Dose and Location of Irradiation Determine Survival for Patients with Hepatocellular Carcinoma with Macrovascular Invasion in External Beam Radiation Therapy.

Aim: Prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with macrovascular invasion (MVI) is extremely poor. However, proper therapeutic strategies have not been established yet. The purpose of this study is to identify the effects of external beam radiation therapy (EBRT) for MVI of HCC.

Epirubicin is More Effective than Miriplatin in Balloon-Occluded Transcatheter Arterial Chemoembolization for Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Background: Transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) is a standard therapy used in the treatment of intermediate hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Recently, balloon-occluded TACE (B-TACE) has been developed.

Purpose: This study aimed to clarify the effects of B-TACE in patients with HCC, with a focus on which drug is suitable to suspend in Lipiodol for B-TACE.

Clinical effects and safety of intra-arterial infusion therapy of cisplatin suspension in lipiodol combined with 5-fluorouracil versus sorafenib, for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma with macroscopic vascular invasion without extra-hepatic spread: A prospective cohort study.

Although sorafenib and hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy (HAIC) have been proven to improve prognosis in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients with macroscopic vascular invasion (MVI), the most appropriate approach remains unclear. The present multicenter, non-randomized, prospective cohort study aimed to compare the efficacy and safety of HAIC and sorafenib in patients with advanced HCC and MVI, without extra-hepatic spread (EHS) and Child-Pugh class A disease. The present study was performed between April 2008 and March 2014, and 64 HCC patients with MVI, without EHS and Child-Pugh class A disease were registered.

Alternative treatments in advanced hepatocellular carcinoma patients with progressive disease after sorafenib treatment: a prospective multicenter cohort study.

Sorafenib is an oral multikinase inhibitor that has been approved to treat advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), though it is unclear how much benefit advanced HCC patients with progressive disease (PD) derive from sorafenib treatment. This study aimed to assess survival risk factors and evaluate therapeutic strategies for advanced HCC patients with PD after sorafenib treatment. We analyzed the clinical data and treatment outcomes for 315 consecutive advanced HCC patients treated with sorafenib.

Diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging predicts malignant potential in small hepatocellular carcinoma.

Background: Poor differentiation and microvascular invasion are indicators of poor outcome after hepatectomy for patients with small hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Aims: We investigated whether gadoxetic acid-enhanced and diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) could predict these factors before hepatectomy.

Methods: Between July 2008 and April 2012, 75 patients who underwent hepatectomy for small HCCs (diameter: ≤3cm, tumor number: ≤3) were consecutively enrolled.

The systemic inflammatory response as a prognostic factor for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma with extrahepatic metastasis.

Several indices have been proposed to evaluate the systemic inflammatory response (SIR), which has been reported to be a useful prognostic factor in various types of cancer. We investigated the usefulness of the Glasgow Prognostic Score (GPS), neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) as prognostic factors in patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with extrahepatic metastasis (stage IVB). Between April, 1997 and March, 2013, a total of 434 HCC patients who developed extrahepatic metastasis were enrolled in the present study.

Hepatic arterial infusion chemoembolization therapy for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma: multicenter phase II study.

Purpose: Portal vein tumor thrombosis is a critical complication in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). This prospective multicenter trial assessed the efficacy of hepatic arterial infusion chemoembolization therapy with cisplatin suspended in lipiodol combined with 5-fluorouracil for HCC patients with portal vein tumor thrombosis.

Methods: We enrolled 52 HCC patients with portal vein tumor thrombosis.

Sorafenib for the treatment of advanced hepatocellular carcinoma with extrahepatic metastasis: a prospective multicenter cohort study.

Sorafenib, an oral multikinase inhibitor, is approved for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) treatment. However, its therapeutic effect in advanced HCC patients with extrahepatic metastasis remains uncertain. This study aimed to prospectively assess the efficacy, safety, and survival risk factors and evaluate the prognostic impact of sorafenib treatment in advanced HCC patients with or without extrahepatic metastasis.

Effect of pioglitazone on outcome following curative treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma in patients with hepatitis C virus infection: A prospective study.

Pioglitazone is an insulin sensitizer used for the treatment of diabetes mellitus (DM). DM with insulin resistance is a risk factor for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. We aimed to investigate the effects of pioglitazone on HCC recurrence following treatment in HCV-infected patients.

