Characteristics of Newly Diagnosed Hepatocellular Carcinoma Patients Across Turkey: Prospective Multicenter Observational 3K Registry Study

AIMS

To evaluate patient profile for epidemiological and clinicopathological characteristics and potential risk/prognostic factors in newly diagnosed hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients across Turkey.

METHODS

A total of 547 patients (mean (SD) age 62.6 (10.3) years, 81.9% were males) were included in this registry study. Data on patient characteristics, etiologies of HCC, laboratory values, and tumor characteristics and stages were recorded at study enrollment.

RESULTS

HBV infection (68.2%) was the leading etiology, followed by HCV infection (17.2%), HDV infection (5.5%), alcohol (6.4%), and NAFLD (3.5%), as the major etiologies. Considering that 51.6% of the patients had >5 cm HCC, 44% were Child-Pugh B/C and 57% were BCLC B-D, it appears that a significant group of HCC patients were diagnosed at advanced stages. Of 540 patients, 271 (50.2%) were referred or applied with the diagnosis of HCC. Patients with HCC at presentation had larger tumor size (median (min-max) 6.6 (0-30) vs. 4.8 (0-90) cm, P < .001) and more advanced BCLC stage (Stage C-D in 40.8% vs. 26.4%, respectively, P = .005), compared to patients who were diagnosed during follow-up.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings revealed that HBV infection was the leading etiology and a moderate-to-advanced disease was evident in more than half of patients at the time of diagnosis. HCC patients diagnosed at follow-up had smaller tumor size and earlier BCLC stage.

Changes in Liver Tissue Trace Element Concentrations During Hepatitis B Viral Infection Treatment

Approximately 350-400 million people in the world have Hbs Ag (hepatitis B virus surface antigen) positivity. In the international guidelines, the permanent suppression of replication in chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection therapy is reported as the primary therapeutic goal. Trace elements play a key role in liver diseases. The aim of our study is to determine some trace element concentrations in the liver during HBV treatment periods. The measurement of 11 trace elements (manganese, lead, nickel, chromium, cadmium, iron, copper, zinc, silver, cobalt, and aluminum) was carried out by the method of inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry in liver biopsy materials (before starting treatment and at the sixth month of the treatment period). There was an increase in zinc and copper concentrations in liver materials at the sixth month of treatment compared to the pre-treatment values (the median zinc value was 48.05 μg/g before treatment and 74.9 μg/g at 6 months after initial treatment, p = 0.035; median copper was 2.82 μg/g before treatment and 5.31 μg/g after 6 months, p = 0.002). General estimations indicated that zinc (p = 0.002), iron (p = 0.0244), copper (p = 0.0003), and aluminum (p = 0.0239) values may be effective in HAI (histological activity index) changes. Only iron levels could be at a very low level effective on the changes caused by fibrosis (p = 0.0002). Liver tissue zinc and copper levels increased in parallel with the improvement of inflammation in antiviral-treated HBV patients. In addition, the levels of zinc and copper in the liver tissue can be useful markers for liver tissue damage detection.

Management of iatrogenic injuries due to endoscopic sphincterotomy: Surgical or conservative approaches

OBJECTIVE

The best therapeutic approach for endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography-related perforations remains controversial; while some authors suggest routine conservative management, others advocate mandatory surgical exploration. We aimed to evaluate our clinical experience of perforations during endoscopic sphincterotomy.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

A retrospective chart review from January 2010 to October 2015 identified 20 patients with endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography-related perforations. Data collection included demographics, time to diagnosis, type of perforation, treatment strategy, surgical procedure, complications, hospital stay, and outcome. All patients were classified into two groups on the basis of radiological and operative findings.

RESULTS

Only five patients underwent surgical treatment, whereas 15 patients were managed conservatively. The mean time to diagnosis was 7.8 hrs (range: 1 to 36 hrs). In patients who underwent surgical treatment, the types of perforations included type I and III in one patient each and type II in three patients. Surgical procedures included laparoscopic and open cholecystectomy with t-tube drainage in two patients each and primary repair of duodenal injury with hepaticojejunostomy in one patient. Among conservatively managed patients, eight, four, and three had type II, type III, and type IV injuries, respectively. Of these 15 patients, 60% (n=9) underwent percutaneous procedures. The mean length of hospital stay was similar for conservatively and surgically treated patients (12 vs. 12.4 days, respectively, p=0.790). One patient (5%) with type I injury died of multiorgan deficiency.

CONCLUSION

With close close clinical follow-up, medical treatment can be beneficial for most patients, and surgical procedures should be reserved for patients with type I (definite) and type II/III injuries; in patients with these clinical parameters, conservative management will likely be unsuccessful.

A rare cause of Fatty liver and elevated aminotransferase levels: chanarin-dorfman syndrome: a case report

Chanarin-Dorfman syndrome is a rare, inherited metabolic disorder of neutral lipid storage characterized by ichthyosis, lipid vacuoles in leukocytes, and involvement of several internal organs, mostly the liver. Since the initial case was reported by Dorfman in 1974, nearly 50 cases have been reported, and the majority were from Middle East countries. Here, we report a 20-year-old patient with ichthyosis from Turkey, diagnosed as Chanarin-Dorfman syndrome presented with asypmtomatic elevated transaminases and hepatosteatosis, and also briefly review the updated clinical implications and management of this rarely seen syndrome. Prompt diagnosis of this syndrome avoids further unnecessary investigations in patients with ichthyosis.