Metastasis in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma: Prevalence, determinants, prognostic impact and ability to improve the Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer system

Integrated multi-omics profiling to dissect the spatiotemporal evolution of metastatic hepatocellular carcinoma

Comprehensive molecular analyses of metastatic hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) are lacking. Here, we generate multi-omic profiling of 257 primary and 176 metastatic regions from 182 HCC patients. Primary tumors rich in hypoxia signatures facilitated polyclonal dissemination. Genomic divergence between primary and metastatic HCC is high, and early dissemination is prevalent. The remarkable neoantigen intratumor heterogeneity observed in metastases is associated with decreased T cell reactivity, resulting from disruptions to neoantigen presentation. We identify somatic copy number alterations as highly selected events driving metastasis. Subclones without Wnt mutations show a stronger selective advantage for metastasis than those with Wnt mutations and are characterized by a microenvironment rich in activated fibroblasts favoring a pro-metastatic phenotype. Finally, metastases without Wnt mutations exhibit higher enrichment of immunosuppressive B cells that mediate terminal exhaustion of CD8+ T cells via HLA-E:CD94-NKG2A checkpoint axis. Collectively, our results provide a multi-dimensional dissection of the complex evolutionary process of metastasis.

Pretreatment Non-Invasive Biomarkers as Predictors to Estimate Portal Vein Tumor Thrombosis (PVTT) Risk and Long-Term Survival in HBV-Related Hepatocellular Carcinoma Patients Without PVTT

Background

PVTT is a hallmark of advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We aim to explore the influence of non-invasive biomarkers on the occurrence of PVTT and develop and validate models for predicting prognosis in HBV-related HCC patients without PVTT.

Methods

A total of 1026 HBV-related HCC patients without PVTT were enrolled, with 515 in the training cohort, 216 in the internal validation cohort, and 295 in the external validation cohort. We conducted Cox regression analyses to discern the independent risk factors associated with PVTT events, PFS, and OS, then constructed and validated predictive models. The predictive and discriminatory capabilities of models were assessed using the calibration, time-dependent ROC, and DCA curves.

Results

In our study, 136 patients (13.3%) experienced PVTT events during the follow-up period. The Cox regression analysis unveiled that male gender, AAPR ≤0.49, APRI >0.48, extrahepatic metastasis, and multiple tumors were independent risk factors for PVTT. In the training cohort, non-invasive biomarkers (AAR and APRI), AFP, ascites, and tumor-related characteristics (extrahepatic metastasis, tumor diameter, tumor number, and PVTT event) were independent risk factors for both OS and PFS, whereas age and ALBI grade independently correlated with OS. The C-indexes of OS and PFS nomogram models were 0.795 and 0.733 in the training cohort, 0.765 and 0.716 in the internal validation cohort, and 0.780 and 0.722 in the external validation cohort, respectively. Our models demonstrated strong predictive and discriminative abilities in all cohorts and yielded a greater net benefit compared to three traditional staging systems.

Conclusion

Non-invasive biomarkers are expected to be reliable predictors for assessing PVTT risk and predicting prognosis among HBV-related HCC patients without PVTT.

Effectiveness of lenvatinib plus immune checkpoint inhibitors in primary advanced hepatocellular carcinoma beyond oligometastasis

BACKGROUND

Targeted therapy combined with immune checkpoint inhibitors is considered a promising treatment for primary advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Nevertheless, the difference between synchronous and asynchronous treatment of lenvatinib with programmed death receptor-1 (PD-1) inhibitor in advanced HCC is still unclear. The aim of this investigation is to evaluate the effectiveness of synchronous and asynchronous of lenvatinib and PD-1 inhibitor on the advanced HCC beyond oligometastasis.

METHODS

In this study, 213 patients from four institutions in China were involved. Patients were split into two collections: (1) lenvatinib plus PD-1 inhibitor were used synchronously (synchronous treatment group); (2) patients in asynchronous treatment group received PD-1 inhibitor after 3 months of lenvatinib treatment prior to tumour progression. To analyse progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), efficacy and safety of patients in both groups, we employed propensity score matching (PSM).

