Efficacy of Hepatic Resection vs. Radiofrequency Ablation for Patients With Very-Early-Stage or Early-Stage Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Population-Based Study With Stratification by Age and Tumor Size

Image-guided Ablative Procedures

Various image-guided ablative procedures include chemical and thermal ablation techniques and irreversible electroporation. These have been used for curative intent for small tumours and palliative intent for debulking, immunogenicity and pain control. Understanding these techniques is critical to avoiding complications and achieving superior clinical outcomes. Additionally, combination with immunotherapy and chemotherapies is rapidly evolving. There are numerous opportunities in interventional radiology to advance ablation techniques and seamlessly integrate into current treatment regimens for both benign and malignant tumours.

Efficacy and Safety of Surgical Resection in Elderly Patients with Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background/Aims

: With increased life expectancy, the management of elderly hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients became a crucial issue, yet it is still challenging due to comorbidities and high surgical risks. While surgical resection is considered as primary treatment for eligible HCC patients, systematic evidence on its outcomes in elderly patients remains scarce. In this review, we aimed to analyze the efficacy and safety outcomes of surgical resection in elderly HCC patients.

Methods

: The studies included in this meta-analysis were selected from Ovid-MEDLINE, Ovid-Embase, CENTRAL, KoreaMed, KMbase, and KISS databases following a predefined protocol. Efficacy outcomes included overall survival and disease-free survival, while the safety outcomes included postoperative mortality and complications.

Results

: Patients in the elderly group (≥65 years) who underwent surgery exhibited non-inferior overall survival (hazard ratio [HR], 1.26; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.92 to 1.74) and disease-free survival (HR, 1.03; 95% CI, 0.99 to 1.08) compared to the non-elderly group. Overall postoperative mortality exhibited no statistical difference (odds ratio [OR], 1.07; 95% CI, 0.87 to 1.31), but 30-day, 90-day, and in-hospital mortality were higher in the elderly group. The incidence of overall complications was higher in the elderly group (OR, 1.44; 95% CI, 1.22 to 1.69). Sensitivity analysis for the super elderly group (≥80 years) showed significantly higher in-hospital mortality compared to the non-super elderly group (OR, 2.51; 95% CI, 1.16 to 5.45).

Conclusions

: The efficacy outcome of surgical resection in the elderly HCC patients was not worse than that in the non-elderly HCC patients, while in-hospital mortality and complications rates were higher. Therefore, surgical resection should be purposefully considered in the elderly population, with careful candidate selection.

Role of sex in liver tumor occurrence and clinical outcomes: A comprehensive review

Clinical research on sex-based differences in the manifestations, pathophysiology, and prevalence of several diseases, including those affecting the liver, has expanded considerably in recent years. Increasing evidence suggests that liver diseases develop, progress, and respond to treatment differently depending on the sex. These observations support the concept that the liver is a sexually dimorphic organ in which estrogen and androgen receptors are present, which results in disparities between men and women in liver gene expression patterns, immune responses, and the progression of liver damage, including the propensity to develop liver malignancies. Sex hormones play protective or deleterious roles depending on the patient's sex, the severity of the underlying disease, and the nature of precipitating factors. Moreover, obesity, alcohol consumption, and active smoking, as well as social determinants of liver diseases leading to sex-related inequalities, may interact strongly with hormone-related mechanisms of liver damage. Drug-induced liver injury, viral hepatitis, and metabolic liver diseases are influenced by the status of sex hormones. Available data on the roles of sex hormones and gender differences in liver tumor occurrence and clinical outcomes are conflicting. Here, we critically review the main gender-based differences in the molecular mechanisms associated with liver carcinogenesis and the prevalence, prognosis, and treatment of primary and metastatic liver tumors.

Liver resection is superior to tumor ablation in patients with multifocal hepatocellular carcinoma

INTRODUCTION

The management of T2 multifocal hepatocellular carcinoma (MHCC) is controversial, and the comparative impact of liver resection (LR) versus tumor ablation (TA) on survival continues to be debated. The aim of our study was to examine short- and long-term survival for LR and TA in a nationally representative cohort. We hypothesized that patients who underwent LR would have improved survival.

METHODS

We utilized the National Cancer Database (2004-2015) to identify patients diagnosed with non-metastatic T2 MHCC. Kaplan-Meier survival curves were generated to compare 10-year overall survival (OS) between LR and TA patients. Kaplan-Meier analysis with stratification was also performed based on lymphovascular invasion, resection margin status, and Charlson-Deyo score. Cox proportional hazard models were used in multivariable analyses.

RESULTS

A total of 1225 patients met the inclusion criteria. 991 patients received LR, and 234 received TA. The majority of patients were male, White, and older than ≥60 years old. Clinicodemographic characteristics were generally similar between LR and TA patients. Among patients who underwent LR, 84% had negative margins, and 17% had lymphovascular invasion. Mortality at 30 days was significantly higher among LR patients compared to TA patients (5.4% vs 0.0%, p < 0.001), with those having a Charlson-Deyo score ≥2 facing the highest risk at 7.3%. Nevertheless, 10-year OS for the LR cohort was 27.5% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 24.4%-30.8%) versus 14.7% (95% CI: 9.8%-20.7%, p < 0.001) for TA patients. In stratified analysis, survival benefit was statistically significant only among those with negative resection margin, no lymphovascular invasion, and Charlson-Deyo score ≤1. In multivariable Cox analysis, LR was independently associated with improved survival compared to TA (hazard ratio: 0.80; 95% CI = 0.67-0.95).

