Search Our Scientific Publications & Authors

J Gastrointest Cancer 2019 Feb 16. Epub 2019 Feb 16.

Department of Medical Oncology, Faculty of Medicine, Zagazig University Zagazig, Zagazig, Egypt.

Background: Early detection of small HCC and differentiation between HCC from AC metastatic to the liver is very essential for surgical pathologists, due to different treatment modalities. Immunohistochemistry plays a very important role in such conditions. In our study, we aimed to identify the diagnostic benefits of Arginase-1, FTCD& MOC-31 in the early detection of HCC in normal or cirrhotic liver, differentiation between HCC and metastatic ACs to the liver, and for early detection of small micro-metastases from ACs to liver. Read More

World J Gastroenterol 2019 Feb;25(6):659-671

Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Olive View-UCLA Medical Center, Sylmar, CA 91342, United States.

Primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) is a rare cholestatic liver disease characterized by progressive fibroinflammatory destruction of the intra- and/or extrahepatic biliary ducts. While its features and disease course can be variable, most patients with PSC have concurrent inflammatory bowel disease and will eventually develop liver cirrhosis and end-stage liver disease, with liver transplantation representing the only potentially curative option. Importantly, PSC is associated with a significantly increased risk of malignancy compared to the general population, mainly cholangiocarcinoma, gallbladder carcinoma, hepatocellular carcinoma, and colorectal cancer, with nearly 50% of deaths in patients with PSC being due to cancer. Read More

Am J Surg 2019 Mar 16;217(3):541-545. Epub 2018 Oct 16.

Spectrum Health General Surgery Residency Program, Grand Rapids, MI, USA; Michigan State University College of Human Medicine, Department of Surgery, Grand Rapids, MI, USA; Spectrum Health Medical Group, Division of Surgical Oncology, Grand Rapids, MI, USA. Electronic address:

The practice of hepatic surgery has become increasingly complex as additional therapeutic options emerge to treat both primary and metastatic tumors of the liver. Liver-directed therapy options include selective internal radiation therapy (SIRT), stereotactic body radiation therapy, chemoembolization, bland embolization, hepatic artery infusion chemotherapy (HAIC), and ablative techniques such as microwave or radiofrequency ablation. Hepatocellular carcinoma has been treated with many of these therapies for palliation of symptoms, definitive treatment, and as a bridge to transplantation. Read More

Anticancer Drugs 2019 Mar;30(3):233-240

Department of Interventional, the First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, People's Republic of China.

The aim of this study was to explore the relationship of multidrug resistance gene 1 (MDR1) C1236T and C3435T single nucleotides polymorphisms (SNPs) with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) pathological features and prognosis. A total of 143 patients with HCC were treated with transcatheter arterial chemoembolization. Moreover, 251 controls were included in the study. Read More

J Cell Biochem 2019 Feb 18. Epub 2019 Feb 18.

Clinical Lab, The Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Qingdao, Shandong, China.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common type of primary liver tumor and becomes a lethal malignancy on account of high mortality and increasing incidence. A growing body of studies has proved that long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) participate in the development of diverse cancers. Although it has been commonly accepted that SNHG16 is a procancer gene in numerous cancers, the regulatory mechanism of SNHG16 in HCC still needs more explorations. Read More

Int J Hyperthermia 2019 Feb 19:1-9. Epub 2019 Feb 19.

a Center of Interventional Oncology and Liver Diseases , Beijing You'an Hospital, Capital Medical University , Beijing , China.

Purpose: This study aimed to assess the safety and technical feasibility of percutaneous ablation therapy for lymph node (LN) metastases of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Material And Methods: A total of 31 consecutive HCC patients with LN metastases who were treated with ablation were included in this retrospective study. Percutaneous ablation was performed under local anesthesia and computed tomography-guidance. Read More

Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2019 Feb 16;2:CD012244. Epub 2019 Feb 16.

Clinical Research Center, South China Research Center for Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Medical College of Acu-Moxi and Rehabilitation, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, 232 Waihuan Dong Road, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China, 510006.

