Search Our Scientific Publications & Authors

Toxicol In Vitro 2022 May 11:105385. Epub 2022 May 11.

Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Science, Mahidol University, Bangkok 10400, Thailand. Electronic address:

The serine/arginine-rich protein kinase-1 (SRPK1) is an enzyme that has an essential role in regulating numerous aspects of mRNA splicing. SRPK1 has been reported to be overexpressed in multiple cancers, suggesting it as a promising therapeutic target in oncology. No previous studies reported the role of SRPK1 in cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) cells. Read More

Cancers (Basel) 2022 May 5;14(9). Epub 2022 May 5.

Department of Pathology, Saga University Hospital, Saga 849-8501, Japan.

To investigate useful cytological features for differential diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC), this study cytologically compared HCC to ICC using image analysis software. Touch smear specimens of surgically resected specimens were obtained from a total of 61 nodules of HCC and 16 of ICC. The results indicated that the major/minor axis ratio of ICC is significantly larger than that of HCC (1. Read More

Cancers (Basel) 2022 Apr 28;14(9). Epub 2022 Apr 28.

Department of Surgery, Division of Gastroenterological, General and Transplant Surgery, Jichi Medical University, Shimotsuke 329-0498, Japan.

Background: Osteopenia is defined as low bone mineral density (BMD) and has been shown to be associated with outcomes of patients with various cancers. The association between osteopenia and perihilar cholangiocarcinoma is unknown. The aim of this study was to evaluate osteopenia as a prognostic factor in patients with perihilar cholangiocarcinoma. Read More

Cancers (Basel) 2022 Apr 28;14(9). Epub 2022 Apr 28.

Department of Surgery, The Urban Meyer III and Shelley Meyer Chair for Cancer Research, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, 395 W 12th Ave, Suite 670, Columbus, OH 43210, USA.

Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) represents nearly 15% of all primary liver cancers and 2% of all cancer-related deaths worldwide. Perihilar cholangiocarcinoma (pCCA) accounts for 50-60% of all CCA. First described in 1965, pCCAs arise between the second-order bile ducts and the insertion of the cystic duct into the common bile duct. Read More

Cancers (Basel) 2022 Apr 27;14(9). Epub 2022 Apr 27.

Department of Surgery and Transplantation, University Hospital RWTH Aachen, 52074 Aachen, Germany.

Background And Aims: Perihilar cholangiocarcinoma (pCCA) is a hepatobiliary malignancy, with a dismal prognosis. Nerve fiber density (NFD)-a novel prognostic biomarker-describes the density of small nerve fibers without cancer invasion and is categorized into high numbers and low numbers of small nerve fibers (high vs low NFD). NFD is different than perineural invasion (PNI), defined as nerve fiber trunks invaded by cancer cells. Read More

Cancers (Basel) 2022 Apr 25;14(9). Epub 2022 Apr 25.

Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Medical Oncology at the Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute, The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center, Columbus, OH 43210, USA.

Biliary tract cancers (BTC) are often diagnosed at advanced stages and have a grave outcome due to limited systemic options. Gemcitabine and cisplatin combination (GC) has been the first-line standard for more than a decade. Second-line chemotherapy (CT) options are limited. Read More

Cancers (Basel) 2022 Apr 24;14(9). Epub 2022 Apr 24.

Hepatopancreatobiliary Service, Department of Surgery, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA.

Perihilar cholangiocarcinoma is a rare hepatobiliary malignancy that requires thoughtful, multidisciplinary evaluation in the preoperative setting to ensure optimal patient outcomes. Comprehensive preoperative imaging, including multiphase CT angiography and some form of cholangiographic assessment, is key to assessing resectability. While many staging systems exist, the Blumgart staging system provides the most useful combination of resectability assessment and prognostic information for use in the preoperative setting. Read More

Cancers (Basel) 2022 Apr 24;14(9). Epub 2022 Apr 24.

Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55905, USA.

Background: Primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) is a major risk factor for cholangiocarcinoma (CCA). We investigated biliary and fecal microbiota to determine whether specific microbes in the bile or stool are associated with PSC or CCA.