CONCLUSION

LR poses a higher long-term survival benefit than TA. Prospective studies are warranted to confirm these findings. Although our study patients are a highly selected group of multifocal T2 patients, it gives us a good insight into the fact that LR provides better outcomes if a transplant option is unavailable.

Cost-Effectiveness Comparison of Carbon-Ion Radiation Therapy and Transarterial Chemoembolization for Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Purpose

Carbon-ion radiation therapy (CIRT) is a treatment option for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) that results in better outcomes with fewer side effects despite its high cost. This study aimed to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of CIRT for HCC from medical and economic perspectives by comparing CIRT and transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) in patients with localized HCC who were ineligible for surgery or radiofrequency ablation.

Methods and Materials

This study included 34 patients with HCC who underwent either CIRT or TACE at Gunma University between 2007 and 2016. Patient characteristics were employed to select each treatment group using the propensity score matching method. Life years were used as the outcome indicator. The CIRT technical fee was ¥3,140,000; however, a second CIRT treatment on the same organ within 2 years was performed for free.

Results

Our study showed that CIRT was dominant over TACE, as the CIRT group had a higher life year (point estimate, 2.75 vs 2.41) and lower total cost (mean, ¥4,974,278 vs ¥5,284,524). We conducted a sensitivity analysis to validate the results because of the higher variance in medical costs in the TACE group, which demonstrated that CIRT maintained its cost effectiveness with a high acceptability rate.

Conclusions

CIRT is a cost-effective treatment option for localized HCC cases unsuitable for surgical resection.

Comparison of Surgical Resection and Radiofrequency Ablation in Elderly Patients with Hepatocellular Carcinoma

BACKGROUND/AIMS

The aim of this study was to examine whether the efficacy of radiofrequency ablation (RFA) and surgical resection (SR) are comparable for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) less than 3 cm in elderly individuals aged 65 years or older.

METHODS

We used the National Health Insurance Service claims data in Korea, which was linked with liver cancer stage data from the Central Cancer Registry of the National Cancer Center, as well as death data from the National Statistical Office. Out of the 9213 registrants, we focused on 141 patients who underwent SR and 225 patients who underwent RFA when they were 65 years or older. To ensure comparability, a 1:1 propensity score (PS) matching was conducted.

RESULTS

The SR group had lower performance status and better liver function compared to the RFA group. Tumor diameter was larger in the SR group than in the RFA group (2.1 cm vs. 1.7 cm), and the proportion of stage II cases was higher (62.4% vs. 33.8%). After PS matching, the mortality rate in the RFA group did not significantly differ from the SR group (HR 1.33, 95% CI 0.86-2.06, P = 0.19). Also, liver related mortality was similar between the SR and RFA group after matching (log rank P = 0.13). However, recurrence free survival was significantly longer in the SR group than RFA group before and after matching (log rank P = 0.03).

CONCLUSION

In patients aged 65 years or older with resectable HCC, RFA demonstrates a therapeutic effect comparable to SR.

Radiofrequency Ablation versus Surgical Resection in Elderly Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Although the disease burden of elderly cancer patients is rapidly increasing, reliable scientific information, value and preference information of domestic patients, and standardized guidelines for determining the treatment of elderly cancer patients are lacking. The aim of this study is to compare the therapeutic effects of radiofrequency ablation (RFA) and surgery in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients aged 65 years or older. For the meta-analysis, the databases including PubMed (MEDLINE), EMBASE, OVID Medline, and the Cochrane Library were systematically searched. After the abstract-based review by two investigators, selected manuscripts were read in detail. The surgery group showed higher overall survival (OS) (HR 1.44, 95% CI 1.22-1.70) and disease-free survival (DFS) (HR 1.40, 95% CI 1.00-1.97) than the RFA group. This was also shown in small HCC of less than 3 cm (OS, HR 1.42, 95% CI 1.00-2.03; DFS, HR 1.32, 95% CI 0.91-1.91). This might be related to the high local recurrence in the RFA group (OR 4.90, 95% 2.16-11.08). On the other hand, adverse events were significantly lower in the RFA group (OR 0.22, 95% CI 0.14-0.36), which led to a decrease in the duration of hospital stay (mean difference -14.88 days, 95% CI -22.44--7.32). In elderly HCC patients, survival in the surgery group was significantly higher than in the RFA group, but various complications tended to increase; so, appropriate patient selection is required.

Chronic Liver Disease in the Older Patient-Evaluation and Management

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

As our population ages, the number of elderly patients with advanced chronic liver disease (ACLD) will increase. In this review we explore risk factors for liver injury, noninvasive assessment of liver disease, complications of cirrhosis, and management of frailty and sarcopenia in the older patient with ACLD.

