Apprising the choice of bariatric surgery in patients with compensated cirrhosis with morbid obesity: results of a national analysis.

Bariatric surgery (BS) was proved safe in carefully selected patients with compensated cirrhosis (CC). However, limited data exist on differential impact of bariatric surgery type on clinical outcomes and health care utilization. This retrospective study utilizes the 2010-2014 Nationwide Readmissions Database. We included obese adults with CC who underwent the two most commonly used BS, Roux-en-Y (RYGB) and laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG). Those with decompensation within 6 months of BS were excluded. Rates of hepatic decompensation (new-onset ascites, variceal bleed, encephalopathy, spontaneous bacterial peritonitis, and/or hepatorenal syndrome), surgical complications, health care utilization, and mortality were compared between RYGB and LSG. Multivariable analysis was performed to fit various models. A total of 3032 patients with CC underwent BS, including 1864 (61.5%) RYGB and 1168 (38.5%) LSG. The majority (56%) of BS were performed at large, metropolitan teaching hospitals. There were no significant differences in various decompensations and surgical complications comparing RYGB to LSG. Healthcare utilization including index length of stay (RYGB: 3.4 days vs LSG: 3.0 days), 30-day readmission rate (RYGB: 9.5% vs LSG: 3.7%), and cost of admission (RYGB: $14,006 vs LSG: $12,523) were higher in RYGB (p values < 0.001). Index admission and calendar year mortality could not be analyzed due to the few number of events. Two types of bariatric surgeries in obese patients with compensated cirrhosis have similar rates of decompensated cirrhosis events and surgical complications. However, RYGB procedure incurred increased healthcare utilization. Therefore, LSG may be the preferred BS for patients with CC. Prospective, randomized studies comparing the types of BS are needed to confirm our observations.

Trends and Health Care Outcomes Among Living Liver Donors: Are We Ready to Expand the Donor Pool With Living Liver Donations?

We studied the trends and various outcomes, including the readmission rates, health care utilization, and complications among living liver donors (LLDs) in the United States. We queried the National Database for data from 2010 to 2017 for all LLDs. The primary outcomes were 30-day and 90-day readmission rates. The secondary outcomes included health care use (length of stay [LOS], cost of care), index admission, and calendar-year mortality. Logistic regression models were fit for various outcomes. A total of 1316 LLDs underwent hepatectomy during the study period. The median donor age was 35.0 years (interquartile range, 27.4-43.6), and donors were predominantly women (54.2%). The trend of LLD surgeries remained stable at large medical centers (85.3%). The 30-day and 90-day readmission rates were low at 5% and 5.9%, respectively. Older age (50 years and older; 8%; confidence interval [CI], 0.6%-15.9%; P = 0.03) and hepatectomy at small to medium-sized hospitals were associated with increased index LOS (13.4%; 95% CI, 3.1%-24.7%; P = 0.01). Moreover, older age of donor (-11.3%; 95% CI, -20.3% to -1.4%; P = 0.03), Elixhauser score ≥3 (17%; 95% CI, 1.2%-35.3%; P = 0.03), and Medicaid insurance (24.5%; 95% CI, 1.2%-53.1%; P = 0.04) were also associated with increased cost. The overall rate of any complications during index admission was 42.8%. Male sex (odds ratio [OR], 1.63; 95% CI, 1.19-2.23) was an independent predictor of post-LLD complications. There was no index admission or calendar-year mortality reported during the study period. This is the largest national report of LLDs to date, showing that the trend of LLD surgeries is stable in the United States. With established safety, fewer complications, and less health care utilization, LLDs can be a potential source of continuation of liver transplantation in the context of changing liver allocation policies in the United States.

