Metronomic capecitabine as second-line treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma after sorafenib discontinuation

PURPOSE

Metronomic capecitabine (MC) is a well-tolerated systemic treatment showing promising results in one retrospective study, as second-line therapy after sorafenib failure, in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

METHODS

117 patients undergoing MC were compared to 112 patients, eligible for this treatment, but undergoing best supportive care (BSC) after sorafenib discontinuation for toxicity or HCC progression. The two groups were compared for demographic and clinical features. A multivariate regression analysis was conducted to detect independent prognostic factors. To balance confounding factors between the two groups, a propensity score model based on independent prognosticators (performance status, neoplastic thrombosis, causes of sorafenib discontinuation and pre-sorafenib treatment) was performed.

RESULTS

Patients undergoing MC showed better performance status, lower tumor burden, lower prevalence of portal vein thrombosis, and better cancer stage. Median (95% CI) post-sorafenib survival (PSS) was longer in MC than in BSC patients [9.5 (7.5-11.6) vs 5.0 (4.2-5.7) months (p < 0.001)]. Neoplastic thrombosis, cause of sorafenib discontinuation, pre-sorafenib treatment and MC were independent prognosticators. The benefit of capecitabine was confirmed in patients after matching with propensity score [PSS: 9.9 (6.8-12.9) vs. 5.8 (4.8-6.8) months, (p = 0.001)]. MC lowered the mortality risk by about 40%. MC achieved better results in patients who stopped sorafenib for adverse events than in those who progressed during it [PSS: 17.3 (10.5-24.1) vs. 7.8 (5.2-10.1) months, (p = 0.035)]. Treatment toxicity was low and easily manageable with dose modulation.

CONCLUSIONS

MC may be an efficient and safe second-line systemic therapy for HCC patients who discontinued sorafenib for toxicity or tumor progression.

From large to small: the immunohistochemical panel in the diagnosis of early hepatocellular carcinoma

AIMS

The aims of this study were to: validate the use of the immunohistochemical (IHC) markers glutamine synthetase (GS), glypican-3 (GPC3), heat shock protein-70 (HSP70) and enhancer of zeste homologue 2 (EZH2) in liver biopsies for the differential diagnosis between small hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and non-neoplastic liver nodules, with special attention to <10-mm nodules; and assess the actual sensitivity and specificity of the single markers, and their combination, in needle biopsies.

METHODS AND RESULTS

One hundred liver nodules, i.e. 66 HCCs and 34 non-neoplastic nodules, were prospectively collected from 43 consecutive orthotopic liver transplantation patients, and subjected to 'backtable' needle biopsies directly on surgical specimens. IHC evaluation was semi-automatically performed with a Benchmark Ultra immunostainer. The morphological and IHC diagnosis in surgical specimens was considered to be the gold standard. GS, GPC3, HSP70 and EZH2 showed 16.6%, 10.7%, 28.8% and 62.1% decreases in sensitivity, respectively, from surgical specimen to needle biopsy. Higher decreases were observed in <10-mm nodules. In 18 HCCs with no morphological diagnostic features of malignancy in biopsies, GPC3 or GS were positive in 16; in seven HCCs, neither morphology nor IHC evaluation ruled out the differential diagnosis made on the basis of needle biopsy.

CONCLUSIONS

We present for the first time a direct comparison between surgical specimens and needle biopsies to confirm the usefulness and reproducibility of the most widely used antibodies for the diagnosis of small liver nodules. Our results support the use of IHC evaluation in biopsies for the diagnosis of small liver lesions, although the IHC panel could also give negative results in the presence of obvious HCC, and the possibility of false positives should always be considered.

Regorafenib for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a worldwide problem, with a high prevalence in nonindustrialized countries and a rising incidence in industrialized countries as well. Its close association with chronic liver diseases and liver cirrhosis represents a significant challenge in its treatment. A front-line systemic treatment for unresectable cases of HCC (sorafenib) was identified only in 2007. Following a decade of failed clinical trials with a wide range of drugs for second-line treatment, regorafenib proved its efficacy as a second-line treatment in 2016, when the randomized, placebo-controlled, phase III RESORCE trial demonstrated a meaningful increase in overall survival in the regorafenib treatment arm compared with the placebo arm (10.6 vs. 7.8 months). In this monograph we review the main preclinical and clinical findings in the trials assessing regorafenib for the treatment of HCC patients.

