Clinical Outcomes of 2nd- and 3rd-Line Regorafenib for Advanced Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Introduction: This study compared clinical outcomes of 2nd- and 3rd-line regorafenib in patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma.

Methods: In this retrospective cohort study, 48 patients were treated with regorafenib for unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma. Thirty-five and 13 patients were initiated on 2nd- and 3rd-line therapy, respectively.

Efficacy and Safety of Lenvatinib-Transcatheter Arterial Chemoembolization Sequential Therapy for Patients with Intermediate-Stage Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Introduction: We evaluated the efficacy and safety of lenvatinib-transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (LEN-TACE) sequential therapy for patients (n = 88) with intermediate-stage hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Methods: Eighty-eight patients who obtained tumor control by LEN treatment were analyzed; 30 received LEN followed by TACE (LEN-TACE sequential therapy), and 58 received LEN monotherapy. Propensity score matching was performed, and the outcomes of 19 patients in the LEN-TACE group and 19 patients in the LEN-alone group were compared.

Comparison of the Clinical Outcome of Ramucirumab for Unresectable Hepatocellular Carcinoma with That of Prior Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor Therapy.

Introduction: The clinical outcome of ramucirumab in multi-molecular targeted agent (MTA) sequential therapy for unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (u-HCC) was assessed in comparison with that of prior tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) therapy.

Methods: Sixteen patients who received ramucirumab as part of multi-MTA sequential therapy for u-HCC were enrolled in a retrospective, cohort study. Ramucirumab was started as 2nd line in 7 patients, 3rd line in 5 patients, and 4th line in 4 patients.

Analysis of Post-Progression Survival in Patients with Unresectable Hepatocellular Carcinoma Treated with Lenvatinib.

Background: Although a strong antitumor effect of lenvatinib (LEN) has been noted for patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), there are still no reports on the prognosis for patients with disease progression after first-line LEN therapy.

Methods: Patients (n = 141) with unresectable HCC, Child-Pugh class A liver function, and an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status (ECOG-PS) of 0 or 1 who were treated with LEN from March 2018 to December 2019 were enrolled.

Results: One hundred and five patients were treated with LEN as first-line therapy, 53 of whom had progressive disease (PD) at the radiological evaluation.

Comparison of clinical outcome of hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy and sorafenib for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma according to macrovascular invasion and transcatheter arterial chemoembolization refractory status.

Background And Aim: Sorafenib is the standard treatment for patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with distant metastasis, unresectable HCC, and HCC refractory to transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) or with macroscopic vascular invasion (MVI). Also, hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy (HAIC) has been used for advanced HCC in Southeast and East Asian countries. However, clearer information is needed for choosing appropriately between these therapies.

Comparison of Outcome of Hepatic Arterial Infusion Chemotherapy Combined with Radiotherapy and Sorafenib for Advanced Hepatocellular Carcinoma Patients with Major Portal Vein Tumor Thrombosis.

Objective: To compare the outcome of hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy combined with radiotherapy (HAIC + RT) versus sorafenib monotherapy in patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and major portal vein tumor thrombosis (PVTT).

Methods: This retrospective study included 108 HCC patients with PVTT of the main trunk or first branch and Child-Pugh ≤7. Sixty-eight received HAIC + RT and 40 received sorafenib.

Emergence of drug resistance-associated variants and changes in serum lipid profiles in sofosbuvir plus ledipasvir-treated chronic hepatitis C patients.

Combination of sofosbuvir plus ledipasvir therapy has been expected to enhance sustained virological response (SVR) rates in hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype 1 chronic infected patients. We analyzed the emergence of drug resistance-associated variants (RAVs) in treatment failure and changes in lipid profiles in sofosbuvir/ledipasvir-treated patients. A total of 176 patients with chronic HCV genotype 1 infection without decompensated liver cirrhosis were treated with sofosbuvir/ledipasvir for 12 weeks.

Real-world efficacy and safety of daclatasvir and asunaprevir therapy for hepatitis C virus-infected cirrhosis patients.

Background And Aims: Daclatasvir and asunaprevir combination therapy has shown a high virological response for chronic genotype 1 hepatitis C virus (HCV) infected-patients. However, the real-world efficacy and safety of the therapy for patients with cirrhosis are unknown.

Methods: A total of 252 patients with genotype 1 HCV infection (158 with chronic hepatitis and 94 with compensated liver cirrhosis) were treated with 24 weeks of daclatasvir and asunaprevir combination therapy.

Comparison of Outcome of Hepatic Arterial Infusion Chemotherapy and Sorafenib in Patients with Hepatocellular Carcinoma Refractory to Transcatheter Arterial Chemoembolization.