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma, also called malignant hepatoma, is a primary malignancy of the liver. Despite regular surveillance conducted in high-risk populations, most people with hepatocellular carcinoma are diagnosed at an advanced stage. Consequently, only a minority of people with the disease are suitable for surgical resection when diagnosed. Read More

Cancer Manag Res 2019 22;11:1013-1021. Epub 2019 Jan 22.

Department of General Surgery and Department of Organs Transplantation Institute, Chang G Memorial Hospital at Linkou, Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Taoyuan, Taiwan,

Background: Sorafenib is the first regimen listed in the treatment algorithm for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) worldwide. This study aimed to assess the efficacy of sorafenib treatment for advanced HCC in a clinical practice using a nationwide population study.

Methods: All patients registered with a diagnosis of primary HCC and identified as having been prescribed sorafenib between August 2012 and December 2015 were selected from a national database and retrospectively reviewed. Read More

Drug Des Devel Ther 2019 22;13:435-445. Epub 2019 Jan 22.

Department of Integration of Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Zhejiang Cancer Hospital, Hangzhou 310022, Zhejiang, P.R. China,

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the second leading cause of cancer mortality worldwide, however, the prognosis for HCC remains unsatisfactory. This study aimed to explore the role of miR-339-5p in HCC.

Methods: We first used quantitative real-time PCR to examine the level of miR-339-5p in HCC tissues. Read More

Med Sci Monit 2019 Feb 18;25:1301-1306. Epub 2019 Feb 18.

Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Third Central Hospital of Tianjin (Tianjin Institute of Hepatobiliary Disease, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Artificial Cell, Artificial Cell Engineering Technology Research Center of Public Health Ministry), Tianjin, China (mainland).

BACKGROUND We examined the level of fragile histidine triad (FHIT) and p16 gene methylation in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma and explored the relationship to liver cancer. MATERIAL AND METHODS There were 56 patients with primary liver cancer who were admitted to the hospital from July 2015 to October 2017 included in the liver cancer group, and 24 non-hepatoma patients (hepatitis A/hepatitis B/hepatitis C, liver cirrhosis, liver fibrosis, and fatty liver, alcoholic liver identified as a control group. Fasting venous blood samples were collected from the 2 groups. Read More

Radiother Oncol 2019 Feb 31;131:81-87. Epub 2018 Dec 31.

Department of Radiation Oncology, Yonsei Cancer Center, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea. Electronic address:

Background And Purpose: To evaluate the efficacy of stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) and radiofrequency ablation (RFA) for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Methods And Materials: Patients treated for HCC between 2012 and 2016 were reviewed. Among these, 668 patients who underwent RFA of 736 tumors and 105 patients who underwent SBRT of 114 tumors were included. Read More

Radiother Oncol 2019 Feb 31;131:135-144. Epub 2018 Dec 31.

Department of Radiation Oncology, Yonsei Cancer Center, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea. Electronic address:

Background And Purpose: Stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) is an emerging ablative modality for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). This study aimed to synthesize available evidence to evaluate the clinical feasibility and efficacy of SBRT for HCC.

Materials And Methods: A systematic search was performed of the PubMed, Medline, Embase, and Cochrane Library databases. Read More

Antiviral Res 2019 Feb 13. Epub 2019 Feb 13.

INRS-Institut Armand-Frappier, Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique, Laval, Canada. Electronic address:

More than 290 million people have chronic HBV infection and are at risk of developing cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. HBV subviral particles are produced in large excess over virions in infected patients and are the primary source of HBsAg, which is postulated to be important in allowing HBV to chronically persist by interfering with immune function. Nucleic acid polymers (NAPs) have been shown to result in clearance of HBsAg from the blood in pre-clinical and clinical studies. Read More

Gastroenterology 2019 Feb 13. Epub 2019 Feb 13.

AP-HP, Hôpital Jean Verdier, Service d'Hépatologie, Bondy, Université Paris 13, Bobigny et INSERM U1162, Université Paris 5, Paris.

