The clinicopathological and prognostic factors of hepatocellular carcinoma: a 10-year tertiary center experience in Egypt.

BACKGROUND: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains a major health problem despite the emergence of several preventive and therapeutic modalities. HCC has heterogeneous and wide morpho-molecular patterns, resulting in unique clinical and prognostic criteria. Therefore, we aimed to study the clinical and pathological criteria of HCC to update the morpho-molecular classifications and provide a guide to the diagnosis of this disease. METHODS: Five hundred thirty pathologically analyzed HCC cases were included in this study. The clinical and survival data of these cases were collected. RESULTS: Hepatitis C virus is still the dominant cause of HCC in Egypt. Post-direct-acting antiviral agent HCC showed an aggressive course compared to interferon-related HCC. Old age, male gender, elevated alpha-fetoprotein level, tumor size, and background liver were important prognostic parameters. Special HCC variants have characteristic clinical, laboratory, radiological, prognostic, and survival data. Tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes rather than neutrophil-rich HCC have an excellent prognosis. CONCLUSIONS: HCC is a heterogenous tumor with diverse clinical, pathological, and prognostic parameters. Incorporating the clinicopathological profile per specific subtype is essential in the treatment decision of patients with HCC. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This was a retrospective study that included 530 HCC cases eligible for analysis. The cases were obtained from the archives of the Pathology Department, during the period between January 2010 and December 2019. Clinical and survival data were collected from the patients' medical records after approval by the institutional review board (IRB No. 246/2021) of Liver National Institute, Menoufia University. The research followed the guidelines outlined in the Declaration of Helsinki and registered on ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT05047146).

Intraoperative High Fraction of Inspiratory Oxygen is Independently Associated with Worse Outcome After Living-Donor Liver Transplantation: A Retrospective Study.

BACKGROUND: Ischemia and reperfusion injury is an important factor that determines graft function after liver transplantation, and oxygen plays a crucial role in this process. However, the relationship between the intraoperative high fraction of inspiratory oxygen (FiO2) and living-donor-liver-transplantation (LDLT) outcome remains unclear. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 199 primary adult-to-adult LDLT cases in Kyoto University Hospital between January 2010 and December 2017 were enrolled in this study. The intraoperative FiO2 was averaged using the total amount of intraoperative oxygen and air and defined as the calculated FiO2 (cFiO2). The cutoff value of cFiO2 was set at 0.5. RESULTS: Between the cFiO2 <0.5 (n = 156) and ≥0.5 group (n = 43), preoperative recipients' background, donor factors, and intraoperative parameters were almost comparable. Postoperatively, the cFiO2 ≥0.5 group showed a higher early allograft dysfunction (EAD) rate (P = 0.049) and worse overall graft survival (P = 0.036) than the cFiO2 <0.5 group. Although the cFiO2 ≥0.5 was not an independent risk factor for EAD in multivariable analysis (OR 2.038, 95%CI 0.992-4.186, P = 0.053), it was an independent risk factor for overall graft survival after LDLT (HR 1.897, 95%CI 1.007-3.432, P = 0.048). CONCLUSION: The results of this study suggest that intraoperative high FiO2 may be associated with worse graft survival after LDLT. Avoiding higher intraoperative FiO2 may be beneficial for LDLT recipients.

Visceral adiposity is an independent risk factor for high intra-operative blood loss during living-donor liver transplantation; could preoperative rehabilitation and nutritional therapy mitigate that risk?