Systemic treatments for hepatocellular carcinoma: challenges and future perspectives

Sorafenib has been the only approved systemic treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) for almost a decade. Recently, two new drugs showed positive results in two Phase III studies. The RESORCE trial identified regorafenib as a valid second-line treatment for patients progressing to sorafenib, the REFLECT trial showed that lenvatinib is noninferior to sorafenib as front-line treatment. Following these trials, the therapeutic scenario will be dominated by anti-VEGFR drugs, with three different molecules showing a proven anticancer activity. Some open problems still remain and different immunotherapy trials are underway, following promising preliminary results. In this review we analyze: the most recent advancements about patients treated with sorafenib; the results of RESORCE and REFLECT trials; and the ongoing Phase III clinical trials. Finally, we discuss how they could address the current problems and possibly reshape the future of the systemic treatments for HCC.

Metformin and insulin impact on clinical outcome in patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma receiving sorafenib: Validation study and biological rationale

PURPOSE

In 2015, we published a study on a small series of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) treated chronically with metformin for type II diabetes mellitus (DM2) who showed a poorer response to sorafenib. The aim of the present study was to validate the prognostic significance of metformin in HCC patients treated with sorafenib, providing a biological rationale for the mechanism of resistance to sorafenib in patients on chronic metformin therapy, and to clarify the role of sirtuin-3 (SIRT-3), a protein involved in metabolic diseases and acknowledged as a tumour suppressor in HCC, in this resistance.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

We analysed 279 patients consecutively treated with sorafenib for the clinical analysis. Of the 86 (30%) patients with DM2, 52 (19%) were on chronic treatment with metformin and 34 (12%) with insulin. We included 43 patients with HCC for the biological study: 19 (44.1%) were diabetic and 14 (73.7%) of these received metformin for DM2. SIRT-3 expression was investigated by immunohistochemistry (IHC) in formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded (FFPE) samples.

RESULTS

In HCC patients undergoing chronic treatment with metformin, the use of sorafenib was associated with poor progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) (1.9 and 6.6 months, respectively) compared to 3.7 months and 10.8 months, respectively, for patients without DM2 and 8.4 months and 16.6 months, respectively, for patients on insulin (P < .0001). We also observed that SIRT-3 protein expression was significantly higher in patients treated with metformin than in those not taking this medication (65% versus 25%, respectively) (P = .013).

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings could be attributed to increased tumour aggressiveness and resistance to sorafenib caused by chronic treatment with metformin.

Radiologic criteria of response to systemic treatments for hepatocellular carcinoma

Sorafenib has been the only approved systemic therapy for hepatocellular carcinoma until very recently. However, the radiologic assessment of its biological activity is a disputed matter as at least five different criteria have been proposed. In this review, we describe the characteristic of the Response Evaluation Criteria In Solid Tumors (RECIST), European Association for the Study of The Liver (EASL), modified RECIST (mRECIST), Response Evaluation Criteria In the Cancer of the Liver (RECICL) and Choi criteria. The existing comparative studies are reported together with recent pieces of evidence, analyzing the reasons behind the split between recommendations of the scientific societies and regulatory agencies. Future perspectives in the wake of the impending results of the immunotherapy trials are also discussed.

Postsorafenib systemic treatments for hepatocellular carcinoma: questions and opportunities after the regorafenib trial

The search for systemic therapies for hepatocellular carcinoma has been characterized by difficulties and failures. Despite recent progresses, many issues are still to be settled. In particular, the development of drugs inhibiting different neoplastic pathways remains a priority for patients intolerant or resistant to antiangiogenic drugs. This task may be daunting, as previous failures extensively demonstrated. We aimed to identify the future perspective of postsorafenib trials analyzing the strengths and the critical points of past and currently undergoing studies, in the light of the most recent evidences in the field. We identified various points (including stratification, biomarkers, end points, radiologic criteria of response, treatment beyond radiologic progression) that should be considered by future trials to reduce the risks of failure.