Background & Aims: Management of patients with cirrhosis includes endoscopic screening and surveillance to detect esophageal varices (EV) and prevent bleeding. However, the Baveno VI guidelines recommend avoiding endoscopies for patients with liver stiffness measurements below 20 kPa and platelet counts above 150,000 (favorable Baveno VI status) and endoscopic assessment of patients with higher levels of liver stiffness and platelet counts (unfavorable Baveno VI status). We aimed to validate the Baveno VI guidelines, evaluating outcomes of patients in the ANRS-CO12 CirVir cohort with compensated cirrhosis associated with hepatitis B virus (HBV) or hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, with or without a sustained response to antiviral therapy. Read More

J Cell Physiol 2019 Feb 14. Epub 2019 Feb 14.

Department of Cell Biology, State Key Laboratory of Cancer Biology, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, China.

Milk fat globule-EGF factor 8 (MFGE8) has been reported to play various roles in acute injury and inflammation response. However, the role of MFGE8 in liver injury is poorly investigated. The present research was designed to clarify the expression and function of MFGE8 in carbon tetrachloride (CCl )-induced liver injury. Read More

J Clin Exp Hepatol 2019 Jan-Feb;9(1):34-42. Epub 2018 Feb 16.

Section of Hepatology, Department of Medicine, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada.

Background/aims: Whether the hepatitis B virus (HBV) infects normal hepatic stem/progenitor cells (NSCs) and if so, whether such infections play a role in the pathogenesis of HBV-induced chronic liver disease (CLD) and/or hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains to be determined. The objectives of this study were to determine whether HBV infects NSCs and whether such infections alter NSC activity in a manner likely to contribute to the development of CLD and/or HCC.

Methods: Liver biopsies from five hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) positive patients were co-stained for HBcAg and HBx and the stem cell markers EpCAM, Oct-4 and Nanog. Read More

Lancet 2019 Feb 11. Epub 2019 Feb 11.

AP-HP, Hôpital Cochin, Unité d'Hépatologie, Paris, France; Université Paris Descartes, INSERM U1223 and USM-20, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France.

Background: Although direct-acting antivirals have been used extensively to treat patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, their clinical effectiveness has not been well reported. We compared the incidence of death, hepatocellular carcinoma, and decompensated cirrhosis between patients treated with direct-acting antivirals and those untreated, in the French ANRS CO22 Hepather cohort.

Methods: We did a prospective study in adult patients with chronic HCV infection enrolled from 32 expert hepatology centres in France. Read More

Oncol Res 2019 Feb 14. Epub 2019 Feb 14.

Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jiaozhou People's Hospital, Jiaozhou, Shandong Province, China, 266300.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has high morbidity and mortality rates, and the number of new cases and deaths from liver cancer are increasing. However, the details of the regulation in HCC remain largely unknown. Plant Homeodomain Finger protein 8 (PHF8) is a JmjC domain-containing protein. Read More

Nat Prod Res 2019 Feb 13:1-5. Epub 2019 Feb 13.

a School of Pharmaceutical Sciences , South-Central University for Nationalities , Wuhan , China.

To discover novel structural compounds which are producted by endophytic fungi, a primary chemical profiling of Camptotheca acuminata Decne derived endophytic fungus Penicillum polonicum had been taken. Two new compounds β-lactone polonicin A (1) and enoic acid polonicin B (2) together with seven known compounds 3-9 were isolated from Penicillum polonicum obtained from C. acuminata. Read More

J Exp Clin Cancer Res 2019 Feb 12;38(1):70. Epub 2019 Feb 12.

Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, the First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, 710061, Shaanxi Province, China.

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most major type of primary hepatic cancer. Serine hydroxymethyltransferase 1 (SHMT1) is recently found to play critical roles in human cancers including lung cancer, ovarian cancer and intestinal cancer. However, the expression, function and the underlying mechanisms of SHMT1 in HCC remain uncovered. Read More

Carcinogenesis 2019 Feb 7. Epub 2019 Feb 7.