RECENT FINDINGS

Multiple guidelines regarding ACLD have been updated over the past few years. New cutoffs for FIB-4 and NAFLD (MASLD - Metabolic Dysfunction Associated Steatotic Liver Disease) fibrosis scores for elderly patients are being validated. Older patients with MASLD benefit from caloric restriction, exercise programs, and GLP-1 agonists. Patients with ACLD need to be screened for alcohol use disorder with modified scoring systems, and if positive, benefit from referral to chemical dependency programs. Carvedilol and diuretics may safely be used in the elderly for portal hypertension and ascites, respectively, with careful monitoring. Malnutrition, frailty, sarcopenia, and bone mineral disease are common in older patients with ACLD, and early intervention may improve outcomes. Early identification of ACLD in elderly patients allows us to manage risk factors for liver injury, screen for complications, and implement lifestyle and pharmacological therapy to reduce decompensation and death. Future studies may clarify the role of noninvasive imaging in assessing liver fibrosis in the elderly and optimal interventions for nutrition, frailty, sarcopenia, bone health in addition to reevaluation of antibiotic prophylaxis for liver conditions with rising antibiotic resistance.

Radiofrequency ablation is an inferior option to liver resection for solitary hepatocellular carcinoma ≤ 5 cm without cirrhosis: A population-based study with stratification by tumor size

BACKGROUND

About 10%-20% of all individuals who develop hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) do not have cirrhosis. Comparisons are rarely reported regarding the effectiveness of radiofrequency ablation (RFA) and liver resection (LR) in survival of HCC without cirrhosis and stratification by tumor size ≤ 5 cm.

METHODS

We used the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database and identified 1505 patients with a solitary HCC tumor ≤ 5 cm who underwent RFA or LR during 2004-2015. Patients were classified into non-cirrhosis and cirrhosis groups and each group was categorized into three subgroups, according to tumor size (≤ 30 mm, 31-40 mm, 41-50 mm).

RESULTS

In patients without cirrhosis, LR showed better 5-year HCC cancer-specific survival than RFA in all tumor size subgroups (≤ 30 mm: 82.51% vs. 56.42%; 31-40 mm: 71.31% vs. 46.83%; 41-50 mm: 74.7% vs. 37.5%; all P < 0.05). Compared with RFA, LR was an independent protective factor for HCC cancer-specific survival in multivariate Cox analysis [≤ 30 mm: hazard ratio (HR) = 0.533, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.313-0.908; 31-40 mm: HR = 0.439, 95% CI: 0.201-0.957; 41-50 mm: HR = 0.382; 95% CI: 0.159-0.916; all P < 0.05]. In patients with cirrhosis, for both tumor size ≤ 30 mm and 31-40 mm groups, there were no significant survival differences between RFA and LR in multivariate analysis (all P > 0.05). However, in those with tumor size 41-50 mm, LR showed significantly better 5-year HCC cancer-specific survival than RFA in both univariate (54.72% vs. 23.06%; P < 0.001) and multivariate analyses (HR = 0.297; 95% CI: 0.136-0.648; P = 0.002).

CONCLUSIONS

RFA is an inferior treatment option to LR for patients without cirrhosis who have a solitary HCC tumor ≤ 5 cm.

Characteristics of Preoperative Acute Myocardial Infarction in Elderly Hip Fracture Patients and Construction of a Clinical Prediction Model: A Retrospective Cohort Study

Background

The prognosis of elderly patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is poor, and this study aimed to investigate the characteristics and predictors of preoperative AMI in elderly hip fracture patients and to propose a valid clinical prediction model.

Methods

We collected clinical data of older hip fracture patients from January 2019 to December 2020. The data collected include demographic and clinical characteristics, underlying diseases and laboratory results. In AMI patients, we further collected type of myocardial infarctions, clinical symptoms, electrocardiogram (ECG), Killip class and diagnosis method. The prediction model was constructed by using Least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression and multivariate logistic regression analyses. In addition, the constructed prediction model was transformed into a nomogram. The performance of the model was evaluated using the area under receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC), calibration curve, and decision curve analysis (DCA). Bootstrapping was used for validation.

Results

There are 40 (4.2%) cases developed AMI in all 958 patients. There were 685 (71.5%) female patients and 273 (28.5%) male patients. Among 40 AMI patients, 38 (95.0%) had Type 2 myocardial infarction (T2MI) and 2 (5.0%) had Type 1 myocardial infarction (T1MI). The majority of these ECG were ST segment depression (57.5%). Most elderly AMI patients (67.5%) presented asymptomatic. Predictors for preoperative AMI were higher age (OR 2.386, 95% CI 1.126-5.057), diabetes (OR 5.863, 95% CI 2.851-12.058), Hb≤100 g/L (OR 3.976, 95% CI 1.478-10.695), CRP≥40 mg/L (OR 6.998, 95% CI 2.875-17.033), and ALB≤35 g/L (OR 2.166, 95% CI 1.049-4.471). Good discrimination and calibration effect of the model was showed. Interval validation could still achieve the C-index value of 0.771. DCA demonstrated this nomogram has good clinical utility.

