Neoadjuvant targeted immunotherapy followed by surgical resection versus upfront surgery for hepatocellular carcinoma with macrovascular invasion: A multicenter study.

Background: This study aimed to investigate the safety and efficacy of preoperative targeted immunotherapy followed by surgical resection for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients with macrovascular invasion. Method: Clinical information of HCC patients with macrovascular invasion was collected from four medical centers. These patients were divided into two cohorts: the upfront surgery group (n=40) and the neoadjuvant group (n=22). Comparisons between the two groups were made with appropriate statistical methods. Results: HCC Patients with macrovascular invasion in the neoadjuvant group were associated with increased incidence of postoperative ascites (72.73% vs. 37.5%, P=0.008), but shorter postoperative hospital stay (10 days vs. 14 days, P=0.032). Furthermore, targeted immunotherapy followed by surgical resection significantly reduced the postoperative recurrence rate at both 3 months and 1 year (9% versus 28.9%, 32.1% versus 67.9%, respectively; P=0.018), but increased the postoperative nononcologic mortality rate within 1 year (20.1% vs. 2.8%; P= 0.036). Conclusion: For HCC patients with macrovascular invasion, preoperative targeted immunotherapy significantly decreased the postoperative tumor recurrence rate while maintaining relative safety, but such a treatment may also result in chronic liver damage and increased risk of nononcologic mortality.

Genetically redirected HBV-specific T cells target HBsAg-positive hepatocytes and primary lesions in HBV-associated HCC.

Background and Aims: HBV-DNA integration in HBV-related hepatocellular carcinoma (HBV-HCC) can be targeted by HBV-specific T cells. SCG101 is an autologous, HBV-specific T-cell product expressing a T-cell receptor (TCR) after lentiviral transduction recognizing the envelope-derived peptide (S20-28) on HLA-A2. We here validated its safety and efficacy preclinically and applied it in an HBV-related HCC patient (NCT05339321). Methods: GMP-grade manufactured cells were assessed for off-target reactivity and functionality against hepatoma cells. Subsequently, a patient with advanced HBV-HCC (Child-Pugh:A, BCLC:B, ECOG:0, HBeAg-, serum HBsAg+, hepatocytes 10% HBsAg+) received 7.9x107 cells/kg after lymphodepletion. Safety, T-cell persistence, and antiviral and antitumor efficacy were evaluated. Results: SCG101, produced at high numbers in a closed-bag system, showed HBV-specific functionality against HBV-hepatoma cells in vitro and in vivo. Clinically, treatment was well tolerated, and all adverse events, including transient hepatic damage, were reversible. On day 3, ALT levels increased to 1404 U/ml, and concurrently, serum HBsAg started decreasing by 3.84log and remained <1 IU/ml for over six months. HBsAg expressing hepatocytes in liver biopsies were undetectable after73 days. The patient achieved a partial response according to mRECIST score with a >70% reduction of target lesion size. Transferred T cells expanded, developed a stem cell-like memory phenotype, and were still detectable after six months in the patient's blood. Conclusions: SCG101 T-cell therapy showed encouraging efficacy and safety in pre-clinical models and in a patient with primary HBV-HCC and concomitant chronic hepatitis B with the capability to eliminate HBsAg+ cells and achieve sustained tumor control after single dosing.

An immune-related biomarker index for predicting the effectiveness of immunotherapy and prognosis in hepatocellular carcinoma.