Central Animal Division, National Cancer Center Research Institute, Tokyo, Japan.

Cancers arising from the biliary tract are refractory to conventional therapies, requiring the development of novel therapeutics. However, only a limited number of genetically engineered mouse models have been created, partly due to time-consuming work required. Besides, liver-specific gene manipulation mostly resulted in concurrent development of hepatocellular carcinoma, another type of liver cancer, and gall bladder-restricted gene targeting is still not feasible. Read More

Transplantation 2019 Feb 4. Epub 2019 Feb 4.

Background: Tumor recurrence is a major complication following liver transplantation (LT) as treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Immunosuppression is an important risk factor for HCC recurrence, but conceivably may depend on the type of immunosuppressive medication. Mycophenolic acid (MPA) is a currently widely used immunosuppressant. Read More

EBioMedicine 2019 Feb 7. Epub 2019 Feb 7.

State Key Laboratory of Oncogenes and Related Genes, Shanghai Cancer Institute, Renji Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200032, China. Electronic address:

Background: Hyper-activation of TGF-β signaling is critically involved in progression of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, the events that contribute to the dysregulation of TGF-β pathway in HCC, especially at the post-translational level, are not well understood.

Methods: Associations of deubiquitinase POH1 with TGF-β signaling activity and the outcomes of HCC patients were examined by data mining of online HCC datasets, immunohistochemistry analyses using human HCC specimens, spearman correlation and survival analyses. Read More

Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2019 Mar 7;510(4):558-564. Epub 2019 Feb 7.

Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, Singapore. Electronic address:

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the most common type of primary liver cancer, is mainly due to genetic changes in hepatocytes. However, molecular expression in hepatocytes during hepatocarcinogenesis has not been characterized. In this study, using an inducible kras transgenic zebrafish models for HCC, transcriptomic profiles of oncogenic hepatocytes from larvae, male and female adult fish following a brief induction of oncogenic kras were investigated. Read More

Med Sci Monit 2019 Feb 10;25:1105-1112. Epub 2019 Feb 10.

Department of Bone and Soft Tissue Tumors, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Therapy, Tianjin's Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Moscow, Russian Federation.

BACKGROUND The objective of the present research was to explore the prevalence, risk, and prognostic factors associated with bone metastases (BM) in newly diagnosed hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients. MATERIAL AND METHODS From 36 507 HCC patients who were registered in Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database, we enrolled 1263 with BM at the initial diagnosis of HCC from 2010 to 2014. Kaplan-Meier curves and log-rank tests were used to estimate overall survival for different subgroups. Read More

J Hepatol 2019 Feb 6. Epub 2019 Feb 6.

Center for Interventional Oncology, Radiology and Imaging Sciences, NIH Clinical Center & Center for Cancer Research, National Institutes of Health, United States; NCI CCR Liver Cancer Program, United States.

Locoregional therapies are commonly used to treat patients with hepatocellular carcinoma. It has been noted for many years that locoregional therapies may have additional systemic effects other than simple tumor elimination. Immunological "side effects" have been described in response to locoregional therapies in animal studies and also in patients. Read More

Dig Liver Dis 2019 Jan 2. Epub 2019 Jan 2.

Section of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, Department of Medicine, University and Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Integrata of Verona, Verona, Italy.

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), the most common liver disease worldwide, may be associated with primary hypothyroidism. However, the pathogenesis underlying such an association is complex and not completely understood. Here, we specifically discuss the pathogenic mechanisms potentially involved in hypothyroidism-induced NAFLD. Read More

Eur J Cancer 2019 Feb 4;109:154-161. Epub 2019 Feb 4.

Tumor Immunotherapy Program, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, Toronto, ON, Canada.

Introduction: Durvalumab selectively blocks programmed cell death ligand-1 (PD-L1) binding to programmed cell death-1. Encouraging clinical activity and manageable safety were reported in urothelial carcinoma, non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), hepatocellular carcinoma (HC) and small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) in a multicenter phase I/II study. Safety and clinical activity in recurrent/metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) were evaluated in the expansion phase. Read More

Can J Gastroenterol Hepatol 2019 8;2019:5796074. Epub 2019 Jan 8.