The treatment of intermediate stage tumours beyond TACE: From surgery to systemic therapy

Treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is dependent on the stage of the disease. Intermediate stage HCC encompasses the largest subgroup of patients with the disease, and is characterized by substantial heterogeneity. The standard therapeutic approach, transarterial chemoembolization (TACE), is probably over-used and may not be appropriate for all patients with intermediate stage HCC. In patients with extensive tumour bulk, multi-nodular spread or impaired liver function, TACE may not be optimal and other treatments can be considered as a first-line treatment. These include surgery, percutaneous ablation, radioembolization or systemic treatment. In addition, patients who do not achieve complete or partial necrosis (TACE failure) and patients with early recurrence after TACE, should be managed individually, considering systemic treatments usually reserved for advanced disease. In selected cases and in patients who achieve downstaging, radical approaches such as hepatic resection or even liver transplantation can be considered. In this review, we evaluate the current literature for the treatment strategies for patients with intermediate Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) B stage HCC.

Severe reduction of blood lysosomal acid lipase activity in cryptogenic cirrhosis: A nationwide multicentre cohort study

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Blood lysosomal acid lipase (LAL) is reduced in non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, which is the major cause of cryptogenic cirrhosis (CC); few data on LAL activity in CC do exist. We investigated LAL activity in a cohort of patients with liver cirrhosis.

METHODS

This is a multicentre cohort study including 274 patients with liver cirrhosis of different aetiology from 19 centres of Internal Medicine, Gastroenterology and Hepatology distributed throughout Italy. Blood LAL activity (nmol/spot/h) was measured with dried blood spot extracts using Lalistat 2.

RESULTS

Overall, 133 patients had CC, and 141 patients had cirrhosis by other causes (61 viral, 53 alcoholic, 20 alcoholic + viral, 7 autoimmune). Mean age was 64.2 ± 13.4 years, and 28.5% were women. Patients with CC were older compared to other aetiology-cirrhosis, with a lower Child-Turcotte-Pugh (CTP, p=0.003) and MELD (p=0.009) score, and a higher prevalence of cardio-metabolic risk factors and previous ischemic events. In the whole cohort, median LAL activity value was 0.58 nmol/spot/h, 0.49 and 0.65 in the groups of CC and known-aetiology cirrhosis, respectively (p=0.002). The difference remained significant after adjustment for white blood cells count (p=0.001). Multivariable linear regression analysis showed that CC (vs. known aetiology, Beta = -0.144, p=0.018), platelet count (Beta = 0.398, p < 0.001) and CTP score (Beta = -0.133, p=0.022) were associated with log-LAL activity. Similar results were found using MELD as covariate.

CONCLUSIONS

We found a marked reduction of LAL activity in patients with cryptogenic cirrhosis compared to the other known aetiologies. A prospective study will clarify the role of LAL in chronic liver diseases.

A Relative Deficiency of Lysosomal Acid Lypase Activity Characterizes Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

Lysosomal acid lipase (LAL) is a key enzyme in lipid metabolism. Initial reports have suggested a role for a relative acquired LAL deficiency in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD)-however, it is still unclear whether this mechanism is specific for NAFLD. We aimed to determine LAL activity in a cohort of NAFLD subjects and in a control group of hepatitis C virus (HCV)-infected patients, investigating the role of liver cirrhosis. A total of 81 patients with a diagnosis of NAFLD, and 78 matched controls with HCV-related liver disease were enrolled. For each patient, LAL activity was determined on peripheral dried blood spots (DBS) and correlated with clinical and laboratory data. A subgroup analysis among cirrhotic patients was also performed. LAL activity is significantly reduced in NAFLD, compared to that in HCV patients. This finding is particularly evident in the pre-cirrhotic stage of disease. LAL activity is also correlated with platelet and white blood cell count, suggesting an analytic interference of portal-hypertension-induced pancytopenia on DBS-determined LAL activity. NAFLD is characterized by a specific deficit in LAL activity, suggesting a pathogenetic role of LAL. We propose that future studies on this topic should rely on tissue specific analyses, as peripheral blood tests are also influenced by confounding factors.

