A Prospective Study Exploring the Safety and Efficacy of Lenvatinib for Patients with Advanced Hepatocellular Carcinoma and High Tumor Burden: The LAUNCH Study.

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the safety and efficacy of lenvatinib in real-world settings, including patients excluded from the REFLECT trial, a phase III trial that compared lenvatinib with sorafenib.

Patients And Methods: This multicenter, nonrandomized, open-label prospective study was conducted at 10 medical facilities in Japan (jRCTs031190017). Eligible patients had advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and were suitable for lenvatinib therapy.

Treatment strategy changes for inflammatory bowel diseases in biologic era: results from a multicenter cohort in Japan, Far East 1000.

Many molecular targeted agents, including biologics, have emerged for inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), but their high prices have prevented their widespread use. This study aimed to reveal the changes in patient characteristics and the therapeutic strategies of IBD before and after the implementation of biologics in Japan, where the unique health insurance system allows patients with IBD and physicians to select drugs with minimum patient expenses. The analysis was performed using a prospective cohort, including IBD expert and nonexpert hospitals in Japan.

Posttreatment after Lenvatinib in Patients with Advanced Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Background: There is no standard posttreatment for patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in whom lenvatinib therapy has failed. This study aimed to investigate rates of migration to posttreatment after lenvatinib and to explore candidates for second-line agents in the patients with failed lenvatinib therapy.

Methods: We retrospectively collected data on patients with advanced HCC who received lenvatinib as the first-line agent in 7 institutions.

Potential of Lenvatinib for an Expanded Indication from the REFLECT Trial in Patients with Advanced Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Background: The present study aimed to assess the efficacy and safety of lenvatinib and verify the possibility of lenvatinib for the expanded indication from the REFLECT trial in patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in real-world practice, primarily focusing on the population that was excluded in the REFLECT trial.

Methods: We retrospectively collected data on patients with advanced HCC who were administered lenvatinib in 7 institutions in Japan.

Results: Of 152 advanced HCC patients, 95 and 57 patients received lenvatinib in first-line and second- or later-line systemic therapies, respectively.

Sequential therapy with sorafenib and regorafenib for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma: a multicenter retrospective study in Japan.

Background Conversion from sorafenib to regorafenib is primarily an evidence-based treatment strategy in patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). This study aimed to assess the safety and efficacy of sequential therapy with sorafenib and regorafenib in patients with advanced HCC by analysis of outcomes in clinical practice with the aim to complement phase III findings. Methods The medical records of patients with advanced HCC receiving regorafenib were retrieved to collect data on sorafenib administration at seven Japanese institutions.

Prognostic Significance of Concurrent Hypovascular and Hypervascular Nodules in Patients with Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Background: Hypovascular nodules often occur together with hypervascular hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, it remains controversial whether hypovascular nodules associated with hypervascular HCC have any prognostic value. This study evaluated the prognostic impact of hypovascular nodules co-existing with hypervascular HCC as diagnosed by computed tomography during arterial portography (CTAP) and computed tomography during hepatic arteriography (CTHA), which can sensitively capture the dynamic changes in blood flow through the portal vein and hepatic artery in patients with early stage HCC.

[Successful Surgical Treatment for Hepatocellular Carcinoma with Portal Vein Tumor Thrombus after Favorable Response to Irradiation and Transcatheter Arterial Chemoembolization].

Here, we describe the surgical treatment of a patient with hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC)with portal vein tumor thrombus (PVTT) after irradiation and transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE). A 51-year-old man was being followed-up for HBV-related liver cirrhosis and HCC that was previously treated by radio-frequency ablation (RFA) and TACE. A follow up CT study revealed recurrence of HCC in segment 6 of the liver with PVTT extending to the right branch.

[A case of enterolith ileus secondary to acute pancreatitis associated with a juxtapapillary duodenal diverticulum].

A 63-year-old woman with abdominal pain was referred to our hospital. Her pancreatic enzymes were elevated, and an abdominal computed tomography (CT) scan showed an enlarged pancreas, consistent with pancreatitis, and gas collection containing an impacted stone adjacent to Vater's papilla. This finding raised the suspicion of a duodenal diverticulum.

Natural history of large regenerative nodules and dysplastic nodules in liver cirrhosis: 28-year follow-up study.

Background And Aims: Some follow-up studies of large regenerative nodules (LRNs) and dysplastic nodules (DNs) were reported previously. However, the pre-malignant potentiality of LRNs has remained controversial up to now. No LRNs showed malignant transformation in our previous study.