Department of Medicine B for Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University Hospital Muenster, 48149 Muenster, Germany.

Background: Liver transplantation (LT) is a curative treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and the underlying primary liver disease; however, tumor recurrence is still a major issue. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess predictors and risk factors for HCC recurrence after LT in patients within and outside the Milan criteria with a special focus on the impact of different bridging strategies.

Methods: All patients who underwent LT for HCC between 07/2002 and 09/2016 at the University Hospital of Muenster were consecutively included in this retrospective study. Read More

Cancer Biol Ther 2019 Feb 6:1-14. Epub 2019 Feb 6.

a Department of Public Health School , Guangxi Medical University , Nanning , China.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a primary malignancy of the liver and occurs predominantly in patients with underlying chronic liver disease and cirrhosis. HCC is now the third leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide, with over 500,000 people affected. However, there is no complete effective (ideal) treatment for liver cancer yet, and the new methods are expected to be discovered. Read More

J Gastrointest Cancer 2019 Feb 6. Epub 2019 Feb 6.

Iranian Center of Excellence in Health Management, School of Management and Medical Informatics, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.

Purpose: Hepatocellular carcinoma or liver cancer (LC) is one of most important cancer around the world. There are several reports about LC incidence from various Iranian locations with conflicting results. The present study aimed to accomplish a systematic review to estimate the accurate incidence rate of LC among Iranian people. Read More

Sci Rep 2019 Feb 5;9(1):1415. Epub 2019 Feb 5.

Department of Infectious Disease, Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, 155 HanZhong Road, Nanjing, 210029, Jiangsu, China.

Hepatitis and hepatocellular carcinoma are serious human diseases. Here, we examined the in vivo and in vitro inhibitory effect of extracts of Qizhu decoction (a traditional Chinese medicine) on hepatitis caused by diethylnitrosamine or hepatitis B virus and on diethylnitrosamine-induced hepatocellular carcinoma. The results showed that both the aqueous and ethanol extracts (QC and QS, respectively) of Qizhu decoction significantly inhibited hepatic inflammation and liver cancer induced by diethylnitrosamine or hepatitis B virus by suppressing NF-κB signaling and decreasing the levels of TNF-α and IL-1β. Read More

Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci 2019 01;23(2):811-817

Faculty of Medicine, Pharmacy and Prevention, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy.

Objective: The relationship between in-hospital mortality (IHM) and acute oesophageal variceal bleeding (AOEVB) has not been fully assessed. The aim of this study was to establish the association between sex and mortality for patients hospitalized with AOEVB.

Patients And Methods: We analyzed hospitalizations from the Italian Health Ministry database by identifying all patients discharged with AOEVB from January 2001 to December 2015. Read More

Oncol Rep 2019 Feb 1. Epub 2019 Feb 1.

Department of General, Visceral and Transplantation Surgery, University Medicine of The Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, D‑55131 Mainz, Germany.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common human malignancies, the incidence of which is growing worldwide. The prognosis of HCC is very poor and it is often accompanied by a high rate of recurrence. Conventional chemotherapeutic approaches are largely inefficient. Read More

Mol Med Rep 2019 Feb 4. Epub 2019 Feb 4.

Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510515, P.R. China.

The aim of the present study was to identify the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between primary tumor tissue and adjacent non‑tumor tissue of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) samples in order to investigate the mechanisms of HCC. The microarray data of the datasets GSE76427, GSE84005 and GSE57957 were downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus database. DEGs were identified using the limma package in the R programming language. Read More

Biomed Res Int 2019 2;2019:9367082. Epub 2019 Jan 2.

Key Laboratory of Imaging Diagnosis and Minimally Invasive Intervention Research, the Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University/Affiliated Lishui Hospital of Zhejiang University/The Central Hospital of Zhejiang Lishui, Lishui 323000, China.