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Blood loss during liver transplantation (LT) is one of the major concerns of the transplant team, given the potential negative post-transplant outcomes related to it. Blood loss was reported to be higher in certain body compositions, such as obese patients, undergoing LT. Therefore, we aimed to study the risk factors for high blood loss (HBL) during adult living donor liver transplant (ALDLT) including the body composition markers; visceral-to-subcutaneous adipose tissue area ratio (VSR), skeletal muscle index and intramuscular adipose tissue content. In June 2015, an aggressive perioperative rehabilitation and nutritional therapy (APRNT) program was prescribed in our institute for the patients with abnormal body composition. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed 394 patients who had undergone their first ALDLT between 2006 and 2019. Risk factors for HBL were analyzed in the total cohort. Differences in blood loss and risk factors were analyzed in relation to the APRNT. RESULTS: Multivariate risk factor analysis in the total cohort showed that a high VSR (odds ratio (OR): 1.98, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.19-3.29, P = 0.009), was an independent risk factor for HBL during ALDLT, as well as a history of upper abdominal surgery, simultaneous splenectomy and the presence of a large amount of ascites. After the introduction of the APRNT, a significantly lower blood loss was observed during the ALDLT recipient operation (P = 0.003). Moreover, the significant difference in blood loss observed between normal and high VSR groups before the application of the APRNT (P < 0.001), was not observed with the APRNT (P = 0.85). Likewise, before the APRNT, only high VSR was a risk factor for HBL by multivariate analysis (OR: 2.34, CI: 1.33-4.09, P = 0.003). Whereas with the APRNT, high VSR was no longer a significant risk factor for HBL even by univariate analysis (OR: 0.89, CI: 0.26-3.12, P = 0.86). CONCLUSION: Increased visceral adiposity was an independent risk factor for high intraoperative blood loss during ALDLT recipient operation. With APRNT, high VSR was not associated with high blood loss. Therefore, APRNT might have mitigated the risk of high blood loss related to high visceral adiposity.

Liver transplantation in patients with portal vein thrombosis: A strategic road map throughout management.

BACKGROUND: Liver transplantation in the setting of portal vein thrombosis is an intricate issue that occasionally necessitates extraordinary procedures for portal flow restoration. However, to date, there is no consensus on a persistent management strategy, particularly with extensive forms. This work aims to introduce our experience-based surgical management algorithm for portal vein thrombosis during liver transplantation and to clarify some of the debatable circumstances associated with this problematic issue. METHODS: Between 2006 and 2019, 494 adults underwent liver transplantation at our institute. Ninety patients had preoperative portal vein thrombosis, and 79 patients underwent living donor liver transplantation. Our algorithm trichotomized the management plan into 3 pathways based on portal vein thrombosis grade. The surgical procedures implemented included thrombectomy, interposition vein grafts, jump grafts from the superior mesenteric vein, jump grafts from a collateral and renoportal anastomosis in 56, 13, 11, 4, and 2 patients, respectively. Four patients with mural thrombi did not require any special intervention. RESULTS: Thirteen patients experienced posttransplant portal vein complications. They all proved to have a patent portal vein by the end of follow-up regardless of the management modality. No significant survival difference was observed between cohorts with versus without portal vein thrombosis. The early graft loss rate was significantly higher with advanced grades (P = .048) as well as technically demanding procedures (P = .032). CONCLUSION: A stepwise broad-minded strategy should always be adopted when approaching advanced portal vein thrombosis during liver transplantation. An industrious preoperative evaluation should always be carried out to locate the ideal reliable source for portal flow restoration.

Diagnostic potential of presepsin in bacterial infection following hepato-biliary-pancreatic surgery: A prospective observational study.

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: The aim in the present study was to elucidate the diagnostic ability of presepsin for postoperative infectious complications following major hepato-biliary-pancreatic (HBP) surgery. METHODS: Between 2017 and 2019, 50 patients with major hepatectomy and 55 patients with pancreatoduodenectomy were enrolled. Presepsin, the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), C-reactive protein (CRP), and procalcitonin (PCT) were prospectively measured for the first 2 weeks after surgery. The diagnostic abilities of these biomarkers were compared multidirectionally. RESULTS: All biomarkers returned to normal ranges within 2 weeks after surgery. However, presepsin, unlike the other biomarkers, showed less nonspecific elevation in response to the invasiveness of the surgical procedure immediately after surgery. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis revealed that presepsin (area under the curve (AUC), 0.959) had a greater ability to discriminate bacterial infection than PCT (AUC, 0.723), CRP (AUC, 0.800), and the NLR (AUC, 0.804). A very high sensitivity of 93.3% and a specificity of 89.2% were achieved at the cutoff value of 620 pg/mL. Multivariable analysis revealed that presepsin on day 3 (P = .013) independently predicted bacterial infection after HBP surgery. CONCLUSIONS: Presepsin may have a better predictive ability than existing biomarkers for infection following major HBP surgery, which may help us achieve faster and more accurate detection of bacterial infections.