Microbiota, NASH, HCC and the potential role of probiotics

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) accounts for the majority of primary liver cancers. Clearly identifiable risk factors are lacking in up to 30% of HCC patients and most of these cases are attributed to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). Beyond the known risk factors for NAFLD, the intestinal microbiota, in particular dysbiosis (defined as any change in the composition of the microbiota commonly found in healthy conditions) is emerging as a new factor promoting the development of chronic liver diseases and HCC. Intestinal microbes produce a large array of bioactive molecules from mainly dietary compounds, establishing an intense microbiota-host transgenomic metabolism with a major impact on physiological and pathological conditions. A better knowledge of these 'new' pathways could help unravel the pathogenesis of HCC in NAFLD to devise new prevention strategies. Currently unsettled issues include the relative role of a 'negative microbiota' (in addition to the other known risk factors for NASH) and the putative prevention of NAFLD through modulation of the gut microbiota.

Hepatocellular carcinoma recurrence in patients with curative resection or ablation: impact of HCV eradication does not depend on the use of interferon

BACKGROUND

In HCV-infected cirrhotic patients with successfully treated early hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the time to HCC recurrence and the effects of sustained viral eradication (SVR) by interferon (IFN)-based or IFN-free regimens on HCC recurrence remain unclear.

AIM

To perform an indirect comparison of time to recurrence (TTR) in patients with successfully treated early HCC and active HCV infection with those of patients with SVR by IFN-based and by IFN-free regimens.

METHODS

We evaluated 443 patients with HCV-related cirrhosis and Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer Stage A/0 HCC who had a complete radiological response after curative resection or ablation. Active HCV infection was present in 328, selected from the Italian Liver Cancer group cohort; 58 patients had SVR achieved by IFN-free regimens after HCC cure, and 57 patients had SVR achieved by IFN-based regimens after HCC cure. Individual data of patients in the last two groups were extracted from available publications.

RESULTS

TTR by Kaplan-Meier curve was significantly lower in patients with active HCV infection compared with those with SVR both by IFN-free (P = 0.02) and by IFN-based (P < 0.001) treatments. TTR was similar in patients with SVR by IFN-free or by IFN-based (P = 0.49) strategies.

CONCLUSION

In HCV-infected, successfully treated patients with early HCC, SVR obtained by IFN-based or IFN-free regimens significantly reduce tumour recurrence without differences related to the anti-viral strategy used.

Comparative analysis of current guidelines for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma

Hepatocellular carcinoma is one of the most common malignancies and represents a unique challenge for physicians and patients. Treatment patterns are not uniform between areas despite efforts to promote a common protocol. Even if most hepatologists worldwide adopt the Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer staging system, Asian and North American physicians are also independently making an effort to expand the indications of each treatment, combining therapies for better outcomes. Also, new therapeutic techniques have emerged and an increasing number of studies are trying to include these paradigm shifts into newer treatment guidelines. Controversial and diverging points in the current international guidelines are emphasized and discussed. Unanswered questions are also analyzed to identify the most needed and promising future perspectives.