Prognostic Value of the 13 C-Methacetin Breath Test in Adults with Acute Liver Failure and Non-acetaminophen Acute Liver Injury.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The 13 C-methacetin breath test (MBT) is a noninvasive, quantitative hepatic metabolic function test. The aim of this prospective, multicenter study was to determine the utility of initial and serial 13 C-MBT in predicting 21-day outcomes in adults with acute liver failure (ALF) and non-acetaminophen acute liver injury (ALI). APPROACH AND RESULTS: The 13 C-MBT BreathID device (Exalenz Biosciences, Ltd.) provided the percent dose recovery (PDR) for a duration of 60 minutes after administration of 13 C-methacetin solution as the change in exhaled 13 CO2 /12 CO2 compared with pre-ingestion ratio on study days 1, 2, 3, 5, and 7. Results were correlated with 21-day transplant-free survival and other prognostic indices. A total of 280 subjects were screened for enrollment between May 2016 and August 2019. Median age of the 62 enrolled patients with adequate data was 43 years, 79% were Caucasian, 76% had ALF with the remaining 24% having ALI. The mean PDR peak on day 1 or day 2 was significantly lower in nonsurvivors compared with transplant-free survivors (2.3%/hour vs. 9.1%/hour; P < 0.0001). In addition, serial PDR peaks were consistently lower in nonsurvivors versus survivors (P < 0.0001). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) of the 13 C-MBT in the combined cohort was 0.88 (95% CI: 0.79-0.97) and higher than that provided by King's College (AUROC = 0.70) and Model for End-Stage Liver Disease scores (AUROC = 0.83). The 13 C-MBT was well tolerated with only two gastrointestinal adverse events reported. CONCLUSIONS: The 13 C-MBT is a promising tool to estimate the likelihood of hepatic recovery in patients with ALF and ALI. Use of the PDR peak data from the 13 C-MBT point-of-care test may assist with medical decision making and help avoid unnecessary transplantation in critically ill patients with ALF and ALI.

Role of Hepatitis E Virus Infection in North American Patients With Severe Acute Liver Injury.

INTRODUCTION: The aim of this study was to determine the role of hepatitis E virus (HEV) infection in a large cohort of prospectively enrolled patients with severe acute liver injury (ALI). METHODS: Serum samples from 594 consecutive adults enrolled between 2008 and 2018 in the US Acute Liver Failure Study Group ALI registry were tested for anti-HEV IgM and anti-HEV IgG levels. Those with detectable anti-HEV IgM underwent further testing for HEV RNA using real-time polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS: The median age of patients was 38 years; 41% were men and 72% Caucasian. Etiologies of ALI included acetaminophen hepatotoxicity (50%), autoimmune hepatitis (8.9%), hepatitis B virus (8.9%), and idiosyncratic drug-induced liver injury (7.9%). Overall, 62 patients (10.4%) were negative for anti-HEV IgM but positive for IgG, whereas only 3 men (0.5%) were positive for both anti-HEV IgM and IgG. These 3 cases were initially diagnosed as having indeterminate, HEV, and hepatitis B virus-related ALI. One of these patients had detectable HEV RNA genotype 3, and another anti-HEV IgM+ patient had detectable HEV antigens by immunohistochemistry on liver biopsy. On multivariate modeling, older (odds ratio: 1.99) and non-Caucasian subjects (odds ratio: 2.92) were significantly more likely to have detectable anti-HEV IgG (P < 0.0001). DISCUSSION: Acute HEV infection is an infrequent cause of ALI in hospitalized North American adults. The anti-HEV IgG+ patients were significantly older and more likely to be non-Caucasian. These data are consistent with other population-based studies that indicate exposure to HEV in the general US population is declining over time and might reflect a cohort effect.

Thirty-day readmission rates, trends and its impact on liver transplantation recipients: a national analysis.