Conclusion

This model has a good predictive effect on preoperative AMI in elderly patients with hip fracture, which can help to better plan clinical evaluation.

The relationship between the efficacy of thermal ablation and inflammatory response and immune status in early hepatocellular carcinoma and the progress of postoperative adjuvant therapy

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a highly heterogeneous disease. Thermal ablation has the advantages of being equivalent to surgical resection, minimally invasive, low cost and significantly reducing hospital stay. Therefore, it is recommended as one of the first-line radical treatment for early HCC. However, with the deepening of research on early HCC, more and more studies have found that not all patients with early HCC can obtain similar efficacy after radical thermal ablation, which may be related to the heterogeneity of HCC. Previous studies have shown that inflammation and immunity play an extremely important role in the prognostic heterogeneity of patients with HCC. Therefore, the inflammatory response and immune status of patients may be closely related to the efficacy of early HCC after curative thermal ablation. This article elaborates the mechanism of high inflammatory response and poor immune status in the poor prognosis after radical thermal ablation of early HCC, and clarifies the population who may benefit from adjuvant therapy after radical thermal ablation in patients with early HCC, which provides a new idea for the precise adjuvant treatment after radical ablation of early HCC in the future.

Liver resection versus radiofrequency ablation in octogenarian patients for hepatocellular carcinoma: a propensity score multicenter analysis

BACKGROUND

Liver resection (LR) and radiofrequency ablation (RFA) are considered curative options for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The aim of this study was to compare outcomes after LR and RFA in octogenarian patients with HCC.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This multicenter retrospective study included 102 elderly patients (> 80 years old) treated between January 2009 and January 2019, who underwent LR or RFA for HCC (65 and 37 with, respectively).

RESULTS

After Propensity Score Matching, the postoperative course of LR was burdened by a higher rate of complications than RFA group (64% vs 14%, respectively, p: 0.001). The LR group had also significantly longer operative time (207 ± 85 min vs 33 ± 49 min, p < 0.001) and postoperative hospital stays than the RFA group (7 d vs 2 d, p = 0.019). Overall survival at 1-, 2-, and 3-year were 86%, 86%, and 70% for the LR group and 82%, 64%, and 52% for the RFA group (p = 0.380). Disease-free survival at 1-, 2-, and 3-year were 89%, 74%, and 56% for the LR group, and 51%, 40%, and 40% for the RFA group (p = 0.037).

CONCLUSION

Despite a higher rate of Dindo-Clavien I-II post-operative complications, a longer operative time and length of hospital stay, LR in octogenarian patients can provide comparable 90d mortality than RFA and better long-term outcomes.

A systematic review and meta-analysis comparing tumor progression and complications between radiofrequency ablation and thyroidectomy for papillary thyroid carcinoma

BACKGROUND

Papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) is the most frequent thyroid cancers worldwide. The efficacy and acceptability of radiofrequency ablation (RFA) in the treatment of PTC have been intensively studied. The aim of this study is to focus on extra detailed that may influent for PTC or papillary thyroid microcarcinoma (PTMC).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We identified a total of 1,987 records of a primary literature searched in PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Google Scholar by key words, from 2000 to 2022. The outcome of studies included complication, costs, and local tumor progression. After scrutiny screening and full-text assessment, six studies were included in the systematic review. Heterogeneity was estimated using I2, and the quality of evidence was assessed for each outcome using the GRADE guidelines.

RESULTS

Our review enrolled 1,708 patients reported in six articles in the final analysis. There were 397 men and 1,311 women in the analysis. Two of these studies involved PTC and four focused on PTMC. There were 859 patients in the RFA group and 849 patients in the thyroidectomy group. By contrast, the tumor progression of RFA group was as same as that surgical groups [odds ratio, 1.31; 95% CI, 0.52-3.29; heterogeneity (I2 statistic), 0%, p = 0.85]. The risk of complication rates was significantly lower in the RFA group than that in the surgical group [odds ratio, 0.18; 95% CI, 0.09-0.35; heterogeneity (I2 statistic), 40%, p = 0.14].

CONCLUSIONS

RFA is a safe procedure with a certain outcome for PTC. RFA can achieve a good efficacy and has a lower risk of major complications.

Proton therapy in the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma

Liver cancer represents one of the most common causes of death from cancer worldwide. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) accounts for 90% of all primary liver cancers. Among local therapies, evidence regarding the use of radiation therapy is growing. Proton therapy currently represents the most advanced radiation therapy technique with unique physical properties which fit well with liver irradiation. Here, in this review, we aim to 1) illustrate the rationale for the use of proton therapy (PT) in the treatment of HCC, 2) discuss the technical challenges of advanced PT in this disease, 3) review the major clinical studies regarding the use of PT for HCC, and 4) analyze the potential developments and future directions of PT in this setting.

Outcomes after primary and repeat thermal ablation of hepatocellular carcinoma with or without liver transplantation

OBJECTIVES

Thermal ablation (TA) is an established treatment for early HCC. There is a lack of data on the efficacy of repeated TA for recurrent HCC, resulting in uncertainty whether good oncologic outcomes can be obtained without performing orthotopic liver transplantation (OLTx). This study analyses outcomes after TA, with a special focus on repeat TA for recurrent HCC, either as a stand-alone therapy, or in relationship with OLTx.