RESULTS

The 6-, 12- and 24-month OS rates were 100%, 93.4% and 58.1% in the synchronous treatment group and 100%, 71.5% and 25.3% in the asynchronous treatment group, respectively. In contrast to the asynchronous treatment group, the group treated synchronously exhibited a substantially enhanced OS (hazard ratio [HR], 0.45; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.30-0.66; p < .001). The 6-, 12- and 18-month PFS rates were 82.6%, 42.6% and 10.8% in the synchronous treatment group and 63.3%, 14.2% and 0% in the asynchronous treatment group, respectively. A significant difference was observed in the PFS rate (HR, 0.46; 95% CI, 0.33-0.63; p < .001) between the two collections.

CONCLUSIONS

Patients with advanced HCC beyond oligometastasis, simultaneous administration of lenvatinib and PD-1 inhibitor led to significant improvements in survival.

Two-institution results of Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy (SBRT) for treating adrenal gland metastases from liver cancer

OBJECTIVE

Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy (SBRT) has been found beneficial for adrenal gland metastases (AGMs) with a high local control rate and low toxicity. The role of SBRT for AGMs in patients with liver cancer has not been well-discussed before. We, therefore, report our two-institution experience to further elaborate on the feasibility and effectiveness of SBRT in the treatment of AGMs from liver cancer.

METHODS

A total of 23 liver cancer patients (19 males, 4 females) with 24 AGMs treated by SBRT from July 2006 to April 2021 were retrospectively included in this study. Toxicity was assessed based on clinical adverse events using the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE) version 5.0. The effectiveness was assessed based on local control (LC), progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS), which were calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method. Univariate analyses were compared by log-rank test. The relevant covariates were evaluated using Cox proportional hazards models.

RESULTS

The median dose was 40 Gy in 5 fractions, with the corresponding median biological effective dose (BED10, α/β = 10 Gy) of 72 Gy. The median overall follow-up time was 15.4 months (range: 4.2-70.6 months). The complete response (CR), partial response (PR), stable disease (SD) and progressive disease (PD) rates were 25.0%, 20.8%, 33.3%, and 20.8%, respectively. All 6 patients with AGMs accompanying symptoms had varying degrees of alleviation after SBRT. The 0.5-, 1-year and 2-year LC rates were 87.5%, 77.8%, and 77.8%, respectively. The 0.5-, 1-year and 2-year OS rates were 95.5%, 66.8%, and 41.1%, respectively. The treatments were all tolerated with only one patient reporting a grade-3 hepatic injury. The univariate analysis concluded that only gross tumor volume (GTV) < 34.5 ml (p = 0.039) was associated with a favorable LC rate. After multivariate analysis, favorable predictors correlated with OS were GTV < 34.5 ml (p = 0.043), systemic therapy (p = 0.017), and without additional organ metastasis after SBRT (p = 0.009).

CONCLUSION

Our results suggest that SBRT is a safe and effective technique to treat AGM from liver cancer, especially for small GTV (< 34.5ml). Moreover, the small metastatic lesion volume, fewer metastatic lesions, and intervention of systemic therapy are more likely to improve OS.

Cryptogenic hepatocellular carcinoma: characteristics, outcome, and prognostic role of albumin-bilirubin (ALBI) grade vs easy ALBI grade

BACKGROUND

The characteristics and prognosis of cryptogenic hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remain unclear. The albumin-bilirubin (ALBI) grade and its updated version, the easy ALBI (EZ-ALBI) grade, are important prognostic predictors for HCC. We aimed to investigate the long-term survival of patients with cryptogenic HCC and the prognostic role of ALBI and EZ-ALBI grade in these patients.

METHODS

A prospective cohort of 2,937 HCC patients with viral or cryptogenic etiology were retrospectively analyzed. The multivariate Cox model was used to determine prognostic predictors.

RESULTS

Cryptogenic HCC patients were often older and diabetic, had lower serum ɑ-fetoprotein (AFP) levels, larger tumor burden, poor performance status, advanced cancer stage, and received non-curative treatments compared with hepatitis B or C-related HCC. The Cox analysis showed that age > 65 years, serum AFP > 400 ng/mL, presence of vascular invasion or distant metastasis, presence of ascites, performance status 2-4, ALBI grade 2 and 3, EZ-ALBI grade 2 and 3, and non-curative treatment, were independent predictors of decreased survival in cryptogenic HCC (p < .001). Significant survival differences were found across ALBI grade and EZ-ALBI grade in cryptogenic HCC and subgroup patients receiving curative or non-curative treatments. The Cancer of Liver Italian Program was the best staging system for patients with cryptogenic HCC.