Methods: Bile was obtained from 32 patients with PSC, 23 with CCA with PSC, 26 with CCA without PSC, and 17 controls. Read More

Cancers (Basel) 2022 Apr 22;14(9). Epub 2022 Apr 22.

Clinic for Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Infectious Diseases, University Hospital Düsseldorf, Medical Faculty of Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany.

(1) Background: Transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) is a minimally invasive procedure, characterized by the selective occlusion of tumor-feeding hepatic arteries, via injection of an embolizing agent and an anticancer drug. It represents a standard of care for intermediate-stage hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and it is also increasingly performed in cholangiocarcinoma (CCA), as well as in liver metastases. Apart from the original method, based on intra-arterial infusion of a liquid drug followed by embolization, newer particle-based TACE procedures have been introduced recently. Read More

Cancers (Basel) 2022 Apr 21;14(9). Epub 2022 Apr 21.

Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Erasmus MC Cancer Institute, University Medical Centre Rotterdam, Doctor Molewaterplein 40, 3015 GD Rotterdam, The Netherlands.

Background: One of the cornerstones of palliative treatment for unresectable perihilar cholangiocarcinoma is biliary stent placement in order to restore biliary drainage. In this review, the potential added value of RFA with stent placement in comparison to stent placement alone in patients with unresectable perihilar cholangiocarcinoma is analyzed.

Methods: We performed a comprehensive online search for relevant articles in November 2021 (PROSPERO ID: CRD42021288180). Read More

Cells 2022 May 4;11(9). Epub 2022 May 4.

Department of Clinical Medicine, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University City College, Hangzhou 310015, China.

Long intergenic noncoding RNA 00665 (LINC00665) is located on human chromosome 19q13.12. LINC00665 was upregulated in eighteen cancers and downregulated in two cancers. Read More

Cells 2022 Apr 26;11(9). Epub 2022 Apr 26.

Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, University of Florence, 50139 Florence, Italy.

Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is a poorly treatable type of cancer and its incidence is dramatically increasing. The lack of understanding of the biology of this tumor has slowed down the identification of novel targets and the development of effective treatments. Based on next generation sequencing profiling, alterations in DNA damage response (DDR)-related genes are paving the way for DDR-targeting strategies in CCA. Read More

Int J Mol Sci 2022 Apr 27;23(9). Epub 2022 Apr 27.

School of Biomedical Sciences, Institute of Clinical Sciences, College of Medical and Dental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK.

There is a need for agents that eliminate cancer stem cells, which sustain cancer and are also largely responsible for disease relapse and metastasis. Conventional chemotherapeutics and radiotherapy are often highly effective against the bulk of cancer cells, which are proliferating, but spare cancer stem cells. Therapeutics that target cancer stem cells may also provide a cure for cancer. Read More

J Transl Med 2022 May 13;20(1):210. Epub 2022 May 13.

Department of Biliary and Pancreatic Surgery/Cancer Research Center Affiliated Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430030, Hubei, China.

Background: The intricate landscape of immunocytes in the tumor microenvironment (TME) is fundamental to immunotherapy but notably under-researched in extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ECCA).

Methods: Single-cell RNA sequencing technology was conducted to make an in-depth analysis of immunocytes from matched tumor tissues, paratumor tissues and peripheral blood from ECCA patients. The potential cellular interactions between two cell populations were analyzed with software CellPhoneDB (v2. Read More

Sci Rep 2022 May 13;12(1):7924. Epub 2022 May 13.

Department of Radiology and Radiological Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 601 N Caroline St, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA.

With modern management of primary liver cancer shifting towards non-invasive diagnostics, accurate tumor classification on medical imaging is increasingly critical for disease surveillance and appropriate targeting of therapy. Recent advancements in machine learning raise the possibility of automated tools that can accelerate workflow, enhance performance, and increase the accessibility of artificial intelligence to clinical researchers. We explore the use of an automated Tree-Based Optimization Tool that leverages a genetic programming algorithm for differentiation of the two common primary liver cancers on multiphasic MRI. Read More

Front Immunol 2022 26;13:871769. Epub 2022 Apr 26.

