A phase I/II study of ARO-HSD, an RNA interference therapeutic, for the treatment of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Loss-of-function HSD17ß13 mutations protect against the development of chronic liver disease. HSD17ß13 inhibition represents a potential approach to treat liver diseases, such as non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). ARO-HSD is an RNA interference (RNAi) therapeutic designed to selectively reduce expression of HSD17ß13 mRNA in hepatocytes. In this study, we evaluated the effects of ARO-HSD in normal healthy volunteers (NHVs) and patients with confirmed or clinically suspected NASH. METHODS: The safety, tolerability, and pharmacodynamics of ARO-HSD were evaluated in 32 NHVs and 18 patients with confirmed/clinically suspected NASH. Double-blind NHV cohorts received single escalating doses of ARO-HSD (25, 50, 100, or 200 mg) or placebo subcutaneously on Day 1. Open-label patient cohorts received ARO-HSD (25, 100, or 200 mg) subcutaneously on Days 1 and 29. Liver biopsy was performed pre-dose and on Day 71 to evaluate expression levels of HSD17ß13 mRNA and protein. RESULTS: ARO-HSD treatment was well tolerated with no treatment-related serious adverse events or drug discontinuations. The most frequently reported treatment-emergent adverse events were mild injection site reactions, which were short in duration. Mean changes in hepatic HSD17ß13 mRNA from baseline to Day 71 were: -56.9% (25 mg), -85.5% (100 mg), and -93.4% (200 mg). The mean HSD17ß13 mRNA reduction was 78.6% (p <0.0001) across pooled cohorts. Hepatic HSD17ß13 protein levels were similarly reduced across doses. In patients, mean changes in alanine aminotransferase from baseline to Day 71 were -7.7% (25 mg), -39.3% (100 mg), and -42.3% (200 mg) (p <0.001 for pooled cohorts). CONCLUSIONS: ARO-HSD was well tolerated at doses ≤200 mg. This proof-of-concept study demonstrated that short-term treatment with ARO-HSD reduces hepatic HSD17ß13 mRNA and protein expression, which is accompanied by reductions in alanine aminotransferase. GOV NUMBER: NCT04202354. IMPACTS AND IMPLICATIONS: There is an unmet medical need for new therapies to treat alcohol-related and non-alcoholic liver disease. ARO-HSD is a small-interfering RNA designed to silence HSD17ß13 expression and hence to phenocopy the protective effect seen in individuals with HSD17ß13 loss-of-function. The reductions in HSD17ß13 expression and in transaminases seen with ARO-HSD administration represent an initial step towards clinical validation of HSD17ß13, a drug target with substantial genetic validation, as an important modulator of human liver disease.

ALT Is Not Associated With Achieving Subcirrhotic Liver Stiffness and HCC During Entecavir Therapy in HBV-Related Cirrhosis.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: We investigated whether baseline and on-treatment alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels during entecavir (ETV) therapy are associated with achieving subcirrhotic liver stiffness (LS) and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) development in patients with hepatitis B virus (HBV)-related cirrhosis. METHODS: We analyzed data from 347 treatment-naïve patients with HBV-related cirrhosis, who started ETV between 2006 and 2011 and were followed up for >5 years without developing HCC. The study outcomes were achieving subcirrhotic LS at 5 years of ETV, and risk of HCC development beyond 5 years of ETV. Subcirrhotic LS was defined as <12 kPa by transient elastography. RESULTS: After 5 years of ETV, 227 (65.4%) patients achieved subcirrhotic LS. During a median follow-up of 9.2 years, 49 (14.1%) patients developed HCC beyond 5 years of ETV. ALT levels at baseline, at 1 year of ETV therapy, and 5 years of ETV therapy were not associated with the probability of achieving subcirrhotic LS at 5 years of ETV therapy or risk of HCC development beyond 5 years of ETV therapy (all P > .05). Patients achieving subcirrhotic LS at 5 years of ETV therapy had significantly lower risk of HCC development than those who did not (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.33; 95% confidence interval, 0.17-0.64; P = .001). CONCLUSIONS: Baseline and on-treatment ALT levels were not associated with achieving subcirrhotic LS at 5 years of ETV therapy or with risk of HCC development beyond 5 years of ETV therapy in patients with HBV-related cirrhosis. Achieving subcirrhotic LS at 5 years of ETV therapy was independently associated with lower risk of HCC development beyond 5 years of ETV therapy.