CONCLUSIONS

Patients with cryptogenic HCC have a larger tumor burden and advanced cancer stage at disease presentation compared with those with viral HCC. The ALBI and EZ-ALBI score are robust models to evaluate liver functional reserve for these patients independent of treatment modality.

Construction and validation of a prediction model of extrahepatic metastasis for hepatocellular carcinoma based on common clinically available data

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to investigate the clinical characteristics and risk factors of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with extrahepatic metastases (EHM) and to establish an effective predictive nomogram.

METHODS

Clinical and pathological data from 607 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma admitted to the Affiliated Hospital of Qinghai University between 1 January 2015 and 31 May 2018 were documented, as well as demographics, clinical pathological characteristics, and tumor-related parameters to clarify clinical risk factors for HCC EHM. These risks were selected to build an R-based clinical prediction model. The predictive accuracy and discriminating ability of the model were determined by the concordance index (C-index) and the calibration curve. The results were validated with a bootstrap resample and 151 patients from 1 June 2018 to 31 December 2019 at the same facility.

RESULTS

In multivariate analysis, independent factors for EHM were neutrophils, prothrombin time, tumor number, and size, all of which were selected in the model. The C-index in the EHM prediction model was 0.672 and in the validation cohort was 0.694. In the training cohort and the validation cohort, the calibration curve for the probability of EHM showed good agreement between the nomogram prediction and the actual observation.

CONCLUSION

The extrahepatic metastasis prediction model of hepatocellular carcinoma constructed in this study has some evaluation capability.

A New Tumor Burden Score and Albumin-Bilirubin Grade-Based Prognostic Model for Hepatocellular Carcinoma

The prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) varies widely due to variable tumor extent and liver reserve. We aimed to develop and validate a new prognostic model based on tumor burden score (TBS) and albumin-bilirubin (ALBI) grade for HCC. We prospectively identified 3794 HCC patients who were randomized into derivation and validation groups. Survival predictors were evaluated by a multivariate Cox model. The TBS-ALBI system allocated two points for high TBS and ALBI grade 3, and one point each for the presence of ascites, serum α-fetoprotein ≥ 400 ng/mL, vascular invasion or distant metastasis, performance status 2-4, medium TBS, and ALBI grade 2, with a maximal score of 8 points. Significant survival differences were found across different TBS-ALBI score groups in the validation cohort (all p < 0.001). The TBS-ALBI system had the lowest corrected Akaike information criterion (AICc) and the highest homogeneity compared with other proposed staging models. The discriminative ability of the TBS-ALBI system was consistently stable across different viral etiologies, cancer stages, and treatment strategies. Conclusions: This new TBS-ALBI system is a feasible and robust prognostic system in comparison with other systems; it is a user-friendly tool for long-term outcome assessment independent of treatment modality and cancer stage in HCC.

Heat shock protein A12A activates migration of hepatocellular carcinoma cells in a monocarboxylate transporter 4-dependent manner

Metastasis is responsible for most of the hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC)-associated death. However, its underlying mechanism has yet to be fully elucidated. Glycolysis-derived lactate has been shown to be a powerful regulator of cancer metastasis. Heat shock protein A12A (HSPA12A) encodes a novel member of HSP70 family. We have recently demonstrated that heat shock protein A12A (HSPA12A) inhibited renal cancer cell migration by suppressing lactate output and glycolytic activity, which were mediated by unstabilizing CD147 and promoting its degradation. By striking contrast, here we demonstrated that HSPA12A promoted migration of human HCC cells. Extracellular acidification, lactate export, and glycolytic activity in HCC cells were also promoted following HSPA12A overexpression. Further analysis revealed that HSPA12A interacted with MCT4 and increased its membrane localization, thereby promoting export of lactate generated from glycolysis; this led, ultimately, to HCC cell migration. Our results revealed the opposite effect of HSPA12A on migration of renal cancer cells and that of HCC cells. Of note, in contrast to the inhibitory effect on CD147 expression in renal cancer cells, we found that HSPA12A increased CD147 expression in HCC cells, indicating that the expression of CD147 might exist heterogeneity in different cancer cell types. Taken together, we identified HSPA12A as an activator of HCC migration, a role opposite to that of renal cancer cells. Inhibiting HSPA12A might be a potential therapeutic intervention for HCC metastasis.