Clinical features and natural history of portal vein thrombosis after radiofrequency ablation for hepatocellular carcinoma in Japan.

Purpose: Little is known about portal vein thrombosis (PVT) after radiofrequency ablation (RFA) for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We aimed to determine the incidence, background, and natural history of RFA-related PVT.

Methods: This is a retrospective study of 317 patients (219 males and 98 females) with HCC treated by RFA.

Gadoxetic acid-enhanced MRI compared with CT during angiography in the diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma.

Purpose: To assess the value of gadoxetic acid-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for the pre-therapeutic detection of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis with the combination of computed tomography (CT) arterial portography and CT hepatic arteriography (CTAP/CTHA).

Materials And Methods: A total of 54 consecutive patients with 87 nodular HCCs were retrospectively analyzed. All HCC nodules were confirmed pathologically.

Linear enhancement after radio-frequency ablation for hepatocellular carcinoma: is it a sign of recurrence?

This prospective study was performed in 179 hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) lesions treated by radio-frequency ablation (RFA) to explore the clinical outcome of "linear enhancement" on contrast-enhanced sonogram. Thirty-three lesions (18.4%) showed linear enhancement, a linear-shaped positive enhancement in the RFA-treated area.

Safety and tolerance of sorafenib in Japanese patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma.

Purpose: Sorafenib provides a survival benefit for patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, there has been little experience with it in Japan. This study evaluated the safety and tolerance of sorafenib in Japanese patients with HCC.

Changes in tumor vascularity precede microbubble contrast accumulation deficit in the process of dedifferentiation of hepatocellular carcinoma.

Purpose: To elucidate the changes in tumor vascularity and microbubble accumulation on contrast-enhanced sonograms, in relation to the dedifferentiation of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Materials And Methods: This prospective study enrolled 10 patients with histologically proven HCC (14.4-39.

Long-term effect of endoscopic injection therapy with combined cyanoacrylate and ethanol for gastric fundal varices in relation to portal hemodynamics.

Background: The understanding on the long-term effect of endoscopic therapy for gastric fundal varices (FV) is still insufficient. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between the long-term effect of the endoscopic injection therapy with combined cyanoacrylate (CA) and absolute ethanol (ET) for FV, and the portal hemodynamics.

Methods: The subjects of this retrospective study were ten consecutive cirrhotic patients with bleeding FV treated by endoscopic injection therapy with combined CA and ET.

Ultrasound-guided treatments under low acoustic power contrast harmonic imaging for hepatocellular carcinomas undetected by B-mode ultrasonography.

Background/aims: The aim was to examine the efficacy of contrast-enhanced ultrasound (US) with Sonazoid to demonstrate ultrasonically unrecognizable hypervascular hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and apply percutaneous US-guided treatments.

Methods: The subjects of this prospective study were 44 cirrhotic patients with 55 hypervascular lesions (12.7+/-4.

Percutaneous ethanol injection for small hepatocellular carcinoma: therapeutic efficacy based on 20-year observation.

Background/aims: To evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of percutaneous ethanol injection (PEI) for patients with < or = 3 lesions of small (< or = 3 cm diameter) hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Methods: PEI was applied to 270 patients with small HCC as the first-line treatment option during a 20-year period.

Results: (1) There was no treatment-related deaths, and only 2.

Metal contents of liver parenchyma after percutaneous ethanol injection or radiofrequency ablation in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma before and after trientine hydrochloride therapy.

We administered trientine hydrochloride, a drug used in the treatment of Wilson's disease, to patients with hepatocellular carcinoma after radical treatment with percutaneous ethanol injection or radiofrequency ablation, and examined its effect on the reduction of liver-tissue copper content. We enrolled 24 patients with 3 or fewer primary lesions of Child class A or B hepatocellular carcinoma with diameters of 3 cm or less who had undergone radical treatment with percutaneous ethanol injection or radiofrequency ablation. Trientine hydrochloride was orally administered in a single daily dose of 250 mg to 12 patients before a meal (at fasting, group 1) or at a total daily dosage of 750 mg, divided into 3 doses, to 12 patients (group 2).

Cloning and characterization of the human BAZF gene, a homologue of the BCL6 oncogene.

The BAZF gene has recently been identified as a novel homologue of the BCL6 oncogene. Here we cloned the human BAZF gene using murine BAZF as a probe. The predicted amino acid sequence was 91% identical to that of murine BAZF.