Phase IIa, randomised, double-blind study of GSK3389404 in patients with chronic hepatitis B on stable nucleos(t)ide therapy.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Bepirovirsen, an antisense oligonucleotide targeting pregenomic and mRNA transcripts of HBV, has been conjugated to N-acetyl galactosamine (GSK3389404) to enhance hepatocyte delivery. This dose-finding study was the first to assess GSK3389404 for chronic HBV infection. METHODS: This phase IIa, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, 2-part study was conducted in 22 centres in Asia (NCT03020745). Pharmacokinetic findings from Part 1 informed Part 2 dosing. In Part 2, patients with chronic hepatitis B on nucleos(t)ide analogue therapy were randomised 11:2 to GSK3389404 (30, 60, 120 mg weekly or 120 mg bi-weekly) or placebo until Day 85. Coprimary endpoints included HBsAg response (≥1.5 log10 IU/ml reduction from baseline) rate, safety and pharmacokinetics. RESULTS: Parts 1 and 2 included 12 (9 GSK3389404, 3 placebo) and 66 patients (56 GSK3389404, 10 placebo), respectively. In Part 2, one patient each in the 60 mg weekly, 120 mg weekly and 120 mg bi-weekly arms achieved a HBsAg response. HBsAg reductions were dose-dependent (Day 85: mean 0.34 [60 mg weekly] to 0.75 log10 IU/ml [120 mg weekly]) and occurred in hepatitis B e antigen-positive and -negative patients. No patient achieved HBsAg seroclearance. 43/56 (77%) GSK3389404- and 9/10 (90%) placebo-treated patients reported adverse events. No deaths were reported. Alanine aminotransferase flares (>2x upper limit of normal) occurred in 2 GSK3389404-treated patients (120 mg weekly, 120 mg bi-weekly); both were associated with decreased HBsAg, but neither was considered a responder. GSK3389404 plasma concentrations peaked 2-4 hours post dose; mean plasma half-life was 3-5 hours. CONCLUSIONS: GSK3389404 showed an acceptable safety profile and target engagement, with dose-dependent reductions in HBsAg. However, no efficacious dosing regimen was identified. CLINICAL TRIAL NUMBER: NCT03020745. LAY SUMMARY: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) can result in chronic HBV infection, which may ultimately lead to chronic liver disease, primary liver cancer and death; HBV proteins may prevent the immune system from successfully controlling the virus. GSK3389404 is an investigational agent that targets HBV RNA, resulting in reduced viral protein production. This study assessed the safety of GSK3389404 and its ability to reduce the viral proteins in patients with chronic HBV infection. GSK3389404 showed dose-dependent reduction in hepatitis B surface antigen, with an acceptable safety profile. While no clear optimal dose was identified, the findings from this study may help in the development of improved treatment options for patients with chronic HBV infections.

Predictive Performance of CAGE-B and SAGE-B Models in Asian Treatment-Naive Patients Who Started Entecavir for Chronic Hepatitis B.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Cirrhosis and age (CAGE-B) and stiffness and age (SAGE-B) models assess the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) development in white patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) undergoing sustained antiviral therapy (AVT). Herein, we checked the predictive performance of these models in Asian patients with CHB. METHODS: We reviewed 734 treatment-naive patients with CHB who started entecavir between 2006 and 2011 and were followed up for more than 5 years without HCC development during AVT. The predictive performance of CAGE-B and SAGE-B models was calculated using area under the receiver operating characteristic curves (AUROCs). RESULTS: Median liver stiffness assessed using transient elastography after 5 years of AVT was 6.8 kPa. Median CAGE-B and SAGE-B models after 5 years of AVT were 7.0 and 6.0, respectively. More than 5 years after AVT initiation, 66 patients (9.0%) developed HCC. The AUROCs of the CAGE-B and SAGE-B models were 0.764 and 0.785 after 7 years and 0.799 and 0.802 after 10 years of AVT, respectively. The cumulative incidence of HCC was significantly higher in the high-risk groups according to CAGE-B and SAGE-B risk stratification than in the medium- and low-risk groups (P < .05 in all cases). The SAGE-B model showed a higher likelihood ratio (χ2) (76.2 vs 71.4) and linear trend (χ2) (74.1 vs 58.6) than the CAGE-B model, whereas the CAGE-B model showed higher Akaike information criteria (64.3 vs 50.3). CONCLUSIONS: Both SAGE-B and CAGE-B showed acceptable performance in predicting HCC after 5 years of AVT in Asian patients with CHB.

Validation of risk prediction scores for hepatocellular carcinoma in patients with chronic hepatitis B treated with entecavir or tenofovir.