Predictors of Macrovascular Invasion and Extrahepatic Metastasis in Treatment Naive Hepatocellular Carcinoma: When Is [18F] FDG PET/CT Relevant?

Purpose

Hypermetabolic macrovascular invasion (MVI) and extrahepatic metastasis (EHM) occur in aggressive hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and carry unfavorable prognosis. [¹⁸F] FDG PET/CT, despite having low sensitivity in primary HCC, is valuable in patients with aggressive HCC for detection of hypermetabolic MVI and EHM. The study aimed at identifying the parameters that could predict hypermetabolic MVI and/or EHM in treatment naive HCC patients for tailored approach to utilize [¹⁸F] FDG PET/CT.

Methods

Data of 131 treatment naive HCC patients (median age, 60 years; range, 21-80 years; 90.8% males) who underwent [¹⁸F] FDG PET/CT were retrospectively analyzed to determine the proportion of patients with hypermetabolic MVI and/or EHM. Logistic regression analysis was performed to define independent predictors of hypermetabolic MVI and/or EHM.

Results

78/131 (59.5%) patients had hypermetabolic MVI and/or EHM. 52/131 (39.7%) patients had EHM. 56/131 (42.7%) patients had hypermetabolic MVI of which, 30 had concomitant EHM with majority (90%; 27/30) having distant metastasis. 26/131 (19.8%) patients had hypermetabolic MVI without EHM while 22/131 (16.8%) patients had EHM without hypermetabolic MVI of which, majority (95.5%; 21/22) had distant metastasis. Hypermetabolic MVI was associated with EHM (χ² = 7.868; p value = 0.007). AFP > 93.7 ng/ml, SUVmax > 3.5, and maximum tumor size > 5.0 cm were the independent predictors of hypermetabolic MVI and/or EHM.

Conclusion

In treatment naive HCC patients with AFP > 93.7 ng/ml or maximum tumor size > 5.0 cm, [¹⁸F] FDG PET/CT can be valuable.

Easy albumin-bilirubin score as a new prognostic predictor in hepatocellular carcinoma

BACKGROUND

Liver functional reserve is a major prognostic determinant in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The albumin-bilirubin (ALBI) score is an objective method to assess the severity of cirrhosis in this setting. However, calculation of the ALBI score is complex and difficult to access in clinical practice. Recently, the EZ (easy)-ALBI score was proposed as an alternative biomarker of liver injury. We aimed to evaluate the prognostic role of the EZ-ALBI score in HCC from early to advanced stages.

METHODS

A total of 3794 newly diagnosed HCC patients were prospectively enrolled and retrospectively analyzed. Independent prognostic predictors were determined by using the multivariate Cox proportional hazards model.

RESULTS

The EZ-ALBI score showed good correlation with the ALBI score (correlation coefficient, 0.965; p < 0.001). The correlation of the EZ-ALBI score was highly preserved in different Child-Turcotte-Pugh (CTP) classifications, treatment methods, and Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) stages (correlation coefficients, 0.90-0.97). In the Cox multivariate analysis, age >65 years, male sex, serum α-fetoprotein >20 ng/ml, large or multiple tumors, total tumor volume >100 cm³ , vascular invasion or distant metastasis, ascites, poor performance status, EZ-ALBI grade 2 and 3, and noncurative treatments were independently associated with increased mortality (all p < 0.05). Moreover, EZ-ALBI grade can stratify long-term survival in patients with different CTP class, treatment strategy, and BCLC stage.

CONCLUSIONS

The EZ-ALBI score is an easy and feasible method to evaluate liver functional reserve. As a new prognostic biomarker in HCC, the predictive power of the EZ-ALBI grade is independent across different cancer stages and treatments.