Reduction of early hospital readmissions is a declared goal in the United States economic and quality improvement agenda. A retrospective study was performed using the Nationwide Readmissions Database from 2010 to 2014. Our primary aim was to study the rate of early readmissions and its predictors in liver transplant recipients (LTRs). Our secondary aims were to determine the trends of LT, reasons for readmission, costs and predictors of calendar year mortality. Multivariable logistic regression and Cox proportional hazards models were utilized. The 30-day readmission rate was 30.6% among a total of 25,054 LTRs. Trends of LT were observed to be increased in patients > 65 years (11.7-17.8%, p < 0.001) and decreased in 40-64 years (78.0-73.5%, p = 0.001) during study period. The majority of 30-day readmissions were due to post transplant complications, with packed red blood cell transfusions being the most common intervention during readmission. Medicaid or Medicare insurance, surgery at low and medium volume centers, infections, hemodialysis, liver biopsy, and length of stay > 10 days were the predictors of 30-day readmission. Moreover, number of early readmission, age > 64 years, non-alcoholic cirrhosis, and length of stay > 10 days were significant predictor of calendar year mortality in LTRs. Approximately one third of patients require early admission after LT. Early readmission not only increases burden on healthcare, but is also associated with calendar year mortality. Strategies should be implemented to reduce readmission in patients with high risk of readmission identified in our study.

Bariatric Surgery in Patients with Cirrhosis: Careful Patient and Surgery-Type Selection Is Key to Improving Outcomes.

PURPOSE: Previous reports suggest an increased mortality in cirrhotic patients undergoing bariatric surgery (BS). With advancements in management of BS, we aim to study the trends, outcomes, and their predictors in patients with cirrhosis undergoing BS. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective study was performed using the National Database from 2008 to 2013. Outcomes of BS in patients with cirrhosis were studied. In-hospital mortality, length of stay, and cost of care were compared between patients with no cirrhosis (NC), compensated cirrhosis (CC), and decompensated cirrhosis (DC). Multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed to study the predictors of mortality. RESULTS: Of the 558,017 admissions of patients who underwent BS during the study period, 3086 (0.55%) had CC and 103 (0.02%) had DC. An upward trend of vertical sleeve gastrectomy (VSG) utilization was seen during the study period. On multivariate analysis, mortality in CC was comparable with those in NC (aOR 1.88; CI 0.65-5.46); however, it was higher in DC (aOR 83.8; CI 19.3-363.8). Other predictors of mortality were older age (aOR 1.06; CI 1.04-1.08), male (aOR 2.59; CI 1.76-3.81), Medicare insurance (aOR 1.93; CI 1.24-3.01), lower income (aORs 0.44 to 0.55 for 2nd to 4th income quartile vs. 1st quartile), > 3 Elixhauser Comorbidity Index (aOR 5.30; CI 3.45-8.15), undergoing Roux-en-Y gastric bypass as opposed to VSG (aOR 3.90; CI 1.79-8.48), and centers performing < 50 BS per year (aOR 5.25; CI 3.38-8.15). Length of stay and hospital cost were also significantly higher in patients with cirrhosis as compared with those with NC. CONCLUSION: Patients with compensated cirrhosis can be considered for bariatric surgery. However, careful selection of patients, procedure type, and volume of surgical center is integral in improving outcomes and healthcare utilization in patients with cirrhosis undergoing BS.

Provider Attitudes and Practice Patterns for Direct-Acting Antiviral Therapy for Patients With Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) are effective against hepatitis C virus and sustained virologic response is associated with reduced incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, there is controversy over the use of DAAs in patients with active or treated HCC and uncertainty about optimal management of these patients. We aimed to characterize attitudes and practice patterns of hepatology practitioners in the United States regarding the use of DAAs in patients with HCC. METHODS: We conducted a survey of hepatology providers at 47 tertiary care centers in 25 states. Surveys were sent to 476 providers and we received 279 responses (58.6%). RESULTS: Provider beliefs about risk of HCC recurrence after DAA therapy varied: 48% responded that DAAs reduce risk, 36% responded that DAAs do not change risk, and 16% responded that DAAs increase risk of HCC recurrence. However, most providers believed DAAs to be beneficial to and reduce mortality of patients with complete response to HCC treatment. Accordingly, nearly all providers (94.9%) reported recommending DAA therapy to patients with early-stage HCC who received curative treatment. However, fewer providers recommended DAA therapy for patients with intermediate (72.9%) or advanced (57.5%) HCC undergoing palliative therapies. Timing of DAA initiation varied among providers based on HCC treatment modality: 49.1% of providers reported they would initiate DAA therapy within 3 months of surgical resection whereas 45.9% and 5.0% would delay DAA initiation for 3-12 months and >1 year post-surgery, respectively. For patients undergoing transarterial chemoembolization (TACE), 42.0% of providers would provide DAAs within 3 months of the procedure, 46.7% would delay DAAs until 3-12 months afterward, and 11.3% would delay DAAs more than 1 year after TACE. CONCLUSIONS: Based on a survey sent to hepatology providers, there is variation in provider attitudes and practice patterns regarding use and timing of DAAs for patients with HCC. Further studies are needed to characterize the risks and benefits of DAA therapy in this patient population.