Several prediction scores for the early detection of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) are available. We validated the predictive accuracy of age, albumin, sex, liver cirrhosis (AASL), RESCUE-B, PAGE-B and modified PAGE-B (mPAGE-B) scores in chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients treated with entecavir (ETV) or tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF). Between 2007 and 2014, 3171 patients were recruited (1645, ETV; 1517, TDF). The predictive accuracy of each prediction score was assessed. The mean age of the study population (1977 men; 1194 women) was 48.8 years. Liver cirrhosis was present in 1040 (32.8%) patients. During follow-up (median, 58.2 months), 280 (8.8%) patients developed HCC; these patients were significantly older; more likely to be male; had significantly higher proportions of liver cirrhosis, hypertension and diabetes; and had significantly higher values for the four risk scores than those who did not develop HCC (all P < .05). Older age (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.048), male sex (HR = 2.142), liver cirrhosis (HR = 3.144) and prolonged prothrombin time (HR = 2.589) were independently associated with an increased risk of HCC (all P < .05), whereas a higher platelet count (HR = 0.996) was independently associated with a decreased risk of HCC (P < .05). The predictive accuracy of AASL score was the highest for 3- and 5-year HCC predictions (areas under the curve [AUCs] = 0.818 and 0.816, respectively), followed by RESCUE-B, PAGE-B and mPAGE-B scores (AUC = 0.780-0.815 and 0.769-0.814, respectively). In conclusion, four HCC prediction scores were assessed in Korean CHB patients treated with ETV or TDF. The AASL score showed the highest predictive accuracy.

Direct-Acting Antivirals Improve Treatment Outcomes in Patients with Hepatitis C Virus-Related Hepatocellular Carcinoma Treated with Transarterial Chemoembolization: A Nationwide, Multi-center, Retrospective Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The influence of direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) on chronic hepatitis C (CHC)-related hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains controversial. We investigated the effect of eradicating CHC using DAAs on treatment outcomes in patients with CHC-related HCC treated with transarterial chemoembolization (TACE). METHODS: This nationwide, multi-center, retrospective study recruited patients with CHC-related HCC treated with TACE as the first-line anti-cancer treatment, and who achieved a sustained virological response (SVR) using DAAs (DAA group) between 2006 and 2017. Patients achieving an SVR following interferon-based treatment (IFN group) and those without treatment (control group) were also recruited for comparison. RESULTS: A total of 425 patients were eligible for the study. Of these, 356 (83.8%), 26 (6.1%), and 43 (10.1%) were allocated to the control, IFN, and DAA groups, respectively. A multivariate analysis showed that liver cirrhosis, segmental portal vein thrombosis, and larger maximal tumor size independently predicted an increased risk of progression (all p < 0.05), whereas, the DAA group (vs. IFN and control groups) independently predicted a reduced risk of progression (hazard ratio (HR) = 0.630, 95% confidence interval 0.411-0.966, p = 0.034). The cumulative incidence rate of HCC progression in the DAA group was significantly lower than that in the IFN and control groups (p = 0.033, log-rank test). In addition, the DAA group (vs. IFN and control groups) was independently associated with a reduced risk of mortality (p = 0.042). CONCLUSIONS: DAA treatment provided significantly prolonged progression-free survival in patients with CHC-related HCC treated with TACE compared to that in patients administered IFN or no treatment.

Revised Korean Antiviral Guideline Reduces the Hepatitis B-related Hepatocellular Carcinoma Risk in Cirrhotic Patients.

BACKGROUND: Since September 2015, the initiation of antiviral therapy (AVT) for patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB)-related cirrhosis has been reimbursed according to the revised Korean Association for the Study of Liver (KASL) guideline, if the patient had hepatitis B virus DNA level ≥ 2,000 IU/L, regardless of aminotransferase or alanine aminotransferase levels. This study investigated whether the KASL guideline implementation reduced the risk of CHB-related hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in patients with cirrhosis in South Korea. METHODS: A total of 429 patients with CHB-related cirrhosis who initiated AVT between 2014 and 2016 were recruited. The risk of HCC development was compared between patients who initiated AVT before and after September 2015 (pre-guideline [n = 196, 45.7%] vs. post-guideline implementation [n = 233, 54.3%]). RESULTS: Univariate analysis showed that AVT initiation before guideline implementation, older age, male gender, and diabetes significantly predicted increased risk of HCC development (all P < 0.05). Subsequent multivariate analysis showed that AVT initiation before guideline implementation (HR = 1.941), older age (HR = 5.762), male gender (HR = 2.555), and diabetes (HR = 1.568) independently predicted increased risk of HCC development (all P < 0.05). Additionally, multivariate analysis showed that AVT initiation before guideline implementation (HR = 2.309), male gender (HR = 3.058), and lower platelet count (HR = 0.989) independently predicted mortality (P < 0.05). The cumulative incidences of HCC and mortality were significantly higher in patients who initiated AVT before guideline implementation than in those who initiated AVT after guideline implementation (all P < 0.05, log-rank test). CONCLUSION: The prognosis of patients with CHB-related cirrhosis who initiated AVT improved after guideline implementation according to the revised KASL guideline.