OBJECTIVE: Currently, there are no recognized biomarkers for predicting the immunotherapy response and prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). This study aimed to establish an immune-related gene prognostic index (IRGPI) for HCC, and to investigate the clinical, immune, molecular, and microenvironmental characteristics of the IRGPI subgroups, as well as their impact on the effectiveness of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) therapy and patients' prognosis. METHODS: We analyzed the LIHC dataset (n = 424) from the The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database and the GSE10140 dataset (n = 84) from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database using weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) and univariate/multivariate Cox regression analysis to identify immune-related hub genes with prognostic significance. Subsequently, The IRGPI was then established with these special genes obtained, and the molecular, immune, and clinicopathological characteristics of the IRGPI subgroups, along with their predictive role in ICIs treatment and HCC prognosis, were investigated. RESULTS: The IRGPI was composed of nine genes, namely CHGA, GAL, CCR3, MMP7, STC1, UCN, OXT, SOCS2, and GCG. The IRGPI-high group exhibited a worse prognosis in both the TCGA and GEO databases compared to the IRGPI-low group. The IRGPI-high group was primarily associated with adaptive immune response and cell-cell interaction pathways and exhibited a higher frequency of gene mutations (such as TP53 and CTNNB1), higher expression of PD-L1 and CTLA4, a higher proportion of macrophages M0 and follicular helper T cells, and a higher APC_co_inhibition and T_cell_co-inhibition immune score. Furthermore, the IRGPI-high group was associated with worse immune subtypes, clinicopathological characteristics, immunotherapy response, and clinical prognosis. CONCLUSION: IRGPI is a biomarker with significant potential for predicting the immunotherapy response and prognosis of HCC patients, and is closely related to the immunosuppressive microenvironment and poorer clinicopathological characteristics.

DNA methylation analysis explores the molecular basis of plasma cell-free DNA fragmentation.

Plasma cell-free DNA (cfDNA) are small molecules generated through a non-random fragmentation procedure. Despite commendable translational values in cancer liquid biopsy, however, the biology of cfDNA, especially the principles of cfDNA fragmentation, remains largely elusive. Through orientation-aware analyses of cfDNA fragmentation patterns against the nucleosome structure and integration with multidimensional functional genomics data, here we report a DNA methylation - nuclease preference - cutting end - size distribution axis, demonstrating the role of DNA methylation as a functional molecular regulator of cfDNA fragmentation. Hence, low-level DNA methylation could increase nucleosome accessibility and alter the cutting activities of nucleases during DNA fragmentation, which further leads to variation in cutting sites and size distribution of cfDNA. We further develop a cfDNA ending preference-based metric for cancer diagnosis, whose performance has been validated by multiple pan-cancer datasets. Our work sheds light on the molecular basis of cfDNA fragmentation towards broader applications in cancer liquid biopsy.

A Nomogram to Predict Individual Survival of Patients with Liver-Limited Metastases from Gastroenteropancreatic Neuroendocrine Neoplasms: A US Population-Based Cohort Analysis and Chinese Multicenter Cohort Validation Study.

INTRODUCTION: Although gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine neoplasms (GEP-NENs) with liver metastasis encompass a wide variety of clinical conditions with various prognosis, no statistical model for predicting the prognosis of these patients has been established. We sought to establish a more elaborative and individualized nomogram to predict survival of patients with liver-limited metastatic GEP-NENs. In addition, this nomogram was validated by both the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database and a Chinese multicenter cohort. METHODS: Patients diagnosed with GEP-NENs with liver-limited metastasis between 2010 and 2016 were identified from the SEER database. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was performed to analyze survival outcomes. A nomogram was established based on the independent prognostic variables identified from univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses. The nomogram was evaluated in both an internal validation SEER dataset and an external validation dataset composed of patients from the Chinese multicenter cohort. RESULTS: A total of 1,474 patients from the SEER database and 192 patients from the multicenter cohort were included. Age, tumor size, differentiation, primary tumor resection, and liver metastasis resection were identified as independent prognostic factors by univariate and multivariate Cox analyses and were verified by Kaplan-Meier survival analysis (all p < 0.0001). A nomogram was developed and validated by calibration curves and areas under the curve of the external validation cohort, which showed good consistency and veracity in predicting overall survival. CONCLUSION: A nomogram was developed for the first time to predict the survival of patients with liver-limited metastases from GEP-NENs. Both internal and external validation demonstrated excellent discrimination and calibration of our nomogram. Based on this prognostic model, clinicians could develop more personalized treatment strategies and surveillance protocols.

Evolutions of the Management of Colorectal Cancer Liver Metastasis: A Bibliometric Analysis.