Total tumor volume as a prognostic value for survival following liver resection in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma. Retrospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Total tumor volume (TTV) can provide a simplified parameter in describing the tumor burden by incorporating the size and number of tumor nodules into one continuous variable. The aim of the study was to evaluate the prognostic value of TTV in resection of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). METHODS: Patients who underwent liver resection for HCC between 2012 and 2017 were retrospectively analyzed. Patients were divided into a group with TTV ≤65.5 cm³ (which nearly equal to a single tumor with a diameter of 5 cm), and another group with TTV > 65.5 cm³. RESULTS: Two hundred and four patients were included in this study (108 patients had TTV ≤ 65.5cm3, and 96 patients had TTV > 65.5 cm³). Ninety patients (44.1%) were within Milan and 114 patients (55.9%) were beyond Milan criteria. Eighteen patients (15.8%) of beyond Milan criteria had TTV ≤ 65.5 cm³, with a median survival of 32 months which is comparable to a median survival of patients with TTV< 65.5 cm³ (38 months, P = 0.38). TTV-based Cancer of Liver Italian Program (CLIP) score gained the highest value of likelihood ratio 114.7 and the highest Concordance-index 0.73 among other prognostic scoring and staging systems. In multivariate analysis, independent risk factors for diminished survival were serum AFP level >400 ng/ml, TTV >65.5 cm³, microvascular invasion, postoperative decompensation (all P values < 0.05). CONCLUSION: TTV is a feasible prognostic measure to describe the tumor burden in patients with HCC. TTV-CLIP score may provide good prognostic value for resection of HCC than other staging systems.

Impact of the preoperative bone mineral density on the outcomes after resection of pancreatic cancer.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study is to evaluate the correlation between bone mineral density (BMD) and other body composition markers, as well as, the impact of preoperative BMD on the surgical outcomes after resection of pancreatic cancer. METHODS: This retrospective study included 275 patients who underwent surgical resection of pancreatic cancer in our institute between 2003 and 2016. Patients were divided according to BMD into low and normal groups and their postoperative outcomes were compared. Risk factors for mortality and tumor recurrence were also evaluated. RESULTS: Patients with low BMD were older (P < 0.001), had a higher intramuscular adipose tissue content (P = 0.011) and higher visceral fat area (P = 0.003). The incidence of postoperative pancreatic fistula (POPF) (grade ≥ B) was higher in the low BMD group. No significant difference was observed between the two groups regarding overall survival and recurrence-free survival and low BMD was not a risk factor for mortality or tumor recurrence after resection of pancreatic cancer. CONCLUSION: A low preoperative BMD was not found to be a risk factor for mortality or tumor recurrence after resection of pancreatic cancer; however, it was associated with a higher incidence of clinically relevant POPF.

Older Donor Age Is a Risk Factor for Negative Outcomes After Adult Living Donor Liver Transplantation Using Small-for-Size Grafts.

Adult-to-adult living donor liver transplantation (ALDLT) using small-for-size grafts (SFSGs), ie, a graft with a graft-to-recipient weight ratio (GRWR) <0.8%, has been a challenge that should be carefully dealt with, and risk factors in this category are unclear. Therefore, we aimed to examine the risk factors and outcomes of ALDLT using SFSGs over a 13-year period in 121 patients who had undergone their first ALDLT using SFSGs. Small-for-size syndrome (SFSS), early graft loss, and 1-year mortality were encountered in 21.6%, 14.9%, and 18.4% of patients, respectively. By multivariate analysis, older donor age (≥45 years) was an independent risk factor for SFSS (odds ratio [OR], 4.46; P = 0.004), early graft loss (OR, 4.11; P = 0.02), and 1-year mortality (OR, 3.76; P = 0.02). Child-Pugh C class recipients were associated with a higher risk of SFSS development (P = 0.013; OR, 7.44). Despite no significant difference between GRWR categories in the multivariate outcome analysis of the whole population, in the survival analysis of the 2 donor age groups, GRWR <0.6% was associated with significantly lower 1-year survival than the other GRWR categories in the younger donor group. Moreover, in the high final portal venous pressure (PVP) group (>15 mm Hg), younger ABO-compatible donors showed 100% 1-year survival with a significant difference from the group of other donors. Older donor age was an independent risk factor for SFSS, early graft loss, and 1-year mortality after ALDLT using SFSGs. GRWR should not be <0.6%, and PVP modulation is indicated when grafts from older or ABO-incompatible donors are used.