Validation of the CAMD Score in Patients With Chronic Hepatitis B Virus Infection Receiving Antiviral Therapy.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Researchers previously developed a scoring system to determine the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in patients with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, based on the presence of cirrhosis, patient age, male sex, and diabetes (called the CAMD scoring system). We validated the CAMD scoring system and compared its performance with that of other risk assessment models in an independent cohort. METHODS: We followed up 3277 patients with chronic HBV infection (mean age, 48.7 y; 62.6% male; 32.4% with cirrhosis) who were treated with entecavir (n = 1725) or tenofovir (n = 1552) as the first-line antiviral agent in 4 academic teaching hospitals in the Republic of Korea. The primary outcome was development of HCC. We evaluated the ability of the CAMD, PAGE-B, and mPAGE-B scoring systems to identify patients who would develop HCC using integrated area under the curve (iAUC) analysis. RESULTS: Over a median follow-up period of 58.2 months, 8.9% of the patients developed HCC. Patients who developed HCC were older, more likely to be male, and had higher proportions of cirrhosis and diabetes than patients who did not develop HCC (all P < .05). CAMD scores identified patients who developed HCC with an iAUC of 0.790, mPAGE-B scores with an iAUC of 0.769, and PAGE-B scores with an iAUC of 0.760. The 5-year cumulative risks of HCC were 1.3% in patients with low CAMD scores (<8), 8.0% in patients with intermediate CAMD scores (8-13), and 24.3% in patients with high CAMD scores (>13) (P < .001 for comparison of low- vs intermediate-score groups and between intermediate- vs high-score groups). The predicted and observed probabilities of HCC had excellent agreement. CONCLUSIONS: We validated the CAMD scoring system in determining the risk of HCC in patients with chronic HBV treatment receiving entecavir or tenofovir treatment. Validation was performed in a cohort of patients in the Republic of Korea, where most patients have genotype C2 HBV infection.

Changes in Characteristics of Patients with Liver Cirrhosis Visiting a Tertiary Hospital over 15 Years: a Retrospective Multi-Center Study in Korea.

BACKGROUND: Liver cirrhosis has become a heavy burden not only for patients, but also for our society. However, little is known about the recent changes in clinical outcomes and characteristics of patients with cirrhosis-related complications in Korea. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate changes in characteristics of patients with liver cirrhosis in Daegu-Gyeongbuk province in Korea over the past 15 years. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 15,716 liver cirrhotic patients from 5 university hospitals in Daegu-Gyeongbuk province from 2000 to 2014. The Korean Standard Classification of Diseases-6 code associated with cirrhosis was investigated through medical records and classified according to the year of first visit. RESULTS: A total of 15,716 patients was diagnosed with cirrhosis. A number of patients newly diagnosed with cirrhosis has decreased each year. In 2000, patients were most likely to be diagnosed with hepatitis B virus (HBV) cirrhosis, followed by alcoholic cirrhosis. There was a significant decrease in HBV (P < 0.001), but alcohol, hepatitis C virus (HCV), and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) showed a significant increase during the study period (alcohol, P = 0.036; HCV, P = 0.001; NAFLD, P = 0.001). At the time of initial diagnosis, the ratio of Child-Turcotte-Pugh (CTP) class A gradually increased from 23.1% to 32.9% (P < 0.001). The most common cause of liver-related hospitalization in 2000 was hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) (25.5%); in 2014, gastrointestinal bleeding with esophageal and gastric varices (21.4%) was the most common cause. Cases of hospitalization with liver-related complication represented 76.4% of all cases in 2000 but 70.9% in 2014. Incidence rate of HCC has recently increased. In addition, HCC-free survival was significantly lower in CTP class A than in classes B and C. Finally, there was significant difference in HCC occurrence according to causes (P < 0.001). HBV and HCV cirrhosis had lower HCC-free survival than alcoholic and NAFLD cirrhosis. CONCLUSION: In recent years, the overall number of cirrhosis patients has decreased. This study confirmed the recent trend in decrease of cirrhosis, especially of cirrhosis due to HBV, and the increase of HCV, alcoholic and NAFLD cirrhosis. Targeted screening for at-risk patients will facilitate early detection of liver diseases allowing effective intervention and may have decreased the development of cirrhosis and its complications.