The systemic investigation of the metabolic pathways associated with the hepatic tumorigenesis is important to discover novel biomarkers and identify the potential pathogenesis. Here, the H nuclear magnetic resonance- (H NMR-) based metabolomic analysis was used to monitor the whole process of rat diethylnitrosamine-induced HCC. Intraperitoneal administration of diethylnitrosamine (DEN) was used to induce primary HCCs in male Sprague-Dawley rats. Read More

Front Oncol 2019 21;9:19. Epub 2019 Jan 21.

Immunicum AB, Stockholm, Sweden.

Several lines of evidence support immunotherapy in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We have shown that intratumoral injections of the immune primer ilixadencel (pro-inflammatory allogeneic dendritic cells) are safe in renal-cell carcinoma. Here, we assessed ilixadencel as a single agent and combined with sorafenib in advanced HCC. Read More

Hepatobiliary Pancreat Dis Int 2019 Jan 21. Epub 2019 Jan 21.

Department of General-, Visceral- and Transplantation Surgery, University Hospital of RWTH Aachen, Aachen, Germany; Department of Surgery, Charité - University Medicine at Berlin, Germany. Electronic address:

Background: Liver transplantation remains the main curative treatment option for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients. In the Eurotransplant area Milan criteria are used to assign priority extra points (exceptional MELD, exMELD) for patients on the waiting list. To prevent patients from tumor progression, loco-regional (neoadjuvant) treatment (LRT) is used. Read More

Int J Mol Sci 2019 Feb 2;20(3). Epub 2019 Feb 2.

Division of Virology, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka 565-0871, Japan.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a prime public health concern that accounts for most of the primary liver malignancies in humans. The most common etiological factor of HCC is hepatitis B virus (HBV). Despite recent advances in treatment strategies, there has been little success in improving the survival of HCC patients. Read More

J Clin Med 2019 Feb 1;8(2). Epub 2019 Feb 1.

Department of Medicine, University of Padua, 35128 Padua, Italy.

The only first-line treatment approved for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is sorafenib. Since many patients experience drug resistance, the discovery of more effective therapeutic strategies represents an unmet clinical need. MicroRNA (MiR)-122 is downregulated in most HCCs, while oncogenic SerpinB3 is upregulated. Read More

Int J Mol Sci 2019 Feb 1;20(3). Epub 2019 Feb 1.

Department of Imaging and Pathology, Translational Cell and Tissue Research, KU Leuven and University Hospitals Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium.

Primary liver cancer comprises a diverse group of liver tumors. The heterogeneity of these tumors is seen as one of the obstacles to finding an effective therapy. The Hippo pathway, with its downstream transcriptional co-activator Yes-associated protein (YAP) and transcriptional co-activator with PDZ-binding motif (TAZ), has a decisive role in the carcinogenesis of primary liver cancer. Read More

Liver Transpl 2019 Feb 4. Epub 2019 Feb 4.

Center for Liver Diseases, The University of Chicago Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA.

Background: Highly effective direct acting antiviral (DAA) therapy has transformed outcomes of liver transplantation in HCV patients. We examined longer-term outcomes in HCV-positive recipients in the DAA era.

Methods: We analyzed the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients (SRTR) for primary adult, single organ, non-fulminant liver transplant recipients in the US from January 1, 2008, to June 30, 2018. Read More

Dig Liver Dis 2019 Feb 20;51(2):263-274. Epub 2018 Jun 20.

Institute of Clinical Pharmacology, Anhui Medical University, Key Laboratory of Anti-inflammatory and Immune Medicine, Ministry of Education, Anhui Collaborative Innovation Center of Anti-inflammatory and Immune Medicine, Hefei, Anhui, PR China. Electronic address:

Purpose: To investigate the effects of angiotensin II (Ang II) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) on the biological characteristics of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells and the associated changes in G protein-coupled receptor kinase 2 (GRK2) expression.