Clinical patterns of hepatocellular carcinoma in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease: A multicenter prospective study

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) represents the hepatic manifestation of metabolic syndrome and may evolve into hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Only scanty clinical information is available on HCC in NAFLD. The aim of this multicenter observational prospective study was to assess the clinical features of patients with NAFLD-related HCC (NAFLD-HCC) and to compare them to those of hepatitis C virus (HCV)-related HCC. A total of 756 patients with either NAFLD (145) or HCV-related chronic liver disease (611) were enrolled in secondary care Italian centers. Survival was modeled according to clinical parameters, lead-time bias, and propensity analysis. Compared to HCV, HCC in NAFLD patients had a larger volume, showed more often an infiltrative pattern, and was detected outside specific surveillance. Cirrhosis was present in only about 50% of NAFLD-HCC patients, in contrast to the near totality of HCV-HCC. Regardless of tumor stage, survival was significantly shorter (P = 0.017) in patients with NAFLD-HCC, 25.5 months (95% confidence interval 21.9-29.1), than in those with HCV-HCC, 33.7 months (95% confidence interval 31.9-35.4). To eliminate possible confounders, a propensity score analysis was performed, which showed no more significant difference between the two groups. Additionally, analysis of patients within Milan criteria submitted to curative treatments did not show any difference in survival between NAFLD-HCC and HCV-HCC (respectively, 38.6 versus 41.0 months, P = nonsignificant)

CONCLUSIONS

NAFLD-HCC is more often detected at a later tumor stage and could arise also in the absence of cirrhosis, but after patient matching, it has a similar survival rate compared to HCV infection; a future challenge will be to identify patients with NAFLD who require more stringent surveillance in order to offer the most timely and effective treatment.

Clinical and diagnostic aspects of gluten related disorders

Gluten is one of the most abundant and widely distributed components of food in many areas. It can be included in wheat, barley, rye, and grains such as oats, barley, spelt, kamut, and triticale. Gluten-containing grains are widely consumed; in particular, wheat is one of the world’s primary sources of food, providing up to 50% of the caloric intake in both industrialized and developing countries. Until two decades ago, celiac disease (CD) and other gluten-related disorders were believed to be exceedingly rare outside of Europe and were relatively ignored by health professionals and the global media. In recent years, however, the discovery of important diagnostic and pathogenic milestones led CD from obscurity to global prominence. In addition, interestingly, people feeding themselves with gluten-free products greatly outnumber patients affected by CD, fuelling a global consumption of gluten-free foods with approximately $2.5 billion in United States sales each year. The acknowledgment of other medical conditions related to gluten that has arisen as health problems, providing a wide spectrum of gluten-related disorders. In February 2011, a new nomenclature for gluten-related disorders was created at a consensus conference in London. In this review, we analyse innovations in the field of research that emerged after the creation of the new classification, with particular attention to the new European Society for Paediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition guidelines for CD and the most recent research about non-celiac gluten sensitivity.

A case of inflammatory ascites

CASE BACKGROUND: Ascites appears mainly as a consequence of portal hypertension in patients with liver cirrhosis, or can be caused by several other causes, such us congestive heart failure, peritoneal malignancy, or tuberculosis. In some cases, ascites can pose a diagnostic challenge for clinicians and in some patients, despite thorough and extensive work-up, the origin of this ascites remains unknown.

CASE REPORT

In the unusual case hereby reported, a 52-year-old man developed severe ascites in a few weeks, in the absence of known liver disease or congestive hearth failure. We performed laboratory analysis, endoscopic, and imaging investigations, including abdominal contrast-enhanced computed tomography and 18-fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography. Peritoneal fluid analysis showed exudative fluid without neoplastic cells. A diagnostic laparoscopy with multiple diagnostic biopsies was carried out, but no macroscopic cause of the ascites was found; histopathological examination showed minimal aspects of diffuse and non-specific chronic inflammation.

CONCLUSIONS

We decided to empirically treat the patient with steroid therapy (methylprednisolone: 0·5 mg/kg/day). Over a period of 6 weeks, his ascites resolved and at 2 months, he was in remission on low-dose methylprednisolone. Our final hypothesis was reactive inflammatory ascites. The literature on ascites and its management has also been reviewed.

Nailfold capillaroscopy in primary biliary cirrhosis: a useful tool for the early diagnosis of scleroderma

BACKGROUND & AIM

Primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) is frequently associated with other autoimmune diseases, including systemic sclerosis (SSc). In the last years many efforts have been dedicated to the research of widely accepted criteria for the early diagnosis of SSc. Since studies on the prevalence of early SSc in PBC patients are lacking, our aim was to investigate its hitherto unknown prevalence in a large cohort of PBC patients.