Circulating exosomal noncoding RNAs as prognostic biomarkers in human hepatocellular carcinoma.

Exosomal noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs) have unique expression profiles reflecting the characteristics of a tumor, and their role in tumor progression and metastasis is emerging. However, the significance of circulating exosomal ncRNAs in the prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains to be elucidated. We therefore determined the prognostic significance of circulating exosomal ncRNAs (miRNA-21 and lncRNA-ATB) for human HCC. This prospective study enrolled 79 HCC patients between October 2014 and September 2015. Exosomes were extracted from serum samples using the ExoQuick Exosome Precipitation Solution. To validate the isolation of the exosomes from serum, immunoblotting for exosome markers and characterization of nanoparticle using NanoSight were performed. NcRNAs were isolated from exosomes using the miRNeasy serum/plasma micro kit. Both circulating exosomal miRNA-21 and lncRNA-ATB were related to TNM stage and other prognostic factors, including the T stage and portal vein thrombosis. Multivariate analysis using the Cox regression test identified that both higher miRNA-21 and higher lncRNA-ATB were independent predictors of mortality and disease progression, along with larger tumor size and higher C-reactive protein (all p < 0.05). The overall survival and progression-free survival were significantly lower in patients with higher circulating levels of exosomal miRNA-21 (≥0.09) and lncRNA-ATB (≥0.0016) (log-rank test: p < 0.05). In conclusion, our study has provided strong evidence that circulating exosomal ncRNAs (miRNA-21 and lncRNA-ATB) are novel prognostic markers and therapeutic targets for HCC.

A multicenter study of entecavir vs. tenofovir on prognosis of treatment-naïve chronic hepatitis B in South Korea.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: It is currently unclear which antiviral agent, entecavir (ETV) or tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF), is superior for improving prognosis in patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB). Here, we assessed the ability of these 2 antivirals to prevent liver-disease progression in treatment-naïve patients with CHB. METHODS: From 2012 to 2014, treatment-naïve patients with CHB who received ETV or TDF as a first-line antiviral agent were recruited from 4 academic teaching hospitals. Patients with decompensated cirrhosis or hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) at enrollment were excluded. Cumulative probabilities of HCC and death or orthotopic liver transplant (OLT) were assessed. RESULTS: In total, 2,897 patients (1,484 and 1,413 in the ETV and TDF groups, respectively) were recruited. The annual HCC incidence was not statistically different between the ETV and TDF groups (1.92 vs. 1.69 per 100 person-years [PY], respectively; adjusted hazard ratio [HR] 0.975 [p = 0.852] by multivariate analysis). Propensity score (PS)-matched and inverse probability of treatment weighting (ITPW) analyses yielded similar patterns of results (HR 1.021 [p = 0.884] and 0.998 [p = 0.988], respectively). The annual incidence of death or OLT was not statistically different between the ETV and TDF groups (0.52 vs. 0.53 per 100 PY, respectively; adjusted HR 1.202 [p = 0.451]). PS-matched and ITPW analyses yielded similar patterns of results (HR 1.248 [p = 0.385] and 1.239 [p = 0.360], respectively). These findings were consistently reproduced in patients with compensated cirrhosis (all p >0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The overall prognosis in terms of HCC and death or OLT was not statistically different between the ETV and TDF groups. Further studies are needed to validate our results. LAY SUMMARY: It is currently unclear which antiviral agent, entecavir or tenofovir disoproxil fumarate, is superior for improving prognosis in patients with chronic hepatitis B virus infection. In this analysis we found that there was no difference in terms of overall prognosis, including risk of hepatocellular carcinoma, death, or the need for a liver transplant, in patients receiving either antiviral.