METHODS

Data from a prospectively registered database on interventions for HCC in a tertiary hepatobiliary centre was completed with follow-up until December 2020. Outcomes studied were rate of recurrence after primary TA and after its repeat interventions, the occurrence of untreatable recurrence, OS and DSS after primary and repeat TA, and complications after TA. In cohorts matched for confounders, OSS and DSS were compared after TA with and without the intention to perform OLTx.

RESULTS

After TA, 100 patients (56·8%) developed recurrent HCC, of whom 76 (76·0%) underwent up to four repeat interventions. During follow-up, 76·7% of patients never developed a recurrence unamenable to repeat TA or OLTx. OS was comparable after primary TA and repeat TA. In matched cohorts, OS and DSS were comparable after TA with and without the intention to perform OLTx.

CONCLUSIONS

We found TA to be an effective and repeatable therapy for primary and recurrent HCC. Most recurrences can be treated with curative intent. There are patients who do well with TA alone without ever undergoing OLTx.

KEY POINTS

• Recurrent HCC after primary TA can often be treated effectively with repeat TA. Survival after repeat TA is comparable to primary TA. • In matched cohorts, outcomes after TA with and without subsequent waitlisting for OLTx are comparable. • There are patients who do well for many years with primary and repeat TA alone; some despite multiple recurrences.

Radiofrequency ablation in the management of primary hepatic and biliary tumors

In the United States, 80%-90% of primary hepatic tumors are hepatocellular carcinomas and 10%-15% are cholangiocarcinomas (CCA), both with high mortality rate, particularly CCA, which portends a worse prognosis. Traditional management with surgery has good outcomes in appropriately selected patients; however, novel ablative treatment options have emerged, such as radiofrequency ablation (RFA), which can improve the prognosis of both hepatic and biliary tumors. RFA is aimed to generate an area of necrosis within the targeted tissue by applying thermal therapy via an electrode, with a goal to completely eradicate the tumor while preserving surrounding healthy tissue. Role of RFA in management of hepatic and biliary tumors forms the focus of our current mini-review article.

Experience With Changing Etiology and Nontransplant Curative Treatment Modalities for Hepatocellular Carcinoma in a Real-Life Setting-A Retrospective Descriptive Analysis

BACKGROUND

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has variable etiological risk factors. Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) and surgical resection (SR) are frequently used as curative treatment options. In the present study, we assessed the etiological factors and efficacy of RFA and SR in patients with unifocal HCC in a real-life setting.

METHODS

Of 870 patients with HCC seen over a period of nine years, 785 patients were assessed for stage and etiological risk factors. Of these, 110 (14%) patients with single HCC who were either treated with RFA (n = 72) or SR (n = 38) were evaluated for their outcomes in terms of overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) over 3 years.

RESULTS

Of 785 patients [median age 60 (range 51-65) years, males (n = 685, 87.3%)] with HCC, viral hepatitis [HBV and HCV with or without alcohol = 502 (63.9%)] was the most common etiology; nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and alcohol as an etiology showed increase over the years. About 677 (86.2%) patients had evidence of cirrhosis; NASH and HBV were predominant causes in noncirrhotic patients. Even though the groups were not matched, in 110 patients subjected to either RFA [mean tumor size, 2.2 (1.9-2.8) cm] or SR [mean tumor size, 7.1 (4.8-9.7) cm], tumor progression was observed in 49 (68%) and 16 (42%) patients in RFA and SR groups, respectively, with superior DFS in the SR group (P < 0.01). Of total 31 deaths, 20 (27.8%) deaths were in the RFA group and 11 (28.9%) in the SR group with no difference in OS at 3 years.

CONCLUSION

Viral hepatitis with or without alcohol is the commonest etiological factor for HCC in Northern India; NASH and alcohol are increasing over the years. In a real-life setting, in patients with unifocal HCC, there is no difference in overall 3-year survival subjected to SR or RFA with better DFS in the SR group.

The predictive value of vessels encapsulating tumor clusters in treatment optimization for recurrent early-stage hepatocellular carcinoma

Background

The predictive value of vessels encapsulating tumor clusters (VETC) in recurrent early‐stage hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains unclear. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to investigate the prognostic significance of VETC in patients with recurrent early‐stage HCC after repeat hepatic resection (RHR) or radiofrequency ablation (RFA).

Methods

From December 2005 to December 2016, 138 patients receiving RHR and 188 patients receiving RFA were recruited. VETC was evaluated by immunohistochemical staining for CD34. The survival outcomes of patients with VETC pattern or not were investigated.

Results

There was no significant difference between the RHR and RFA groups in disease‐free survival (DFS) or overall survival (OS) as determined by the univariate analysis of the whole cohort. In the subgroup analysis of the VETC‐positive cohort, the patients in the RHR group showed a longer median DFS time in contrast to those in the RFA group (15.0 vs. 5.0 months, p = 0.001). Similarly, the patients in the RHR group showed a longer median OS time in contrast to those in the RFA group (39.5 vs. 19 months, p = 0.001). In the VETC‐negative cohort, no significant differences in DFS and OS rates between the RHR and RFA groups were observed (p > 0.05).

