of our LTX program in PSC.

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Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is a heterogeneous group of malignancies with features of biliary tract differentiation. CCA is the second most common primary liver tumour and the incidence is increasing worldwide. CCA has high mortality owing to its aggressiveness, late diagnosis and refractory nature.

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