Using transient elastography to predict hepatocellular carcinoma recurrence after radiofrequency ablation.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Liver stiffness (LS) value determined using transient elastography (TE) can be used to assess the degree of liver fibrosis. The study investigated whether TE can predict the recurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) after radiofrequency ablation (RFA). METHODS: This study retrospectively enrolled 228 patients with HCC who received TE and RFA as the first-line treatment for HCC between 2008 and 2015. Cox regression analysis was used to identify independent predictors of HCC recurrence. RESULTS: The median age of the study population (170 men and 58 women) was 61 years. During the study period, HCC recurrence and mortality developed in 125 (54.8%) and 37 (16.2%) patients after RFA, respectively. Liver cirrhosis, platelet count, multiple tumors, and LS value were the independent predictors of HCC recurrence. When the study population was stratified into early (< 12 months) and late (≥ 12 months) recurrence groups, LS value was an independent predictor of late recurrence, along with liver cirrhosis and spleen diameter. The risk of late recurrence was higher in patients with LS values of ≥ 13 kPa than in those with LS values of < 13 kPa (adjusted hazard ratio [HR] = 4.507, 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.131-7.724, P < 0.001). Recurrence was the only predictor of overall survival (HR = 18.583, 95% CI 2.424-142.486, P = 0.005). CONCLUSIONS: Findings of this study suggest that LS measurement using TE can be a useful predictor of HCC recurrence after RFA.

Prospective validation of Baveno V definitions and criteria for failure to control bleeding in portal hypertension.

UNLABELLED: New definitions and criteria were released at the Baveno V consensus meeting. The purposes of this study were to verify Baveno V definitions and criteria for failure to control bleeding and to determine the usefulness of the combined use of the Adjusted Blood Requirement Index [ABRI: (number of blood units)/(final hematocrit-initial hematocrit)+0.01] with Baveno V criteria. In all, 246 consecutive liver cirrhosis patients with acute bleeding associated with portal hypertension were enrolled prospectively between January 2010 and October 2012. The treatment outcome on day 5 was assessed by endoscopy. For the ABRI calculation, two hematocrit levels were used as the initial hematocrit: the first level measured upon patient arrival (ABRI-A) and the lowest level measured before transfusion (ABRI-B). Treatment failures were identified in 53 patients, of whom 24 died. Based on repeated endoscopic findings, 29 patients were identified as treatment failures, while according to Baveno V criteria, 47 patients were regarded as treatment failures. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) of Baveno V criteria was 0.906, and the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, positive likelihood ratio, and negative likelihood ratio were 83.0%, 98.4%, 93.6%, 95.5%, 53.41, and 0.17, respectively. The AUROC of Baveno V criteria was significantly greater than those of Baveno IV (P=0.0001) and Baveno II/III (P<0.0001) criteria. Adding ABRI-A or -B to Baveno V criteria resulted in a significant reduction of the AUROC (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: The Baveno V criteria are good predictors of treatment failure of early-stage acute gastrointestinal bleeding in patients with portal hypertension, while the addition of ARBI does not improve the prediction accuracy of the outcome of bleeding.

Long-term follow-up of large symptomatic hepatic cysts treated by percutaneous ethanol sclerotherapy.

BACKGROUND: As a minimally invasive treatment, ethanol sclerotherapy has been used for large symptomatic hepatic cysts, but there are not many long-term reports on treatment outcomes and safety. PURPOSE: To evaluate the long-term outcomes of percutaneous ethanol sclerotherapy in patients with large symptomatic hepatic cysts. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This study included 43 symptomatic, enlarging hepatic cysts in 42 patients who had undergone ethanol sclerotherapy from 2003 to 2013 and were followed up for >1 year. The treatment outcomes were evaluated in terms of the reduction of cyst size and resolution of symptoms. The patients were followed up for a mean period of 33 months with either ultrasound or computed tomography examination. RESULTS: Thirty-nine hepatic cysts (91%) were successfully treated with ethanol sclerotherapy, showing resolution of symptoms and remarkable reduction in cyst volume. Eight hepatic cysts (19%) disappeared completely, and 31 hepatic cysts (72%) decreased in size during the follow-up period. The mean diameter of the cysts decreased from 12.5 ± 4.4 cm to 3.8 ± 3.4 cm during follow-up. There were no immediate serious complications related to the procedure. There were four cases (9%) of treatment failure requiring subsequent surgical procedures. CONCLUSION: Percutaneous ethanol sclerotherapy can be considered as an effective first-line treatment for large symptomatic hepatic cysts.