Conclusions

The results of our study suggested that RHR was relatively safe and superior to RFA in improving survival outcomes for recurrent early‐stage HCC after initial hepatectomy. Furthermore, the VETC pattern may represent a reliable marker for selecting HCC patients who may benefit from RHR.

How to Treat Hepatocellular Carcinoma in Elderly Patients

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the primary tumour of the liver with the greatest incidence, particularly in the elderly. Additionally, improvements in the treatments for chronic liver diseases have increased the number of elderly patients who might be affected by HCC. Little evidence exists regarding HCC in old patients, and the elderly are still underrepresented and undertreated in clinical trials. In fact, this population represents a complex subgroup of patients who are hard to manage, especially due to the presence of multiple comorbidities. Therefore, the choice of treatment is mainly decided by the physician in the clinical practice, who often tend not to treat elderly patients in order to avoid the possibility of adverse events, which may alter their unstable equilibrium. In this context, the clarification of the optimal treatment strategy for elderly patients affected by HCC has become an urgent necessity. The aim of this review is to provide an overview of the available data regarding the treatment of HCC in elderly patients, starting from the definition of "elderly" and the geriatric assessment and scales. We explain the possible treatment choices according to the Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) scale and their feasibility in the elderly population.

Single-nodule hepatitis B virus-associated hepatocellular carcinoma smaller than 3 cm: two phenotypes defined by cluster analysis and their association with the outcome of ablation as the first-line therapy

OBJECTIVES

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a heterogeneous disease. This study aimed to identify the heterogeneity related to the prognosis of ablation in patients with single-nodule hepatitis B virus (HBV)-associated HCC ≤3 cm.

METHODS

A total of 359 patients with single-nodule HBV-associated HCC ≤3 cm treated with curative thermal ablation were retrospectively investigated. Hierarchical cluster analysis was applied to obtain more homogeneous patient clusters concerning demographic and physiological characteristics. Discriminant analysis was performed to identify the relatively important variables for cluster analysis. Multiple correspondence analysis (MCA) was used to clarify the relationship between clusters and categorical variables. Overall survival (OS) was compared among clusters using the Kaplan-Meier model.

RESULTS

A two-cluster model was identified. Cluster 1 (n = 85) showed a higher percentage of female and older patients, higher inflammation response (higher prognostic nutritional index [PNI] and Glasgow prognostic score [GPS]), worse liver function (higher albumin-bilirubin grade and Child-Pugh grade), and relatively poorer immune status (higher neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio [NLR]) than cluster 2 (n = 274). NLR and GPS were the two most influential variables for cluster analysis (p < .0001). Cluster 2 had a significantly better prognosis than cluster 1. MCA revealed a clear negative correlation between inflammation status and liver function. Compared with cluster 1, the hazard ratios for OS of cluster 2 were 0.47 and 0.52 before and after adjusting for age, respectively (p < .05).

CONCLUSIONS

This study identified two sub-phenotypes of patients with single-nodule HBV-associated HCC ≤3 cm and their association with the outcome of thermal ablation alone as the first-line therapy. Key points Thermal ablation alone as the first-line therapy is not suitable for all patients with single-nodule hepatitis B virus (HBV)-associated hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) ≤3 cm. Patients with single-nodule HBV-associated HCC ≤3 cm can be identified as two sub-phenotypes associated with the outcome of thermal ablation alone as the first-line therapy, based on key preoperative clinical characteristics, especially inflammatory response and immune status. Patients with single-nodule HBV-associated HCC ≤3 cm characterized by late-onset disease, worse liver function, poorer immune status, and higher inflammatory response (with higher inflammatory response being the most important factor) are not suitable for thermal ablation alone as the first-line therapy. In contrast, patients with single-nodule HBV-associated HCC ≤3 cm characterized by early-onset disease, better liver function, lower inflammatory response, and good immune status (with lower inflammatory response being the most important factor) are particularly suitable for thermal ablation alone. Implications for patient care In the treatment of patients with single-nodule HBV-associated HCC ≤3 cm, thermal ablation alone as the first-line therapy should be carefully considered after recognizing the key clinical characteristics, among which inflammatory response and immune status are the two most important factors involved in clinical heterogeneity, and inflammatory response is closely related to the prognosis of thermal ablation alone as the first-line therapy for these patients.

Data driven decision-making for older patients with hepatocellular carcinoma

Older age is a risk factor for the development of HCC. However, the treatment options available for older patients with HCC, their safety, efficacy and utility, are poorly understood resulting in challenging decision-making. In this review, we aim to report the best available evidence to facilitate optimal decision making for older patients with HCC. We report that surgical resection for HCC is equally safe (90-day mortality ~3%) and effective (five-year disease free survival ~40%) for older patients as it is for younger patients. Five-year survival after ablation therapy for HCC is in excess of 50% in older patients, whilst morbidity rates are in the region of 3%. Survival rates of 30% after chemoembolisation reflects its role as a non-curative treatment. Transplantation is an option that may be helpful for a minority of patients, but the high risks of in-hospital mortality and lower likelihood of receiving a transplant should be duly considered before committing to this approach. We therefore advocate an individualised assessment for older patients based on these risk profiles and probabilities of optimal outcomes. In patients with a projected life-span ≥ 3 years, and who have sufficient physiological and functional reserve, surgical resection should be the treatment of choice. Patients with a projected life-span < 3 years are better served with loco-regional therapies, and tumour size, at a threshold of 3 cm, should guide the choice between ablation and chemoembolisation therapies.