A validated risk model for prediction of early readmission in patients with hepatic encephalopathy.

INTRODUCTION AND AIM: Hepatic encephalopathy (HE) is a common complication in cirrhotics and is associated with an increased healthcare burden. Our aim was to study independent predictors of 30-day readmission and develop a readmission risk model in patients with HE. Secondary aims included studying readmission rates, cost, and the impact of readmission on mortality. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We utilized the 2013 Nationwide Readmission Database (NRD) for hospitalized patients with HE. A risk assessment model based on index hospitalization variables for predicting 30-day readmission was developed using multivariate logistic regression and validated with the 2014 NRD. Patients were stratified into Low Risk and High Risk groups. Cox regression models were fit to identify predictors of calendar-year mortality. RESULTS: Of 24,473 cirrhosis patients hospitalized with HE, 32.4% were readmitted within 30 days. Predictors of readmission included presence of ascites (OR: 1.19; 95% CI: 1.06-1.33), receiving paracentesis (OR: 1.43; 95% CI: 1.26-1.62) and acute kidney injury (OR: 1.11; 95% CI: 1.00-1.22). Our validated model stratified patients into Low Risk and High Risk of 30-day readmissions (29% and 40%, respectively). The cost of the first readmission was higher than index admission in the 30-day readmission cohort ($14,198 vs. $10,386; p-value <0.001). Thirty-day readmission was the strongest predictor of calendar-year mortality (HR: 4.03; 95% CI: 3.49-4.65). CONCLUSIONS: Nearly one-third of patients with HE were readmitted within 30 days, and early readmission adversely impacted healthcare utilization and calendar-year mortality. With our proposed simple risk assessment model, patients at high risk for early readmissions can be identified to potentially avert poor outcomes.

Validation of Risk Score in Predicting Early Readmissions in Decompensated Cirrhotic Patients: A Model Based on the Administrative Database.

Early readmission in patients with decompensated liver cirrhosis leads to an enormous burden on health care use. A retrospective cohort study using the 2013 and 2014 Nationwide Readmission Database (NRD) was conducted. Patients with a diagnoses of cirrhosis and at least one feature of decompensation were included. The primary outcome was to develop a validated risk model for early readmission. Secondary outcomes were to study the 30-day all-cause readmission rate and the most common reasons for readmission. A multivariable logistic regression model was fit to identify predictors of readmissions. Finally, a risk model, the Mumtaz readmission risk score, was developed for prediction of 30-day readmission based on the 2013 NRD and validated on the 2014 NRD. A total of 123,011 patients were included. The 30-day readmission rate was 27%, with 79.6% of patients readmitted with liver-related diagnoses. Age <65 years; Medicare or Medicaid insurance; nonalcoholic etiology of cirrhosis; ≥3 Elixhauser score; presence of hepatic encephalopathy, ascites, variceal bleeding, hepatocellular carcinoma, paracentesis, or hemodialysis; and discharge against medical advice were independent predictors of 30-day readmission. This validated model enabled patients with decompensated cirrhosis to be stratified into groups with low (<20%), medium, (20%-30%), and high (>30%) risk of 30-day readmissions. Conclusion: One third of patients with decompensated cirrhosis are readmitted within 30 days of discharge. The use of a simple risk scoring model with high generalizability, based on demographics, clinical features, and interventions, can bring refinement to the prediction of 30-day readmission in high-risk patients; the Mumtaz readmission risk score highlights the need for targeted interventions in order to decrease rates of readmission within this population.