Two-year treatment outcome of chronic hepatitis B infection treated with besifovir vs. entecavir: results from a multicentre study.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: We aimed to compare the viral suppression, safety and rate of drug resistance between besifovir (a new acyclic nucleotide analogue) and entecavir. METHODS: Treatment-naïve chronic hepatitis B patients receiving besifovir 90 mg (n=31), 150 mg (n=28) and entecavir 0.5 mg (n=30) were monitored for liver biochemistry, viral serology, HBV DNA levels, development of drug resistance mutations, and adverse events throughout 96 weeks of treatment. RESULTS: The mean decline of HBV DNA levels from baseline to week 96 were 5.29, 5.15, and 5.67 logs IU/ml for patients receiving besifovir 90 mg, 150 mg and entecavir 0.5 mg, respectively (p>0.05). Undetectable HBV DNA (<20 IU/ml) were achieved in 80.7%, 78.6%, and 80%; ALT normalization in 90.3%, 78.6%, and 93.3%; and loss of HBeAg in 20%, 21.4%, and 22.2% of patients respectively (all p>0.05). One patient receiving besifovir 90 mg had a virological breakthrough due to drug non-compliance. No patient developed drug resistance mutations. Ten patients had serious adverse events, which were not related to the study medications. The most common side effect related to besifovir was carnitine depletion. Carnitine supplements were prescribed to 83.9% and 100% of patients, who had low carnitine level for any one time during follow-up, receiving besifovir 90 mg and 150 mg respectively. No patient had increased creatinine>0.5 mg/dl from baseline. CONCLUSIONS: Besifovir had the same antiviral property as compared to entecavir over 96 weeks of treatment for chronic hepatitis B patients. Besifovir was well tolerated and also had a good clinical safety profile.

Phase IIb multicentred randomised trial of besifovir (LB80380) versus entecavir in Asian patients with chronic hepatitis B.

BACKGROUND: Besifovir (LB80380) is an acyclic nucleotide phosphonate effective in hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA suppression for both treatment-naive and lamivudine-resistant chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients in preliminary studies. DESIGN: We aimed to compare the safety and antiviral activity of two doses of besifovir (90 mg and 150 mg daily) with entecavir 0.5 mg daily in CHB patients. 114 patients were randomised to receive besifovir 90 mg daily (n=36), besifovir 150 mg daily (n=39) or entecavir 0.5 mg daily (n=39). HBV DNA and liver biochemistry, including serum L-carnitine levels, were monitored. RESULTS: At week 48, in the intention-to-treat population, the proportion of patients achieving undetectable HBV DNA (<20 IU/mL) were 63.6%, 62.9% and 58.3%, respectively (p>0.05). The serum mean log10 HBV DNA changes from baseline for the HBeAg-positive patients were -5.84, -5.91 and -6.18, respectively; and for the HBeAg-negative patients were -4.65, -4.55 and -4.67, respectively (p>0.05). There were no differences in the proportions of patients achieving normalisation of alanine aminotransferase (91.7%, 76.9%, 89.7%, respectively) and HBeAg seroconversion (11.11%, 15%, 9.52%, respectively) among all three groups. None of the patients had resistant mutations or increase in serum creatinine of >0.5 mg/dL from baseline. 64 (94.1%) patients on besifovir had lowering of serum L-carnitine (not tested in entecavir patients). L-carnitine levels returned to normal with carnitine supplement. CONCLUSIONS: At 48 weeks, 90 mg and 150 mg daily of besifovir were non-inferior to entecavir 0.5 mg daily in treatment-naive CHB patients. The only significant side effect of besifovir was L-carnitine depletion, requiring carnitine supplementation.

Clinical outcomes and prognostic factors of patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma treated with sorafenib as first-line therapy: a Korean multicenter study.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Sorafenib is recommended as a standard treatment for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The efficacy and safety of sorafenib as a first-line therapy in Korean patients with advanced HCC were investigated. METHODS: From 2007 to 2012, 86 patients with advanced HCC (Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer stage C) treated with sorafenib as a first-line therapy were enrolled from five tertiary hospitals. Predictors of overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) were analyzed. RESULTS: The median age was 59.5 years, and 71 (82.6%) were males; 57 (66.3%) patients were in Child-Pugh class A. The median OS and PFS were 5.0 (range 4.0-5.9) and 3.2 (range 2.6-3.7) months, respectively. Regarding OS, Child-Pugh class A (6.0 vs 2.8 months), tumor diameter < 5 cm (6.0 vs 4.3 months), baseline α-fetoprotein < 200 ng/mL (5.8 vs 4.1 months), and the advent of hand-foot-skin reaction of ≥ grade 2 (5.9 vs 4.0 months) were independent favorable predictors (all P < 0.05). Similarly, regarding PFS, Child-Pugh class A (4.3 vs 2.1 months), tumor diameter < 5 cm (3.9 vs 2.8 months), baseline α-fetoprotein < 200 ng/mL (5.6 vs 2.8 months), and the advent of hand-foot-skin reaction of ≥ grade 2 (4.5 vs 2.6 months) were independent favorable predictors (all P < 0.05). All toxicities during sorafenib treatment were manageable. CONCLUSIONS: Because the efficacy of sorafenib seems marginal in Korean patients with treatment-naïve HCC, how to select candidates with favorable outcomes should be further investigated.