Aim: To compare the outcome of 5-fluorouracil (FU)-based hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy (HAIC) with sorafenib monotherapy in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) refractory to transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE).

Patients And Methods: In this retrospective cohort study, 123 patients with HCC refractory to TACE, with Child-Pugh A and free of extrahepatic metastasis, were divided into two groups: 65 received HAIC and 58 received sorafenib. Since the size of main tumor and portal vein invasion were significantly different between the HAIC and sorafenib groups, we selected 48 patients from the 65 patients of the HAIC group and 48 from the 58 patients of the sorafenib group.

Ultradeep sequencing study of chronic hepatitis C virus genotype 1 infection in patients treated with daclatasvir, peginterferon, and ribavirin.

Direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) are either part of the current standard of care or are in advanced clinical development for the treatment of patients chronically infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype 1, but concern exists with respect to the patients who fail these regimens with emergent drug-resistant variants. In the present study, ultradeep sequencing was performed to analyze resistance to daclatasvir (DCV), which is a highly selective nonstructural protein 5A (NS5A) inhibitor. Eight patients with HCV genotype 1b, who were either treatment naive or prior nonresponders to pegylated interferon plus ribavirin (Rebetol; Schering-Plough) (PEG-IFN/RBV) therapy, were treated with DCV combined with PEG-IFN alpha-2b (Pegintron; Schering-Plough, Kenilworth, NJ) and RBV.

A novel TK-NOG based humanized mouse model for the study of HBV and HCV infections.

The immunodeficient mice transplanted with human hepatocytes are available for the study of the human hepatitis viruses. Recently, human hepatocytes were also successfully transplanted in herpes simplex virus type-1 thymidine kinase (TK)-NOG mice. In this study, we attempted to infect hepatitis virus in humanized TK-NOG mice and urokinase-type plasminogen activator-severe combined immunodeficiency (uPA-SCID) mice.

Case reports of portal vein thrombosis and bile duct stenosis after stereotactic body radiation therapy for hepatocellular carcinoma.

The aim of this study was to evaluate portal vein and bile duct toxicity after stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We retrospectively reviewed 63 patients who were administrated SBRT once for HCC. The prescribed doses were from 48 Gy in four fractions to 60 Gy in eight fractions.

Utility of controlled attenuation parameter measurement for assessing liver steatosis in Japanese patients with chronic liver diseases.

Aim: Steatosis is a common histological feature of chronic liver disease, especially alcoholic and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, as well as chronic hepatitis C. A recent study showed that evaluating the controlled attenuation parameter (CAP) with transient elastography was an efficient way of non-invasively determining the severity of hepatic steatosis. The objective of this study was to prospectively evaluate the utility of CAP for diagnosing steatosis in patients with chronic liver disease.

[A case of clonorchiasis complicated with the expansion of liver cyst].

A 61-year-old man was admitted to our hospital for examination of the cause of rapid growth of a liver cyst. We found a slight dilatation of bile duct in the vicinity of the liver cyst. Then, we underwent ERCP and found a communication between the bile duct and liver cyst.

Dynamic computed tomography appearance of tumor response after stereotactic body radiation therapy for hepatocellular carcinoma: How should we evaluate treatment effects?

Aim: To evaluate the dynamic computed tomography (CT) appearance of tumor response after stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and reconsider response evaluation criteria for SBRT that determine treatment outcomes.

Methods: Fifty-nine patients with 67 tumors were included in the study. Of these, 56 patients with 63 tumors underwent transarterial chemoembolization using lipiodol prior to SBRT that was performed using a 3-D conformal method (median, 48 Gy/four fractions).

Evaluation of the mRECIST and α-fetoprotein ratio for stratification of the prognosis of advanced-hepatocellular-carcinoma patients treated with sorafenib.

Objective: To compare the assessment of response and prognosis of patients to sorafenib treatment by the Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST), modified RECIST (mRECIST), α-fetoprotein (AFP) and des-γ-carboxy prothrombin (DCP).

Methods: Sixty-six patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) treated with sorafenib were enrolled in this retrospective study. The response to treatment was evaluated by RECIST, mRECIST and changes in AFP and DCP.

Recent trend of clinical features in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.

Aim:   In this study, we evaluated the clinical characteristics of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) because the etiology of HCC has been changing recently.

Methods:   Consecutive 1374 HCC patients at our institution from 1995 to 2009 were enrolled and clinical characteristics were investigated.

Results:   Seventeen percent and 67% of HCC were related to hepatitis B virus (HBV-HCC) and hepatitis C virus (HCV-HCC), respectively.