Publications by authors named "Koichi Takaguchi"
Aim: Since the development of tremelimumab plus durvalumab (Dur/Tre) for unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (uHCC), it has been used as not only an initial but also later line treatment in clinical practice. This study aimed to elucidate clinical prognostic factors for progression-free survival (PFS) in Dur/Tre treatment cases.
Methods: Enrolled were 183 uHCC patients treated with Dur/Tre from 2023 to May 2024 (median age, 74 years; male patients, 152; Child-Pugh class A:B, 150:33; Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer stage B:C, 59:124; initial line use, 64).
We previously found that "albumin grade", formerly called the "ALBS grade," demonstrated significant capability for prognostic stratification in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients treated with lenvatinib. The purpose of the present study was to compare the performance of the albumin grade with that of the modified albumin-bilirubin (mALBI) grade in predicting overall survival of HCC patients with different BCLC stages and treatment types. We enrolled 7,645 Japanese patients newly diagnosed with HCC using the Akaike information criteria (AIC), likelihood ratio, and C-index in different Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) stages and treatments.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: The most frequently used first-line treatment in patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is atezolizumab plus bevacizumab. Upon progression after this treatment, the standard of care in many countries is sorafenib, due to the lack of reimbursement for other drugs. Several randomized trials are currently underway to clarify the best second-line therapy in patients with HCC.
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- * A retrospective analysis of 885 HCC patients showed no significant differences in overall survival, time to progression, or disease control rates between viral and nonviral patients treated with the combination therapy.
- * Common prognostic factors were identified across both groups, but there might be some stronger associations between immunological factors and outcomes specifically in viral patients, while treatment-related toxicities and second-line treatments showed nearly identical results for both etiology subgroups.
Article Synopsis
- - This study investigates what factors predict conversion therapy success in patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (uHCC) and compares the survival outcomes of those who underwent conversion therapy to those with partial or complete responses after treatment with atezolizumab and bevacizumab.
- - Out of 946 uHCC patients studied, only 43 (4.5%) received conversion therapy, with a higher overall response rate in this group (65.1%) compared to those who did not undergo conversion therapy (23.7%), indicating a statistically significant difference.
- - Factors such as earlier BCLC stage, lack of macrovascular invasion or extrahepatic spread, and low neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio were found
Introduction: Gastrointestinal varices rupture is considered to be prone to occur during atezolizumab and bevacizumab (Atez/Bev) treatment. This study aimed to investigate predictive factors affecting the increase in spleen volume (SpV) and the association of SpV variation with the clinical outcomes of Atez/Bev.
Methods: A total of 164 HCC patients were included in this retrospective multicenter study.
Article Synopsis
- The study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness and tolerability of direct-acting antiviral (DAA) treatments for hepatitis C virus (HCV) across different genotypes (GTs) in a global, real-world context, focusing particularly on GT3 and GT6.
- Researchers analyzed data from 15,849 chronic hepatitis C patients across Asia, North America, and Europe over a seven-year period, noting demographic factors such as age, sex, and prior treatment history.
- Results showed a high sustained virological response (SVR12) rate of 96.9% overall, with variances by genotype, highlighting that independent factors like advanced age, cirrhosis, and previous treatment failures affected treatment outcomes, while being
Background: This study aimed to clarify the morphological changes in esophageal varices after achieving sustained virological response (SVR) with direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) in patients with cirrhosis.
Methods: A total of 243 patients underwent esophagogastroduodenoscopy before DAA treatment and after achieving SVR. Morphological changes in esophageal varices were investigated using esophagogastroduodenoscopy.
Background: Atezolizumab plus bevacizumab (Atezo/Bev) is frequently selected as the primary systemic therapy for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).
Aims: To investigate the outcomes of patients with HCC treated with Atezo/Bev in a real-world setting based on whether they met the inclusion criteria for the phase 3 IMbrave150 trial.
Methods: A total of 936 patients were enrolled.
Article Synopsis
- * The research identified independent prognostic factors affecting overall survival and progression-free survival, notably the severity of decreased appetite, immunotoxicity, diarrhea, fatigue, arterial hypertension, and proteinuria.
- * The findings underscore a significant relationship between the occurrence of AEs and therapy outcomes in HCC patients, similar to what has been observed in other treatment contexts, highlighting the importance of monitoring AEs for prognosis.
Article Synopsis
- The study aimed to develop a prognostic scoring system for patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (uHCC) treated with atezolizumab plus bevacizumab (Atez/Bev).
- A total of 719 patients were analyzed, examining factors such as BCLC classification, AFP level, and mALBI scores to create the IMABALI-De scoring system, which showed better predictive ability for overall and progression-free survival compared to the CRAFITY score.
- The IMABALI-De score demonstrated significant results, indicating it may be a more effective tool for predicting outcomes in patients undergoing this combination treatment for liver cancer.
Article Synopsis
- - The study examines the impact of Body Mass Index (BMI) on survival among patients with advanced liver cancer (HCC) undergoing first-line treatment with either atezolizumab plus bevacizumab or lenvatinib, focusing on underweight, normal-weight, and overweight classifications.
- - In a cohort of 1,292 patients, results indicated that underweight individuals had significantly shorter overall survival (OS) compared to normal-weight patients, while no significant differences in OS were observed between normal and overweight patients.
- - The research highlights the differing prognostic implications of BMI in cancer treatment, suggesting that underweight patients may require more focused clinical considerations in advanced HCC therapy.
Background And Aim: The benefits of entecavir (ETV) versus tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) in reducing the development of chronic hepatitis B (CHB)-related hepatocellular carcinoma remain controversial. Whether mortality rates differ between patients with CHB treated with ETV and those treated with TDF is unclear.