Usefulness of short-term eltrombopag treatment as a supportive treatment in hepatocellular carcinoma patients with cirrhosis and severe thrombocytopenia: A report of two cases.

Eltrombopag is an oral thrombopoietin (TPO) receptor agonist that increases platelet counts in patients with idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura and in patients with liver cirrhosis. When cirrhotic patients with thrombocytopenia undergo elective invasive procedures, eltrombopag treatment reduces the requirement for platelet transfusions. However, TPO is known to have proliferative effects on hepatic progenitor cells and hepatic sinusoidal endothelial cells, which indicates that eltrombopag may accelerate tumor progression.

Clinical characteristics and prognostic factors for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma with extrahepatic metastasis.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common malignancies worldwide. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether there are differences in the clinical characteristics and survival between patients with advanced HCC with extrahepatic metastasis who received and those who did not receive previous treatment. Between April, 1998 and April, 2012, a total of 419 HCC patients with extrahepatic metastasis (81 previously untreated and 338 previously treated) were enrolled in this study.

The significance of classifying microvascular invasion in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.

Background: Microvascular invasion (MVI) has been recognized as a risk factor for outcome following curative resection in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Because MVI can range from few to many invaded vessels, we evaluated the significance of MVI classification in this study.

Methods: Between January 1995 and December 2010, 207 consecutive patients who underwent curative resection for HCC within Milan criteria were included in this retrospective study.

Effect of occult hepatitis B virus infection on the early-onset of hepatocellular carcinoma in patients with hepatitis C virus infection.

Although overt hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection promotes the onset of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in hepatitis C virus (HCV)-infected patients, the effect of occult HBV infection remains unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of occult HBV infection on the early-onset of HCC in HCV-infected patients. A total of 173 HCC patients with HCV infection were enrolled and classified into 2 groups according to the median age of HCC onset: the early-onset group (n=91; 61.

Serum albumin level is a notable profiling factor for non-B, non-C hepatitis virus-related hepatocellular carcinoma: A data-mining analysis.

Aim: Various factors are underlying for the onset of non-B, non-C hepatitis virus-related hepatocellular carcinoma (NBNC-HCC). We aimed to investigate the independent risk factors and profiles associated with NBNC-HCC using a data-mining technique.

Methods: We conducted a case-control study and enrolled 223 NBNC-HCC patients and 669 controls from a health checkup database (n = 176 886).

Efficacy, safety, and survival factors for sorafenib treatment in Japanese patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma.

Background: Sorafenib, an oral multikinase inhibitor, was approved for the treatment of advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), but has not been adequately evaluated for safety and effectiveness in Japanese patients with advanced HCC.

Aims: The purpose of this study was to prospectively assess the efficacy, safety, and risk factors for survival in patients with advanced HCC treated with sorafenib.

Methods: Between May 2009 and December 2010, 96 Japanese patients with advanced HCC (76 male, 20 female, mean age: 70.

Total and high molecular weight adiponectin and hepatocellular carcinoma with HCV infection.

Background: Adiponectin is shown to be inversely associated with development and progression of various cancers. We evaluated whether adiponectin level was associated with the prevalence and histological grade of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and liver fibrosis in patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection.

Methods: A case-control study was conducted on 97 HCC patients (cases) and 97 patients (controls) matched for sex, Child-Pugh grade and platelet count in patients with HCV infection.

Expression and characterization of human bifunctional peptidylglycine alpha-amidating monooxygenase.

We report the purification and characterization of human bifunctional peptidylglycine alpha-amidating monooxygenase (the bifunctional PAM) expressed in Chinese hamster ovary cells. PAM is in charge of the formation of the C-terminal amides of biologically active peptides. The bifunctional PAM possesses two catalytic domains in a single polypeptide, peptidylglycine alpha-hydroxylating monooxygenase (PHM, EC 1.

Expression and characterization of frog peptidylglycine alpha-hydroxylating monooxygenase.

We report here a recombinant Chinese hamster ovary cell system,which is able to stably express frog peptidylglycine alpha-hydroxylating monooxygenase (PHM, EC 1.14.17.