Methods: The mean serum levels of Ang II and TNF-α in normal subjects and patients with benign liver tumors (BLTs) and HCC were evaluated by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and liver samples from the patients with HCC and HCC mice were used to assess the protein levels of both cytokines, their major receptors and GRK2. In addition, the dynamics of Bel-7402 cells were determined with cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) and Transwell experiments, while the levels of the primary cytokine receptors Ang II type-1 receptor (AT1R) and type-2 receptor (AT2R) as well as TNF receptor 1 (TNFR1) were detected by flow cytometry (FCM). Read More

Abdom Radiol (NY) 2019 Feb 2. Epub 2019 Feb 2.

Department of Radiology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, 1 Gustave L. Levy Place, New York, NY, 10029, USA.

Objective: To evaluate the ability of volumetric quantitative apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) histogram parameters and LI-RADS categorization to distinguish hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) from other primary liver cancers [intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) and combined HCC-ICC].

Methods: Sixty-three consecutive patients (44 M/19F; mean age 62 years) with primary liver cancers and pre-treatment MRI including diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) were included in this IRB-approved single-center retrospective study. Tumor type was categorized pathologically. Read More

Anticancer Res 2019 Feb;39(2):965-970

Department of Gastroenterological Surgery, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto, Japan

Background: Repeated hepatectomy is one of the most curative treatments for recurrent hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, it is not clear whether the remnant liver has the same regenerative ability in repeated hepatectomy. This study assessed the regenerative ability of remnant liver after primary and secondary hepatectomy. Read More

Gastroenterology 2019 Jan 31. Epub 2019 Jan 31.

Emerging Infectious Diseases, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore; Singapore Immunology Network, Agency for Science and Technology (A*STAR), Singapore. Electronic address:

Background & Aims: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is often associated with hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. Cells of most HBV-related HCCs contain HBV DNA fragments that do not encode entire HBV antigens. We investigated whether these integrated HBV DNA fragments encode epitopes that are recognized by T cells and whether their presence in HCCs can be used to select HBV-specific T-cell receptors (TCRs) for immunotherapy. Read More

Br J Pharmacol 2019 Feb 2. Epub 2019 Feb 2.

College of Pharmacy, Dalian Medical University, Western 9 Lvshunnan Road, Dalian, 116044, China.

Background And Purpose: Dioscin shows potent effects against cancers. It is necessary to deeply investigate the pharmacological activities and mechanisms of disocin on hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Experimental Approach: The models on SMMC7721 and HepG2 cells, DEN-induced primary liver cancer in rats, and cell xenografts in nude mice were used. Read More

Photodiagnosis Photodyn Ther 2019 Jan 29. Epub 2019 Jan 29.

Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Affiliated Hospital, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou 646000, China. Electronic address:

Background/purpose: Intraoperative fluorescence imaging with indocyanine green (ICG) plays a significant role in the identification of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) during Hepatectomy. Despite that, few researchers have reported using ICG fluorescence imaging to detect extrahepatic metastases. Herein, we report the successful application of ICG fluorescence imaging in the detection of extrahepatic metastatic lesions from primary liver cancer. Read More

Pathologe 2019 Feb;40(1):101-118

Pathologisches Institut Koblenz, Franz-Weis-Str. 13, Koblenz, Deutschland.

High resolution cross-sectional imaging techniques means that even small, well-differentiated hepatocellular tumors can also be diagnosed with biopsy. In cirrhotic liver tissue, macroregenerative and dysplastic nodules must be discriminated from hepatocellular cancer (HCC). In non-cirrhotic liver tissue the differential diagnosis includes hepatocellular adenoma, macroregeneratory nodules, fibrolamellar carcinoma, as well as primary tumors and metastases. Read More

World J Gastrointest Surg 2019 Jan;11(1):11-18

Division of Gastrointestinal Surgery and Liver Transplantation, Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, Medical School of UFRGS, Porto Alegre 90035-007, Brazil.

Liver transplant (LT) is the primary treatment for patients with end-stage liver disease. About 25000 LTs are performed annually in the world. The potential for intraoperative bleeding is quite variable. Read More