Methods: A total of 2542 patients with CHB treated with either ETV or TDF were recruited from a multinational cohort.
Background And Aim: While several predictive models for the development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) have been proposed, including those for patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection who have achieved sustained virologic response (SVR), the best model may differ between regions. We compared the ability of six reported models to stratify the risk of post-SVR HCC in Japan, where rigorous surveillance and early detection of HCC is common.
Methods: A total of 6048 patients with no history of HCC who achieved SVR by oral direct-acting antiviral drugs were enrolled in this nationwide study.
Background: Data concerning the use of lenvatinib in very old patients (≥ 80 years) are limited, although the incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in this patient population is constantly increasing.
Objective: This analysis aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of lenvatinib in a large cohort of very old patients (≥ 80 years) with unresectable HCC.
Patients And Methods: The study was conducted on a cohort of 1325 patients from 46 centers in four Western and Eastern countries (Italy, Germany, Japan, and the Republic of Korea) who were undergoing first-line treatment with lenvatinib between July 2010 and February 2022.
Atezolizumab plus bevacizumab (AB) and lenvatinib can be alternatively used as first-line systemic treatment of unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, no direct comparison of the two regimens has been performed in randomized clinical trials, making the identification of baseline differential predictors of response of major relevance to tailor the best therapeutic option to each patient. Baseline clinical and laboratory characteristics of real-world AB-treated HCC patients were analyzed in uni- and multivariate analyses to find potential prognostic factors of overall survival (OS).
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- The study aimed to compare the effects of two treatments, atezolizumab plus bevacizumab (Atez/Bev) and lenvatinib (LEN), on liver function in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.
- A total of 526 patients who received Atez/Bev and 731 who received LEN were analyzed, with 324 patients in each group after matching, using a model to evaluate liver health changes over time.
- Both treatments led to similar deterioration in liver function scores, with significant worsening observed in LEN-treated patients who were at an advanced cancer stage or received a full dose, highlighting the need for caution in these cases.
Article Synopsis
- The study aimed to compare the effectiveness of two treatments, atezolizumab plus bevacizumab (Atez/Bev) and lenvatinib (LEN), for elderly patients (80 years and older) with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).
- A total of 262 patients were analyzed, with similar age and gender distributions in both treatment groups, showing comparable objective response rates and overall survival.
- Atez/Bev demonstrated a higher incidence of postprogression treatment and a lower discontinuation rate due to side effects, suggesting it could be a viable first-line option for treating HCC in elderly patients.
Background/aim: The aim of this study was to compare the therapeutic efficacy of ablation and surgery in solitary hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) measuring ≤5 cm with a large HCC cohort database.
Methods: The study included consecutive 2,067 patients with solitary HCC who were treated with either ablation (n=1,248) or surgery (n=819). Th e patients were divided into three groups based on the tumor size and compared the outcomes of the two therapies using propensity score matching.
Article Synopsis
- - Elevated serum gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) levels are linked to higher mortality rates in chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients receiving nucleotide/nucleoside analog treatments, showing significant increases in GGT measurements before and six months after treatment.
- - A study analyzing 2,843 CHB patients found that factors such as cirrhosis, age, and pretreatment GGT levels are strong predictors of both all-cause and liver-related mortality, with cirrhosis having the highest hazard ratio.
- - The link between pretreatment GGT levels and mortality remains consistent regardless of alcohol use history, and there is a noticeable dose-dependent association with different percentiles of GGT indicating increased mortality risk
Article Synopsis
- - The study aimed to compare the effectiveness of two treatments, atezolizumab plus bevacizumab (Atezo/Bev) and lenvatinib (LEN), in patients with intermediate-stage hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) according to the Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) staging system.
- - A total of 358 patients were evaluated, with those receiving Atezo/Bev experiencing a median progression-free survival (PFS) of 10.8 months, while those receiving LEN had a PFS of 7.3 months, indicating better outcomes for Atezo/Bev.
- - Overall, the findings suggest that Atezo/Bev as the first-line treatment leads to significantly longer progression
Aim: This study aimed to evaluate the ability of a previously reported tumor marker (TM) score involving alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), fucosylated AFP (AFP-L3), and des gamma-carboxy prothrombin (DCP) as TMs in predicting the prognosis and therapeutic efficacy in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients administered atezolizumab plus bevacizumab (Atez/Bev) as first-line treatment.
Materials/methods: The study period covered September 2020 to December 2022 and involved 371 HCC patients treated with Atez/Bev. The values of the TMs AFP, AFP-L3, and DCP were measured upon introducing Atez/Bev.
Background/aim: There is no known report regarding the relationship of atezolizumab plus bevacizumab (Atez/Bev) treatment with muscle volume loss (MVL) in unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (u-HCC) patients. This study aimed to elucidate the clinical relationship between MVL and Atez/Bev.
Materials/methods: From September 2020 to December 2021, 229 u-HCC patients treated with Atez/Bev and with muscle volume data obtained by computed tomography at the baseline available were analyzed (median age, 74 years; males, 186 (81.
Aim: Multiple studies have revealed the correlation between gut microbiome and the response to checkpoint inhibitors (CPIs) in patients with cancer, and oral administration of butyrate-producing enterobacteria has been reported to enhance the efficacy of CPIs. However, the effects of enterobacteria on patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) are not well understood.
Methods: In this retrospective multicenter study, we enrolled 747 patients with advanced HCC, treated with atezolizumab and bevacizumab combination therapy.