Utility of ultrasound in the diagnostic approach to lymphoma with splenic involvement.

This paper describes the clinical case of a patient diagnosed with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma with splenic involvement, focusing on the role of abdominal ultrasound (US) in this context. The patient experienced dyspepsia and progressive asthenia over several months so an abdominal US was performed. The US showed multiple heterogeneous and hypoechogenic focal splenic lesions together with a moderate left pleural effusion. Lymphoma was suspected due to these findings and the diagnosis was then confirmed with the performance of a CT scan and a biopsy that revealed the presence of a diffuse large B-cell lymphoma with metastatic disease. Chemotherapy containing rituximab, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine and prednisone was administered and the patient is currently on clinical remission. This study highlights the role of abdominal ultrasound as a useful technique in the non-invasive assessment of this entity, considering an appropriate clinical context and mainly after detecting multiple hypoechogenic splenic lesions in the US.

Hospital-based screening outperforms primary care screening as a means of achieving hepatitis C virus micro-elimination.

AIM: To assess the respective performances of a HCV screening program in a hospital setting and a HCV screening model applied concomitantly in a primary care centre. METHODS: Adult patients consecutively admitted to hospital for ambulatory surgery were screened for anti-HCV antibodies (hospital screening cohort, HPSC), as were patients receiving blood tests for medical reasons in a primary care centre (primary care screening cohort, PCSC). Serum anti-HCV and HCV RNA levels were tested by ELISA and real-time PCR, respectively. RESULTS: Seroprevalence of HCV infection was 2.2 % in the HPSC and 1.4 % in the PCSC (p = 0.044). All viraemic patients (0.2 % in HPSC and 0.1 % in PCSC) were treated with direct-acting antivirals and 85.7 % experienced a sustained virological response. CONCLUSIONS: Hospital-based HCV screening outperformed primary care-centered screening, significantly increasing HCV case findings.

From metastasis to the primary tumor: Giant liver metastasis from a pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor.

We present the case of a 37-years old male, who consulted for an extended history of intermittent nausea and vomiting. Laboratory tests showed moderate elevated bilirubin (1.30 mg/dL) and GGT (106 U/L). An abdominal CT scan performed showed a solid 18-centimetres (cm) mass located in the right liver lobe. A biopsy of the lesion was performed, revealing metastastic cells of a well-differentiated neuroendocrine tumour (NET, G3 (Ki-67: 25%). Further study was performed with MRI, and SPECT-CT, showing a 2-cm lesion in the pancreatic tail suggestive of being the primary NET. Chromogranin A levels were high (114.100 ng/ml). In our case, despite the large size of the liver metastasis a full resection of the tumours was achieved.

Hepatocellular carcinoma risk in hepatitis C stage-3 fibrosis after sustained virological response with direct-acting antivirals.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Patients with chronic hepatitis C and stage 3 fibrosis are thought to remain at risk of hepatocellular carcinoma after sustained virological response. We investigated this risk in a large cohort of patients with well-defined stage 3 fibrosis. METHODS: We performed a multicentre, ambispective, observational study of chronic hepatitis C patients with sustained virological response after treatment with direct-acting antivirals started between January and December 2015. Baseline stage 3 was defined in a two-step procedure: we selected patients with transient elastography values of 9.5-14.5 kPa and subsequently excluded those with nodular liver surface, splenomegaly, ascites or collaterals on imaging, thrombopenia or esophago-gastric varices. Patients were screened twice-yearly using ultrasound. RESULTS: The final sample comprised 506 patients (median age, 57.4 years; males, 59.9%; diabetes, 17.2%; overweight, 44.1%; genotype 3, 8.9%; HIV coinfection, 18.4%; altered liver values, 15.2%). Median follow-up was 33.7 (22.1-39.1) months. Five hepatocellular carcinomas and 1 cholangiocarcinoma were detected after a median of 29.4 months (95% CI: 26.8-39.3), with an incidence of 0.47/100 patients/year (95% CI: 0.17-1.01). In the multivariate analysis, only males older than 55 years had a significant higher risk (hazard ratio 7.2 [95% CI: 1.2-41.7; P = .029]) with an incidence of 1.1/100 patients/year (95% CI: 0.3-2.8). CONCLUSIONS: In a large, well-defined cohort of patients with baseline hepatitis C stage-3 fibrosis, the incidence of primary liver tumours was low after sustained virological response and far from the threshold for cost-effectiveness of screening, except in males older than 55 years.

Interferon-related genetic markers of necroinflammatory activity in chronic hepatitis C.