Effect of transplant center volume on post-transplant survival in patients listed for simultaneous liver and kidney transplantation.

AIM: To examine the effect of center size on survival differences between simultaneous liver kidney transplantation (SLKT) and liver transplantation alone (LTA) in SLKT-listed patients. METHODS: The United Network of Organ Sharing database was queried for patients ≥ 18 years of age listed for SLKT between February 2002 and December 2015. Post-transplant survival was evaluated using stratified Cox regression with interaction between transplant type (LTA vs SLKT) and center volume. RESULTS: During the study period, 393 of 4580 patients (9%) listed for SLKT underwent a LTA. Overall mortality was higher among LTA recipients (180/393, 46%) than SLKT recipients (1107/4187, 26%). The Cox model predicted a significant survival disadvantage for patients receiving LTA vs SLKT [hazard ratio, hazard ratio (HR) = 2.85; 95%CI: 2.21, 3.66; P < 0.001] in centers performing 30 SLKT over the study period. This disadvantage was modestly attenuated as center SLKT volume increased, with a 3% reduction (HR = 0.97; 95%CI: 0.95, 0.99; P = 0.010) for every 10 SLKs performed. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, LTA is associated with increased mortality among patients listed for SLKT. This difference is modestly attenuated at more experienced centers and may explain inconsistencies between smaller-center and larger registry-wide studies comparing SLKT and LTA outcomes.

Impact of transjugular intrahepatic porto-systemic shunt on post liver transplantation outcomes: Study based on the United Network for Organ Sharing database.

AIM: To determine the impact of transjugular intrahepatic porto-systemic shunt (TIPS) on post liver transplantation (LT) outcomes. METHODS: Utilizing the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) database, we compared patients who underwent LT from 2002 to 2013 who had underwent TIPS to those without TIPS for the management of ascites while on the LT waitlist. The impact of TIPS on 30-d mortality, length of stay (LOS), and need for re-LT were studied. For evaluation of mean differences between baseline characteristics for patients with and without TIPS, we used unpaired t-tests for continuous measures and χ2 tests for categorical measures. We estimated the impact of TIPS on each of the outcome measures. Multivariate analyses were conducted on the study population to explore the effect of TIPS on 30-d mortality post-LT, need for re-LT and LOS. All covariates were included in logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: We included adult patients (age ≥ 18 years) who underwent LT from May 2002 to September 2013. Only those undergoing TIPS after listing and before liver transplant were included in the TIPS group. We excluded patients with variceal bleeding within two weeks of listing for LT and those listed for acute liver failure or hepatocellular carcinoma. Of 114770 LT in the UNOS database, 32783 (28.5%) met inclusion criteria. Of these 1366 (4.2%) had TIPS between the time of listing and LT. We found that TIPS increased the days on waitlist (408 ± 553 d) as compared to those without TIPS (183 ± 330 d), P < 0.001. Multivariate analysis showed that TIPS had no effect on 30-d post LT mortality (OR = 1.26; 95%CI: 0.91-1.76) and re-LT (OR = 0.61; 95%CI: 0.36-1.05). Pre-transplant hepatic encephalopathy added 3.46 d (95%CI: 2.37-4.55, P < 0.001), followed by 2.16 d (95%CI: 0.92-3.38, P = 0.001) by TIPS to LOS. CONCLUSION: TIPS did increase time on waitlist for LT. More importantly, TIPS was not associated with 30-d mortality and re-LT, but it did lengthen hospital LOS after transplantation.

Trends and outcomes of transarterial chemoembolization in hepatocellular carcinoma: a national survey.