METHODS

We studied 80 PBC patients and 72 patients with other chronic liver diseases. Diagnostic workup included research into signs of connective tissue disease, determination of autoantibody profile, and examination of capillary abnormalities through nailfold videocapillaroscopy.

RESULTS

Ten PBC patients (12.5%) satisfied diagnostic criteria for early SSc and 5 (6.3%) had definite SSc. None of the patients in the control group were diagnosed either with early or definite SSc. No differences were observed in terms of aminotransferases, alkaline phosphatase, and liver function tests between PBC patients with and without associated SSc.

CONCLUSIONS

Early SSc is significantly frequent in PBC patients. The detection of early SSc in PBC patients may lead to a prompt treatment of its complications, preventing inabilities and preserving the chance of liver transplantation.

Effect of gluten free diet on immune response to gliadin in patients with non-celiac gluten sensitivity

BACKGROUND

Non-celiac gluten sensitivity is a syndrome characterized by gastrointestinal and extra-intestinal symptoms occurring in a few hours/days after gluten and/or other wheat protein ingestion and rapidly improving after exclusion of potential dietary triggers. There are no established laboratory markers for non-celiac gluten sensitivity, although a high prevalence of first generation anti-gliadin antibodies of IgG class has been reported in this condition. This study was designed to characterize the effect of the gluten-free diet on anti-gliadin antibodies of IgG class in patients with non-celiac gluten sensitivity.

METHODS

Anti-gliadin antibodies of both IgG and IgA classes were assayed by ELISA in 44 non-celiac gluten sensitivity and 40 celiac disease patients after 6 months of gluten-free diet.

RESULTS

The majority of non-celiac gluten sensitivity patients (93.2%) showed the disappearance of anti-gliadin antibodies of IgG class after 6 months of gluten-free diet; in contrast, 16/40 (40%) of celiac patients displayed the persistence of these antibodies after gluten withdrawal. In non-celiac gluten sensitivity patients anti-gliadin antibodies IgG persistence after gluten withdrawal was significantly correlated with the low compliance to gluten-free diet and a mild clinical response.

CONCLUSIONS

Anti-gliadin antibodies of the IgG class disappear in patients with non-celiac gluten sensitivity reflecting a strict compliance to the gluten-free diet and a good clinical response to gluten withdrawal.

Fulminant type 1 autoimmune hepatitis in a recently diagnosed celiac disease patient

Celiac disease (CD) is a small intestine immune-mediated disorder triggered by gluten ingestion in genetically predisposed patients. This condition can also affect many extraintestinal tissues, including the liver. We report a patient presenting with a marked increase of transaminases at diagnosis of CD. The immune markers for autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) were negative. Following a few months of a strict gluten-free diet (GFD), aminotransferase levels decreased significantly (< 2.5x U/L). The response to GFD suggested that the liver damage was due to a gluten-dependent celiac hepatitis, the most common liver abnormality in CD. Despite the fact that the patient never stopped the GFD, yet, in a few months, the aminotransferase levels raise again to high values (> 50x U/L). At this time, the liver autoantibodies turned to be positive thus confirming the development of a type 1 AIH. The hepatic damage progressed to a late onset liver failure requiring liver transplantation.

Fibromyalgia and coeliac disease: a media hype or an emerging clinical problem?

OBJECTIVES

Fibromyalgia (FM) association with autoimmune diseases has been widely reported in literature. Coeliac disease (CD) is a small intestine immune-mediated disorder triggered by gluten ingestion in genetically predisposed patients. In recent years, the Internet and the non-medical press have reported a correlation between gluten-related disorders and fibromyalgia-like symptoms. The aim of our study was to verify a possible association between FM and CD, by assessing the prevalence of CD in a cohort of FM patients and vice versa.