Department of Liver Surgery and Transplantation, Liver Cancer Institute, Zhongshan Hospital, and Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Cancer Invasion (Ministry of Education), Fudan University, Shanghai, China.

Purpose: To dissect the tumor ecosystem following immune checkpoint blockades (ICBs) in intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) at a single-cell level.

Methods: Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) data of 10 ICC patients for the ICB clinical trial were extracted from GSE125449 and systematically reanalyzed. Bulk RNA-seq data of 255 ICC patients were analyzed. Read More

J Gastrointest Oncol 2022 Apr;13(2):822-832

Department of Neurosurgery, Stanford University Medical Center, Stanford, CA, USA.

Background: Biliary cancers are rare, and few reported cases of brain metastases from primary biliary cancers exist, especially describing patients in the United States. This report assesses the proportion and incidence of brain metastases arising from primary biliary cancers [cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) and gallbladder cancer] at Stanford University and the University of California, San Francisco, describes clinical characteristics, and provides a case series.

Methods: We queried 3 clinical databases at Stanford and the University of California, San Francisco to retrospectively identify and review the charts of 15 patients with brain metastases from primary biliary cancers occurring between 1990 to 2020. Read More

J Gastrointest Oncol 2022 Apr;13(2):833-846

Guandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Malignant Tumor Epigenetics and Gene Regulation, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.

Background: The aim of the study was to establish and validate a novel prognostic nomogram of cancer-specific survival (CSS) in resected hilar cholangiocarcinoma (HCCA) patients.

Methods: A training cohort of 536 patients and an internal validation cohort of 270 patients were included in this study. The demographic and clinicopathological variables were extracted from the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) database. Read More

FASEB J 2022 May;36 Suppl 1

University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA.

Introduction: Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (iCCA) is a liver tumor of increasing incidence and devastating prognosis. The most critical barrier for developing a globally effective therapy for iCCA is molecular heterogeneity caused by diverse molecular drivers and cellular origins in the liver. Clinically, over 90% of iCCAs show alterations of YAP1 and/or SOX9. Read More

FASEB J 2022 May;36 Suppl 1

Medical Physiology, Texas A&M Health Science Center, Bryan, TX.

Lipocalin-2 (LCN2), also known as neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL), is a secreted glycoprotein that has been shown to regulate cell proliferation, innate immunity, metabolism, and tumor metastasis in several cell types. LCN2 expression is elevated in hepatic tissues in experimental liver injury models and patients with alcoholic hepatitis. LCN2 has been shown to stimulate proliferation and metastasis of cholangiocarcinoma. Read More

Gastroenterology 2022 May 9. Epub 2022 May 9.

Division of Experimental Pathology, Department of Pathology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA USA; Pittsburgh Liver Research Center, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA. Electronic address:

Background And Aim: Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) is a devastating liver cancer with extremely high intra- and inter-tumoral molecular heterogeneity, partly due to its diverse cellular origins. We investigated clinical relevance and the molecular mechanisms underlying hepatocyte (HC)-driven ICC development.

Methods: Expression of ICC driver genes in human diseased livers at risk for ICC development were examined. Read More

Acta Chir Belg 2022 May 13:1-23. Epub 2022 May 13.

Inonu University, Liver Transplantation Institute, Malatya, TURKEY.

Background: Current standard treatment for perihilar cholangiocarcinoma (pCCA) is surgical resection. Bismuth-Corlette (BC) type IV pCCA is accepted as an unresectable disease. In the present study, the results of non-transplant surgical approaches in patients with BC type IV pCCA were examined. Read More

SA J Radiol 2022 29;26(1):2387. Epub 2022 Apr 29.

Department of Pathology, Govind Ballabh Pant Institute of Post Graduate Medical Education and Research, Delhi University, New Delhi, India.