Ziyuglycoside II exerts antiproliferative and antimetastasis effects on hepatocellular carcinoma cells

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. Phytochemicals are important candidates for developing anticancer agents. Ziyuglycoside II is a major active compound of Sanguisorba officinalis, which exhibits antiproliferation activity in several cancers; however, its action in HCC remains unknown. In this study, we investigated the antitumor activity of ziyuglycoside II against HCC and explored the potential mechanisms. We found that ziyuglycoside II exerts significant inhibitory effects on the viability and clonogenic activity of HCC cells. The proliferation repression mediated by ziyuglycoside II was mainly due to increased apoptosis and reactive oxygen species accumulation, as well as a G0/G1 phase cell-cycle arrest. Additionally, ziyuglycoside II markedly impaired HCC cell migration and invasion, two important steps during metastasis, and these suppressive effects may be attributed to the downregulation of matrix metalloproteinases MMP2 and MMP9 expression. Moreover, ziyuglycoside II blocked the epidermal growth factor receptor/nuclear factor kappa-B (EGFR/NF-kB) signaling, which may contribute to its anticancer activity. Taken together, our findings reveal antiproliferative and antimetastasis activities of ziyuglycoside II in HCC cells, implying that ziyuglycoside II might be a promising candidate for the development of novel anti-HCC drugs.

Can primary hepatocellular carcinoma histomorphology predict extrahepatic metastasis?

Studies comparing the histomorphologic features and phenotypic heterogeneity between primary and its corresponding metastatic hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) are lacking. The aim of this study was to assess and compare the histomorphologic features and heterogeneity between primary and metastatic HCC. A total of 39 cases with both primary and metastatic tissues were identified from pathology archives (2000-2019). The common sites of metastasis included lung (28.21%), abdominal cavity (25.64%), lymph nodes (20.51%), bone (17.95%), soft tissue (15.38%), and adrenal gland (10.26%). Both the primary and metastatic tumors showed heterogeneity in intratumoral histologic patterns (87.18% and 76.92%, respectively). The most common histologic pattern was solid in both primary (61.54%) and metastases (56.41%), followed by macrotrabecular in primary (17.95%) and metastases (10.26%). Among HCC-subtypes, macrotrabecular-massive HCC was the most common subtype in both primary and metastases (28.21% each). Primary tumors in noncirrhotic livers were more likely to have larger size and microvascular invasion than those in cirrhotic livers. The histomorphology (histologic pattern, subtype, and grade) between the primary and metastases was discordant in about 50% cases (48.72%, 48.72%, and 51.28%, respectively). Our findings exhibit significant intratumoral heterogeneity and histomorphologic discordance between primary and metastatic HCCs. The solid and macrotrabecular histologic patterns and the macrotrabecular-massive subtype were the most common histomorphologic features seen in primary tumors associated with metastasis. Further studies to identify and explore different pathways that promote HCC metastasis and to compare the differences between primary and metastatic tumors on a larger cohort are needed to better understand the pathogenesis of metastasis.

ALBI grade in dialysis patients with hepatocellular carcinoma: prognostic impact and staging strategy

BACKGROUND

Patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) may develop end-stage renal disease and receive dialysis, but the impact of dialysis on the prognosis is unclear. This study aimed to evaluate the outcome of dialysis HCC patients and the prognostic role of albumin-bilirubin (ALBI) grade in these patients.

METHODS

Among the consecutive 3,794 HCC patients between 2002-2017, 43 patients undergoing dialysis, and 129 age, sex-matched controls were analyzed. Multivariate Cox hazards model was used to identify independent prognostic predictors.

RESULTS

Dialysis patients had decreased overall survival when compared with non-dialysis patients (n=3,751) and matched controls (n=129; each P=0.004). Patients with ALBI grade 1 had the best survival in the pooled cohort of dialysis and matched controls (n=172). In the Cox model, total tumor volume >33 cm3 [hazard ratio (HR): 6.763, P<0.001], presence of ascites (HR: 6.168, P<0.001), dialysis duration less than 24 months (HR: 3.144, P=0.006), diabetes-related dialysis (HR: 9.366, P=0.001) and non-curative treatments (HR: 9.220, P<0.001) were poor prognosis factors associated with increase mortality among dialysis patients. Of the 9 currently-used HCC staging systems, the CLIP score was the optimal cancer staging for dialysis patients.

CONCLUSIONS

Patients receiving dialysis had decreased overall survival compared with non-dialysis patients. Longer duration of dialysis, non-diabetes related dialysis, absence of ascites, and curative treatments were associated with improved survival in these patients. The ALBI grade is a feasible prognostic model to evaluate liver functional reserve, and the CLIP model is the best staging system for dialysis patients with HCC.