Clinical characteristics and outcomes of acute hepatitis a in Korea: a nationwide multicenter study.

The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical characteristics of acute hepatitis A during a recent outbreak in Korea. Data of patients diagnosed with acute hepatitis A from 2007 to 2009 were collected from 21 tertiary hospitals retrospectively. Their demographic, clinical, and serological characteristics and their clinical outcomes were analyzed. A total of 4,218 patients (mean age 33.3 yr) were included. The median duration of admission was 9 days. The mean of the highest ALT level was 2,963 IU/L, total bilirubin was 7.3 mg/dL, prothrombin time INR was 1.3. HBsAg was positive in 3.7%, and anti-HCV positive in 0.7%. Renal insufficiency occurred in 2.7%, hepatic failure in 0.9%, relapsing hepatitis in 0.7%, and cholestatic hepatitis in 1.9% of the patients. Nineteen patients (0.45%) died or were transplanted. Complications of renal failure or prolonged cholestasis were more frequent in patients older than 30 yr. In conclusion, most patients with acute hepatitis A recover uneventfully, however, complication rates are higher in patients older than 30 yr than younger patients. Preventive strategies including universal vaccination in infants and active immunization of hepatitis A to adult population should be considered for prevention of community-wide outbreaks of hepatitis A in Korea.

Temporal trends and long-term outcomes of radiofrequency ablation for hepatocellular carcinoma within the Milan criteria.

No study has analysed the temporal trends of the long-term results and clinical characteristics of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) treated using radiofrequency ablation (RFA). Therefore, we examined temporal trends of characteristics of patients and treatment-naïve HCCs within the Milan criteria treated by RFA over 20 years. We retrospectively analysed 1099 patients with HCC within the Milan criteria treated with percutaneous RFA from January 2000 to December 2019. The overall survival (OS), recurrence-free survival (RFS), and factors affecting survival and local tumor progression were analysed using the Kaplan‒Meier method and Cox proportional hazards model. A trend test was performed to analyse the changing trends in participants and treatment outcomes. The overall and RFS of patients improved during the later period. In addition, viral hepatitis-related HCC incidence decreased, whereas that of alcohol- or non-alcoholic fatty liver disease-related HCC increased from the earlier to the later period (P for trend < 0.001). HBV antiviral therapy was increased and improved OS and RFS in patients treated using RFA. The outcomes after RFA over a 20-year period improved due to changes over time in target tumors and patients. The results could be useful for selecting patients who will benefit from RFA.

The Clinical Significance of Myosteatosis in Survival Outcomes in Patients with Hepatocellular Carcinoma Treated with Sorafenib.

The role of body composition parameters in sorafenib-treated hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients is still not fully elucidated. Here, we aimed to evaluate the impact of computed tomography (CT)-based body composition parameters on the survival of such patients. In this multicenter study, we analyzed the data of 245 sorafenib-treated HCC patients from January 2008 to December 2019. Sarcopenia, visceral obesity, and myosteatosis were defined by using cross-sectional CT images at the third lumbar vertebra level. The effects of these parameters on overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) were evaluated. The median age was 67.0 years (interquartile range: 61.0-78.0 year), and 211 patients (86.1%) were male. The median OS and PFS were 7.9 months and 4.8 months, respectively. Vascular invasion (hazard ratio (HR), 1.727; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.258-2.371; p = 0.001), extrahepatic metastasis (HR, 1.401; 95% CI, 1.028-1.908; p = 0.033), alpha-fetoprotein level > 200 ng/mL (HR, 1.559; 95% CI, 1.105-2.201; p = 0.012), and myosteatosis (HR, 1.814; 95% CI, 1.112-2.960; p = 0.017) were associated with OS. Patient mortality was significantly higher in the group with two or more risk factors than in the group with fewer risk factors. In conclusion, myosteatosis may be a novel prognostic CT-based radiological biomarker in sorafenib-treated HCC patients.