Background: Tremendous progress has been made in the treatment of colorectal cancer liver metastasis (CRCLM) in recent decades, and thousands of papers have been published. Therefore, we conducted a bibliometric analysis of articles related to CRCLM treatment to explore its evolution. Materials and Methods: The Clarivate Analytics Web of Science (WOS) Core Collection database was searched through June 2020 using terms related to CRCLM treatment. We analyzed the bibliographic information of the literature related to CRCLM treatment and explored the research topics to understand its evolution over time. Results: We identified 3436 records related to CRCLM treatment in the WOS database. The total number of times these documents were cited ranged 0-2352, and the years of publication spanned 1976-2020. The greatest numbers of articles were published in the United States, Japan, and France. Among institutions, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, MD Anderson Cancer Center, and Oslo University Hospital published the most articles. Regarding authors, Jarnagin WR, Adam R, Vauthey JN published the most articles. The research topics of these articles included systemic chemotherapy, molecular targeted therapy, the outcome of liver resection, prognosis prediction, hepatic artery infusion, radiofrequency ablation, and two-stage hepatectomy. Conclusion: Bibliometric analysis of studies related to CRCLM treatment can help doctors and researchers quickly understand the development trend in this field. These data emphasize the current management of patients with CRCLM, and they can potentially guide the direction of future research.

Laparoscopic caudate lobectomy: a multicenter, propensity score-matched report of safety, feasibility, and early outcomes.

BACKGROUND: Caudate lobectomy via laparoscopic surgery has rarely been described. This multicenter, propensity score-matched study was performed to assess the safety and efficacy of laparoscopic caudate lobectomy (LCL). METHODS: A multicenter retrospective study was performed including all patients who underwent LCL and open caudate lobectomy (OCL) in four institutions from January 2013 to December 2018. In total, 131 patients were included in this study and divided into LCL (n = 19) and OCL (n = 112) groups. LCLs were matched to OCLs (1:2) using a propensity score matching (PSM) based on nine preoperative variables, including patient demographics and tumor characteristics. The pathological results, perioperative and postoperative parameters, and short-term outcomes were compared between the two groups. RESULTS: After PSM, there were 18 and 36 patients in the LCL and OCL groups, respectively. Baseline characteristics were comparable after matching. LCL was associated with less blood (100 vs. 300 ml, respectively; P < 0.001) and a shorter postoperative stay (6.0 vs 8.0 days, respectively; P = 0.003). Most patients' resection margins were > 10 mm in the LCL group (P = 0.021), and all patients with malignancy in both groups achieved R0 resection. In terms of early postoperative outcomes, the overall morbidity rate was identical in each group (11.1% vs. 11.1%, respectively; P = 1.000). No mortality occurred in either group. CONCLUSIONS: Laparoscopy is a feasible choice for resection of tumors located in the caudate lobe with acceptable perioperative results.

Top 100 most frequently cited papers in liver cancer: a bibliometric analysis.

BACKGROUND: Bibliometric analysis has become popular in recent years, and increasingly more articles focusing on a particular disease are being published. The present study was performed to analyse the 100 most frequently cited papers in liver cancer (LC). METHODS: We searched the Thomson Reuters Web of Science database on 14 July 2018 to identify all potential manuscripts for this study. The search terms were 'liver cancer' and its synonyms. Manuscripts were listed in descending order by the total citations (TCs), and the 100 most frequently cited papers were identified and analysed by topic, journal, author, year and institution. RESULTS: We retrieved 235 687 papers from the Web of Science database. The TC of the 100 most frequently cited papers in LC ranged from 612 to 5358. The 100 papers were published in 31 journals and came from nine countries. The University of Barcelona published the highest number of papers and had the most TC. Ten authors published more than one paper. Treatment of LC was the most widely studied topic. A significant correlation was found between the journal's 2017 impact factor and the TC (P = 0.003). CONCLUSION: We assessed the landmark papers in the field of LC. These 100 most frequently cited papers reflect major advances and several hot topics in LC during the recent decades. Our study is of great value for young investigators, provides insights into the trends of LC and can guide directions for future academic research.