Intraductal papillary neoplasm of the bile duct (IPN-B) is a rare preinvasive intraductal pathology of the biliary tract. It should be differentiated from other more common benign or malignant causes of biliary obstruction and dilatation such as calculi or cholangiocarcinoma because the management and prognosis of this condition differs significantly. This case report describes a case of IPN-B in a 45-year-old female patient who presented with non-specific complaints of chronic abdominal pain without jaundice for three months. Read More

Transl Gastroenterol Hepatol 2022 25;7:22. Epub 2022 Apr 25.

Gastroenterology and Endoscopy Division, Instituto Ecuatoriano de Enfermedades Digestivas (IECED), Guayaquil, Ecuador.

An early and accurate diagnosis of biliary strictures yields optimal patient outcomes; however, endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) with cytobrush/biopsy forceps has low sensitivity with a high number of false negatives. Various attempts to improve the accuracy of diagnosing indeterminate biliary strictures though ERCP-guided specimen acquisition have been proposed, such as with the use of fluorescence in situ hybridization, an endoscopic scraper, and the wire-grasping method, with modest to large improvements in sensitivity. Direct visualization of the biliary tree during peroral cholangioscopy has shown high sensitivity and specificity for the differentiation of neoplastic and non-neoplastic biliary lesions; however, there is no consensus on the visual characteristics of neoplastic lesions and moderate agreement between observers. Read More

Cureus 2022 Apr 8;14(4):e23956. Epub 2022 Apr 8.

Department of Radiology, Medical Imaging Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, IRN.

Background: The CT findings of cirrhosis caused by primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) differ from cryptogenic cirrhosis. PSC could become complicated with biliary cirrhosis and cholangiocarcinoma. This study aimed at augmenting the information on the role of the three-phasic-abdominopelvic CT scan in PSC. Read More

J Hepatobiliary Pancreat Sci 2022 May 11. Epub 2022 May 11.

Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Tazuke Kofukai Medical Research Institute, Kitano Hospital, Osaka, Japan.

Infect Agent Cancer 2022 May 11;17(1):22. Epub 2022 May 11.

Division of Hepatobiliary Surgical Oncology, "Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS Fondazione Pascale - IRCCS di Napoli", 80131, Naples, Italy.

Technol Cancer Res Treat 2022 Jan-Dec;21:15330338221097203

The Hormel Institute, 5635University of Minnesota, Austin, MN, USA.

Hepatobiliary cancers comprise a wide range of malignancies such as hepatocellular carcinoma and cholangiocarcinoma, and they are some of the most challenging to treat human neoplasms. Due to the rarity of the illnesses, the development of treatment measures for malignancies of the gastrointestinal system is far behind. The number of patients eligible for curative treatment is limited due to cancer's aggressive nature and the difficulties of early identification. Read More

Zhonghua Yi Xue Za Zhi 2022 May;102(18):1369-1373

Department of Pathology, General Hospital of Southern Theatre Command, People's Liberation Army of China, Guangzhou 510010, China.

To investigate the clinicopathological features and pathological types and outcome of combined hepatocellular-cholangiocarcinoma (cHCC-CC). 30 cases of cHCC-CC were collected from Jan 2007 to Jun 2021 at General Hospital of Southern Theatre Command, People's Liberation Army of China, and analyzed the clinicopathological features, immunohistochemistry and outcome. The histological morphology was classified according to the Goodman standard and the fifth edition of World Health Organization (WHO) classification of digestive system tumors. Read More

Zhonghua Yi Xue Za Zhi 2022 May;102(18):1364-1368

Department of Gastrointestinal Hepatobiliary Surgery, Shangqiu First Hospital, Shangqiu 476000,China.

To investigate the effect of anatomical hepatectomy and non-anatomic hepatectomy in the treatment of elderly patients with intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (IHCC) and their impact on survival outcomes. In this study, a retrospective method was used to select elderly patients with IHCC who were surgically treated in Shangqiu First People's Hospital from April 2014 to April 2018, and were divided into anatomic resection group and non-anatomical resection group according to the surgical methods they received.The factors affecting the survival outcome of IHCC in the two liver resection methods were analyzed and compared, as well as the effects of liver cirrhosis rate, TNM stage, ascites rate, lymph node metastasis rate, and vascular invasion rate on survival. Read More