Differences in Survival Between First-Line Radiofrequency Ablation versus Surgery for Early-Stage Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Population Study Using the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Database

Background

The first-line therapy for early-stage hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is unclear. This study was conducted to assess and compare survival after surgery vs. after radiofrequency ablation (RFA) for early-stage HCC.

Material/Methods

Data from HCC patients with a single tumor measuring 31–50 mm were extracted from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database from 2004 to 2015. Overall survival (OS) and cancer-specific survival (CSS) were assessed and compared between surgery and RFA treatment. Propensity score matching was performed. Multiple imputations were used to create 5 sets of complete data. Fine and Gray competing risk multivariate regression models were used to control biases.

Results

This study included 839 patients: 339 (40.41%) received RFA and 500 (59.59%) underwent surgery. Surgery improved the 5-year OS (63.95% vs. 37.13%, p<0.01) and CSS (64.01% vs. 38.29%, p<0.01) compared with RFA after propensity score matching. The competing risk regression models revealed that, compared with RFA, surgery resulted in better survival in the unmatched cohort with an adjusted sub-distribution hazard ratio of 0.689 (95% confident interval [CI], 0.562–0.868; p=0.001) and in the propensity-matched cohort with an adjusted sub-distribution hazard ratio of 0.642 (95% CI, 0.514–0.801; p<0.001).

Conclusions

Surgery appears to be a better therapy choice than RFA for patients with early-stage HCC with a single tumor measuring 31–50 mm.

Nonsurgical Approaches to Treat Biliary Tract and Liver Tumors

Endoscopic and percutaneous therapies have been shown to prolong life and reduce morbidity for patients with unresectable advanced stages of primary hepatobiliary malignancies. This article reviews pertinent studies published within the last 5 years that involve locoregional techniques to manage hepatocellular carcinoma, perihilar and distal cholangiocarcinoma. A major emphasis is placed on photodynamic therapy, radiofrequency ablation, irreversible electroporation, and microwave ablation. Technical advances, combinational therapies, and postintervention outcomes are discussed. Despite widespread application, high-quality evidence does not show superiority of any particular locoregional technique for treating advanced hepatobiliary cancers.

Do Elderly Patients With Stage I-II Hepatocellular Carcinoma Benefit From More Radical Surgeries? A Population-Based Analysis

Background and Aims: The best treatment modalities for elderly patients with stage I–II HCC (hepatocellular carcinoma) remain controversial in an era of a shortage of liver donors.

Methods: From the SEER database (Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results program), 2,371 elderly patients were sampled as Cohort 1. OS (Overall Survival) and CSS (Cancer-Specific Survival) were compared between the Non-surgery and Surgery groups. A stratification analysis in a CSS Cox model was also conducted among sub-groups, and propensity score matching was performed to generate Cohort 2 (746 pairs), reducing the influences of confounders.

Results: For Cohort 1, the median follow-up times of the Non-surgery and Surgery groups were 11 months (95% CI, confidence interval: 9.74–12.26) vs. 49 months (44.80–53.21) in OS, and 14 months (12.33–15.67) vs. 74 months (64.74–83.26) in CSS, respectively. In the stratification analysis, for the elderly patients (age >= 70 years), Larger Resection was associated with a higher HR (hazard ratio) than Segmental Resection: 0.30 (95% CI, confidence interval: 0.22–0.41) vs. 0.29 (0.21–0.38) in 70–74 year-olds; 0.26 (0.18–0.38) vs. 0.23 (0.16–0.32) in 75–79 year-olds; 0.32 (0.21–0.49) vs. 0.21 (0.13–0.32) in those 80+ years old. For Cohort 2, a similar result could be seen in the CSS Cox forest plot. The HRs of Larger Resection and Segmental Resection were 0.27 (0.21–0.33) and 0.25 (0.20–0.31), respectively.

Conclusions: It is cautiously recommended that, when liver transplantation is not available, segmental or wedge liver resection is the better treatment choice for elderly patients with stage I–II HCC (AJCC edition 6), especially those over 70 years old, compared with other surgeries, based on the SEER data.