A New Prognostic Model Based on Albumin-Bilirubin Grade for Hepatocellular Carcinoma Beyond the Milan Criteria

BACKGROUND

The survival of patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is highly variable due to heterogeneous tumoral characteristics. We proposed and validated an albumin-bilirubin (ALBI)-based model for HCC beyond Milan criteria, the ALBI-HOME, for these patients.

METHODS

A total of 2186 patients were enrolled and randomly assigned to the derivation cohort (n = 1093) and validation cohort (n = 1093). Multivariate Cox proportional hazards model was used to determine significant prognostic factors in the derivation cohort. The performance of ALBI-HOME was evaluated in the validation cohort.

RESULTS

In the Cox model, six factors were identified as independent predictors of poor survival: ALBI grade 2 [hazard ratio (HR) 1.848, 95% confidence incidence (CI) 1.556-2.195, p < 0.001], ALBI grade 3 (HR 3.266, 95% CI 2.531-4.215, p < 0.001), serum AFP ≥ 100 ng/ml (HR 1.482, 95% CI 1.279-1.717, p < 0.001), total tumor volume ≥ 250 cm³ (HR 1.503, 95% CI 1.294-1.746, p < 0.001), ascites (HR 1.400, 95% CI 1.187-1.561, p < 0.001), performance status 0-1 (HR 1.756, 95% CI 1.485-2.076 p < 0.001), and vascular invasion or metastasis (HR 2.110, 95% CI 1.809-2.0, p < 0.001). The ALBI-HOME is based on these six parameters, and the score ranges from 0 to 7. This model was associated with the best prognostic ability among different HCC staging systems to predict survival in patients beyond Milan criteria; its ability remained consistently stable in different treatment subgroups and viral etiologies.

CONCLUSIONS

The proposed ALBI-HOME is a simple and feasible predictive model for HCC beyond Milan criteria. It demonstrates superior prognostic performance among the currently used staging systems and may help identify at-risk patients to undergo more aggressive treatments.

Albumin-bilirubin grade-based nomogram of the BCLC system for personalized prognostic prediction in hepatocellular carcinoma

BACKGROUND & AIMS

The prognostic accuracy of individual hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patient in each Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) stage is unclear. We aimed to develop and validate an albumin-bilirubin (ALBI) grade-based nomogram of BCLC to estimate survival for individual HCC patient.

METHODS

Between 2002 and 2016, 3690 patients with newly diagnosed HCC were prospectively enrolled and retrospectively analysed. Patients were randomly split into derivation and validation cohort by 1:1 ratio. Multivariate Cox proportional hazards model was used to generate the nomogram from tumour burden, ALBI grade and performance status (PS). The concordance index and calibration plot were determined to evaluate the performance of this nomogram.

RESULTS

Beta coefficients from the Cox model were used to assign nomogram points to different degrees of tumour burden, ALBI grade and PS. The scores of the nomogram ranged from 0 to 24, and were used to predict 3- and 5-year patient survival. The concordance index of this nomogram was 0.77 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.71-0.81) in the derivation cohort and 0.76 (95% CI: 0.71-0.81) in the validation cohort. The calibration plots to predict both 3- and 5-year survival rate well matched with the 45-degree ideal line for both cohorts, except for ALBI-based BCLC stage 0 in the validation cohort.

CONCLUSIONS

The proposed ALBI-based nomogram of BCLC system is a simple and feasible strategy in the precision medicine era. Our data indicate it is a straightforward and user-friendly prognostic tool to estimate the survival of individual HCC patient except for very early stage patients.

A first case of hepatocellular carcinoma in the baboon (Papio spp.) placenta

We present a case of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in the placenta of healthy baboon (Papio spp.). Grossly, the fetal, maternal, and placental tissues were unremarkable. Histologically, the placenta contained an unencapsulated, poorly demarcated, infiltrative, solidly cellular neoplasm composed of cells that resembled hepatocytes. The neoplastic cells were diffusely positive for vimentin and focally positive for Ae1/Ae3, Arginase -1, glutamine synthetase, and CD10, and negative for ER, vascular markers (CD31 and D240), S100, glypican, C-reactive protein, FABP, desmin, and beta-catenin; INI1 positivity was similar to non-neoplastic tissues. The case likely represents a unique subtype of HCC.