BACKGROUND: Transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) is a palliative procedure frequently used in patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We examined the national inpatient trends of TACE and related outcomes in the United States over the last decade. METHODS: We utilized the National Inpatient Sample (2002 to 2012) and performed trend analyses of TACE for HCC in all adult patients (age >18 years). Multivariate analyses for the outcomes of in-hospital "procedure-related complications" (PRCs) and "post-procedure complications" (PPCs) were performed. We also compared early (2002 to 2006) and late (2007 to 2012) eras by multivariate analyses to identify predictors of complications, healthcare resource utilization and mortality. RESULTS: Overall, 19058 patients underwent TACE for HCC where PRCs and PPCs were seen in 24.2% and 17.6% of patients, respectively. The overall trends in the use of TACE (P<0.001) and associated PRCs (P=0.006) were observed to be increasing. There was less mortality [adjusted Odds ratio (aOR): 0.58; 95% CI: 0.41, 0.82], reduced length of hospital stay (-1.87 days; 95% CI: -2.77, -0.97) and increased hospital charges ($19232; 95% CI: 11013, 27451) in the late era. Additionally, there was increased mortality (aOR: 4.07; 95% CI: 2.96, 5.59), PRCs (aOR: 3.21; 95% CI: 2.56, 4.02), and PPCs (aOR: 2.70; 95% CI: 2.11, 3.46) among patients with coagulopathy. CONCLUSIONS: There is an increasing trend of TACE utilization in HCC. However, the outcomes are worse in patients with coagulopathy. Although PRCs have increased, mortality has decreased in recent years. These findings should be considered during TACE evaluation in patients with HCC.

Development and Pilot of a Checklist for Management of Acute Liver Failure in the Intensive Care Unit.

INTRODUCTION: Acute liver failure (ALF) is an ideal condition for use of a checklist. Our aims were to develop a checklist for the management of ALF in the intensive care unit (ICU) and assess the usability of the checklist among multiple providers. METHODS: The initial checklist was developed from published guidelines and expert opinion. The checklist underwent pilot testing at 11 academic liver transplant centers in the US and Canada. An anonymous, written survey was used to assess the usability and quality of the checklist. Written comments were used to improve the checklist following the pilot testing period. RESULTS: We received 81 surveys involving the management of 116 patients during the pilot testing period. The overall quality of the checklist was judged to be above average to excellent by 94% of users. On a 5-point Likert scale, the majority of survey respondents agreed or agreed strongly with the following checklist characteristics: the checklist was easy to read (99% agreed/agreed strongly), easy to use (97%), items are categorized logically (98%), time to complete the checklist did not interfere with delivery of appropriate and safe patient care (94%) and was not excessively burdensome (92%), the checklist allowed the user the freedom to use his or her clinical judgment (80%), it is a useful tool in the management of acute liver failure (98%). Web-based and mobile apps were developed for use of the checklist at the point of care. CONCLUSION: The checklist for the management of ALF in the ICU was shown in this pilot study to be easy to use, helpful and accepted by a wide variety of practitioners at multiple sites in the US and Canada.

An indeterminate nodule in the cirrhotic liver discovered by surveillance imaging is a prelude to malignancy.

BACKGROUND: Surveillance imaging often shows indeterminate lesions in the cirrhotic liver, which may represent early hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), dysplastic or regenerative nodules, or vascular shunts. The risk of HCC after identification of an indeterminate nodule is not well described. METHODS: We identified 252 patients with cirrhosis and at least one indeterminate nodule discovered on surveillance imaging over a 4-year period. The incidence of HCC development within 2 years of nodule identification was measured along with baseline risk factors associated with developing HCC. RESULTS: The incidence of HCC in this population was 21% (53 of 252), and risk factors associated with HCC included chronic viral hepatitis, male gender, and low platelet count. The median time from identification of an indeterminate nodule to diagnosis of HCC was 2.7 months. Patients with indeterminate nodules who developed HCC were more likely have to have an indeterminate nodule with arterial enhancement. CONCLUSIONS: The 2-year incidence of HCC in the setting of cirrhosis and an indeterminate nodule discovered by surveillance imaging may be as high as one in five persons. Early follow-up imaging, biopsy, or empiric treatment should be considered for those at higher risk. Further, this population is well suited for early detection biomarker and chemoprevention studies.