Comprehensive analysis of posttranslational protein modifications in aging of subcellular compartments

Enzymatic and non-enzymatic posttranslational protein modifications by oxidation, glycation and acylation are key regulatory mechanisms in hallmarks of aging like inflammation, altered epigenetics and decline in proteostasis. In this study a mouse cohort was used to monitor changes of posttranslational modifications in the aging process. A protocol for the extraction of histones, cytosolic and mitochondrial proteins from mouse liver was developed and validated. In total, 6 lysine acylation structures, 7 advanced glycation endproducts, 6 oxidative stress markers, and citrullination were quantitated in proteins of subcellular compartments using HPLC-MS/MS. Methionine sulfoxide, acetylation, formylation, and citrullination were the most abundant modifications. Histone proteins were extraordinary high modified and non-enzymatic modifications accumulated in all subcellular compartments during the aging process. Compared to acetylation of histone proteins which gave between 350 and 305 µmol/mol leucine equivalents in young and old animals, modifications like acylation, glycation, and citrullination raised to 43%, 20%, and 18% of acetylation, respectively. On the other hand there was an age related increase of selected oxidative stress markers by up to 150%. The data and patterns measured in this study are mandatory for further studies and will strongly facilitate understanding of the molecular mechanisms in aging.

Comparative Effectiveness of Radiofrequency Ablation vs. Surgical Resection for Patients With Solitary Hepatocellular Carcinoma Smaller Than 5 cm

Background: This study aims to compare survival outcome after receiving radiofrequency ablation (RFA) and surgical resection (SR) for solitary hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with size large as 5 cm.

Methods: The SEER database was queried for patients with HCC tumors who were treated with RFA or SR between 2004 and 2015. Univariate and multivariate Cox analysis was used to assess the influence of potential variables on the patients' outcome. Additionally, propensity score matching (PSM) and multiple imputations (MI) were used as sensitivity analyses.

Results: Of 1,985 cases, 934 patients received RFA treatment, while the rest underwent surgical resection. The patients in the RFA group had poorer overall survival (OS) and cancer-specific survival (CSS) than those in the SR group regardless of the tumor size before matching and MI. By using PSM analysis at a 1:1 ratio, 1,302 cases were paired and we have found that SR had a positive impact on OS and CSS of patients with tumors measuring from 3.1 to 5 cm. However, when the tumor size was <3 cm, patients undergoing SR had similar survival benefit with those after RFA. The above results were confirmed after performing PSM analysis at a 1:2 and 1:3 ratio.

Conclusion: By applying several effective sensitivity analyses, we demonstrated that OS and CSS were similar between the patients with tumors smaller than 3 cm receiving RFA and SR. But SR may be a superior treatment option with better long-term outcome than RFA in patients with tumor measuring 3.1–5 cm.

Hepatic Resection Is Associated With Improved Long-Term Survival Compared to Radio-Frequency Ablation in Patients With Multifocal Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Background: The prognosis of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is of major public health interest. However, studies comparing hepatic resection (HR) and radio-frequency ablation (RFA) applied to multifocal HCC are limited. This study aimed to compare the efficacies of HR and RFA in patients with multifocal HCC.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed a cohort from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database between 2004 and 2015. Disease-specific survival and overall survival rates were assessed before and after propensity score matching (PSM).

Results: In total, 2,201 patients with multifocal HCC treated with HR (n = 1,095) or RFA (n = 1,106) were included; 1,096 patients were identified after nearest-neighbor PSM at a ratio of 1:1 (HR: n = 548; RFA: n = 548). In the multivariate Cox regression model, HR was associated with significantly improved disease-specific survival [before PSM: hazard ratio 0.67, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.57–0.79, p < 0.001; after PSM: hazard ratio 0.69, 95% CI 0.58–0.82, p < 0.001] and overall survival (before PSM: hazard ratio 0.67, 95% CI 0.58–0.78, p < 0.001; after PSM: hazard ratio 0.69, 95% CI 0.59–0.80, p < 0.001) compared to RFA in patients with multifocal HCC. In the survival curve analysis, the disease-specific survival of the HR group was similar to that of the RFA group before PSM (p = 0.936, log-rank test) but was significantly longer after PSM (p < 0.001) in all patients. Multivariate analyses revealed that differentiation grade, alpha-fetoprotein, tumor size, and tumor extension were independent predictors of poor prognosis in patients with multifocal HCC.

Conclusions: The long-term survival rate of HR is better than that of RFA in patients with multifocal HCC. HR may serve as a first-line treatment for patients with multifocal HCC. The presence of large tumors and vascular invasion are not contraindications for HR.

Is the treatment outcome of hepatocellular carcinoma inferior in elderly patients?

In view of the increasing life expectancy in different parts of the world, a larger proportion of elderly patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) requiring oncological treatment is expected. The clinicopathological characteristics of HCC in elderly patients and in younger patients are different. Elderly patients, in general, also have more comorbidities. Evaluation of the efficacy of different HCC treatment options in elderly patients is necessary to optimize treatment outcomes for them. Treatment modalities for HCC include hepatectomy, liver transplantation, radiofrequency ablation, transarterial chemoembolization, and molecular-targeted therapy with sorafenib. In this review, current evidence on the risks and outcomes of the different HCC treatments for elderly patients are discussed. According to data in the literature, elderly patients and younger patients benefited similarly from HCC treatments. More clinical data are needed for the determination of selecting criteria on elderly HCC patients to maximize their chance of getting the most appropriate and effective treatments. As such, further studies evaluating the outcomes of different HCC treatment modalities in elderly patients are warranted.