METHODS

90 consecutive subjects from our Rheumatologic outpatient clinic who had been diagnosed with FM were serologically tested for CD and positive patients underwent esophagogastroduodenoscopy to obtain duodenal biopsies. A second group of 114 consecutive subjects from our Coeliac Disease outpatient clinic were investigated for the presence of FM-like symptoms through a questionnaire. Patients reporting chronic widespread pain were addressed to a rheumatologist for further evaluation.

RESULTS

The overall prevalence of CD in our FM patients was identical to that expected in general population (around 1%). In our CD group 17 patients (14.9%) reported chronic widespread pain at the questionnaire and 13 (11.4%) satisfied ACR 1990 criteria for FM. Their symptoms had not been modified by GFD.

CONCLUSIONS

A serological screening for CD is not recommended in FM patients but rather a case-finding strategy should be performed. At the same time, proposals of GFD in FM patients, in absence of a well-established diagnosis of CD, should be rigorously avoided.

Non-celiac gluten sensitivity: questions still to be answered despite increasing awareness

Recently, the increasing number of patients worldwide who are sensitive to dietary gluten without evidence of celiac disease or wheat allergy has contributed to the identification of a new gluten-related syndrome defined as non-celiac gluten sensitivity. Our knowledge regarding this syndrome is still lacking, and many aspects of this syndrome remain unknown. Its pathogenesis is heterogeneous, with a recognized pivotal role for innate immunity; many other factors also contribute, including low-grade intestinal inflammation, increased intestinal barrier function and changes in the intestinal microbiota. Gluten and other wheat proteins, such as amylase trypsin inhibitors, are the primary triggers of this syndrome, but it has also been hypothesized that a diet rich in fermentable monosaccharides and polyols may elicit its functional gastrointestinal symptoms. The epidemiology of this condition is far from established; its prevalence in the general population is highly variable, ranging from 0.63% to 6%. From a clinical point of view, non-celiac gluten sensitivity is characterized by a wide array of gastrointestinal and extraintestinal symptoms that occur shortly after the ingestion of gluten and improve or disappear when gluten is withdrawn from the diet. These symptoms recur when gluten is reintroduced. Because diagnostic biomarkers have not yet been identified, a double-blind placebo-controlled gluten challenge is currently the diagnostic method with the highest accuracy. Future research is needed to generate more knowledge regarding non-celiac gluten sensitivity, a condition that has global acceptance but has only a few certainties and many unresolved issues.

Antibodies to deamidated gliadin peptides: an accurate predictor of coeliac disease in infancy

Immunoglobulin G antibodies against deamidated gliadin peptides are now known to have diagnostic accuracy comparable to tissue transglutaminase and endomysium autoantibodies in patients with coeliac disease. However, little is known about their predictive value in infants with a suspected gluten enteropathy. We tested whether deamidated gliadin immunoglobulin G antibodies are more reliable than traditional tests for coeliac disease screening in infancy. Sixty-five children under 2 years of age (42 with malabsorption, 23 controls) were tested for deamidated gliadin immunoglobulin G, tissue transglutaminase and endomysium immunoglobulin A, and gliadin immunoglobulins A and G . Thirty-seven of the 42 children with malabsorption had deamidated gliadin antibodies, associated with tissue transglutaminase and endomysial antibodies in 33, and with gliadin immunoglobulins A and G in 21 and 29, respectively. Intestinal biopsy was performed in 34 of the 37 children positive for deamidated gliadin antibodies. Thirty-two/34 showed villous atrophy consistent with coeliac disease, while the remaining two had a Marsh 1 and a normal mucosa, respectively. Only gliadin immunoglobulins A (4.3%) and G (39.1%) were found in controls. The sensitivity of deamidated gliadin, tissue transglutaminase and endomysial antibodies for coeliac disease was significantly higher than that of gliadin immunoglobulins G and A. High titre deamidated gliadin antibodies correlated with severe intestinal damage. Deamidated gliadin antibodies showed a higher diagnostic accuracy for coeliac disease than gliadin antibodies in infancy. High titre deamidated gliadin antibodies predict a severe gluten-dependent duodenal damage.