Rapid acquisition technique for MR elastography of the liver.

Magnetic resonance elastography (MRE) of the liver is a novel noninvasive clinical diagnostic tool to stage fibrosis based on measured stiffness. The purpose of this study is to design, evaluate and validate a rapid MRE acquisition technique for noninvasively quantitating liver stiffness which reduces by half the scan time, thereby decreasing image registration errors between four MRE phase offsets. In vivo liver MRE was performed on 16 healthy volunteers and 14 patients with biopsy-proven liver fibrosis using the standard clinical gradient recalled echo (GRE) MRE sequence (MREs) and a developed rapid GRE MRE sequence (MREr) to obtain the mean stiffness in an axial slice. The mean stiffness values obtained from the entire group using MREs and MREr were 2.72±0.85 kPa and 2.7±0.85 kPa, respectively, representing an insignificant difference. A linear correlation of R(2)=0.99 was determined between stiffness values obtained using MREs and MREr. Therefore, we can conclude that MREr can replace MREs, which reduces the scan time to half of that of the current standard acquisition (MREs), which will facilitate MRE imaging in patients with inability to hold their breath for long periods.

Best radiological response to trans-arterial chemoembolization for hepatocellular carcinoma does not imply better outcomes.

INTRODUCTION: Regional therapy with trans-arterial chemoembolization (TACE) is a common treatment for unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Outcomes were examined in patients with the best radiological response (BR) after the initial TACE. METHODS: This was a retrospective cohort study of patients who underwent TACE as the initial treatment for HCC between the years 2000 and 2010. BR was defined as complete disappearance of the tumour or no enhancement with contrast on the first cross-sectional imaging study after the initial TACE. RESULTS: Seventy-eight out of 104 total consecutive patients were identified with the potential for a BR to TACE therapy for unresectable HCC, and 24 met the criteria for BR. Patients with BR had a median survival of 12.8 months (2.2-54.9) compared with 18.9 months(1.3-56.7) for the entire cohort (P= 0.313). The median time to progression was 10.6 months (1.2-24.3) in the BR group and 3.2 months (0.7-49.2) in the patients without a BR (P= 0.003). DISCUSSION: BR to initial TACE for unresectable HCC is associated with comparable survival to those without BR in spite of a longer time to cancer progression. It may be reasonable to consider further therapy such as repeat TACE or biological/systemic therapy in patients with HCC even when the radiological response to the initial TACE is favourable.

Inflammatory markers are associated with outcome in patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma undergoing transarterial chemoembolization.

BACKGROUND: The serum neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) is associated with outcomes in several solid organ cancers, including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). METHODS: We reviewed our experience in patients with HCC who underwent transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) as the initial treatment. Serum complete blood counts were used to calculate the NLR before and after TACE. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to determine survival and significant differences between groups by the log-rank test. RESULTS: There were 103 patients identified who underwent TACE for HCC. The median age was 60.5 years. Median overall survival was 12.6 (95% confidence interval 8.3-17) months. Median survival in patients with a high preprocedural NLR was 4.2 months compared to 15 months in those with a normal NLR (p = 0.021). In those whose NLR either rose 1 month after treatment or remained elevated, survival was worse compared to those who normalized or remained normal (18.6 vs. 10.6 months, p = 0.026). The same was true at 6 months (21.3 vs. 9.5 months, p = 0.002). An unresponsive NLR was associated with very poor outcome (median survival 3.7 months). Multivariate analysis of clinicopathologic factors showed that presence of extrahepatic disease and high NLR were independent factors associated with worse survival. CONCLUSIONS: Our study demonstrates that periprocedural trends of serum NLR are associated with outcome in unresectable HCC undergoing TACE. Serum NLR is easy to calculate from a routine complete blood count with differential. Along with liver function, serum NLR may be helpful to clinicians in providing prognostic information and monitoring response to therapy.