INTRODUCTION: Chronic hepatitis C (CHC) is a major cause of liver disease worldwide which often leads to progressive liver inflammation, fibrosis, cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). CHC displays heterogeneous progression depending on a broad set of factors, some of them intrinsic to each individual such as the patient's genetic profile. This study aims to evaluate the contribution of certain genetic variants of crucial interferon alpha and lambda signaling pathways to the hepatic necroinflammatory activity (NIA) grade of CHC patients. METHODS: NIA was evaluated in 119 CHC patients by METAVIR scale and classified as low (NIA = 0-2, n = 80) or high grade (NIA = 3, n = 39). In a candidate gene approach, 64 SNPs located in 30 different genes related to interferon pathways (IL-28B, IFNAR1-2, JAK-STAT and OAS1-3, among others) were genotyped using the Illumina GoldenGate® Genotyping Assay. Statistical association was determined by logistic regression and expressed as OR and 95% CI. Those SNPs significantly associated were further adjusted by other covariates. RESULTS: Seven SNPs located in IL-28B (rs12979860), JAK1 (rs11576173 and rs1497056), TYK2 (rs280519), OAS1 (rs2057778), SOCS1 (rs33932899) and RNASEL (rs3738579) genes were significantly related to severe NIA grade (p<0.05). Regarding to clinical variables, elevated NIA was notably associated with aspartate aminotransferase (AST) serum levels >40 IU/L (p<0.05) but not with other clinical factors. Multivariate logistic regression analysis of these factors reflected that AST (>40 IU/L), TYK2 rs280519 (G allele) and RNASEL rs3738579 (G allele) were factors independently associated with elevated NIA (p<0.05). AST concentration showed a moderate AUC value (AUC = 0.63), similar to TYK2 (rs280519) and RNASEL (rs3738579) SNPs (AUC = 0.61, both) in the ROC_AUC analysis. Interestingly, the model including all significant variables reached a considerable predictive value (AUC = 0.74). CONCLUSION: The identified genetic variants in interferon signaling pathways may constitute useful prognostic markers of CHC progression. Further validation in larger cohorts of patients is needed.

Intrahepatic angiopoietin-2 correlates with chronic hepatitis C progression and is induced in hepatitis C virus replicon systems.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Chronic hepatitis C (CHC) is a major cause of cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma and angiogenesis is closely related to the pathogenesis and progression of different chronic liver diseases (CLD). Thus, the intrahepatic expression of angiopoietins 1 and 2 (Ang1 and Ang2), as relevant mediators of pathological angiogenesis in several CLD, was investigated. In addition, the differential influence of structural and non-structural genomic regions of HCV on the expression of angiopoietins and the possible signalling involved were studied. METHODS: Ang1 and Ang2 expression was evaluated by western blotting and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in liver homogenates of CHC patients (n=47) and uninfected subjects (n=8). Their association with disease progression (according to METAVIR classification) was assessed by Spearman's correlation. Statistical differences among the expression of angiopoietins at different CHC stages were calculated by Mann-Whitney U-test. Finally, the in vitro expression of Angiopoietins in HCV replicons (complete or non-structural subgenomic) and the main signalling pathways involved were also examined. RESULTS: Ang2 levels were significantly higher in the liver of CHC patients compared to controls and significantly correlated with inflammation and fibrosis. Accordingly, an increased expression of Ang2 was found in all HCV replicons tested. Interestingly, the inhibition of MEK and PI3K signalling pathways exerted differential effects on Ang2 expression concerning to the genomic region of HCV. CONCLUSIONS: Hepatitis C virus induces Ang2 expression in hepatocytes through different signalling routes which may lead to the disregulation of vascular homeostasis in the liver. Thus, pharmacologic intervention on Ang2 signalling might constitute an important therapeutic tool.

Transarterial chemoembolisation in intermediate-stage hepatocellular carcinoma. Survey on clinical practice in hospitals in the Madrid Region.

BACKGROUND: Transarterial chemoembolisation (TACE), having demonstrated survival benefits, is the treatmentof choice in intermediate-stage hepatocellular carcinoma, although there is great heterogeneity in its clinical application. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A survey was sent to the Madrid Regional hospitals to assess applicability, indications and treatment protocols. The assessment was made overall and according to the type of hospital (groups A vs. B and C). RESULTS: Seventeen out of 22 hospitals responded (8/8 group A, 9/ 14 group B-C). All do/indicate transarterial chemoembolisation, 13/17 at their own facilities. Eight of the 17 hospitals have multidisciplinary groups (5/8 A, 3/9 B-C). Nine hospitals perform > 20 procedures/year (7 group A), and 6 from group B-C request/perform < 10/year. It is performed on an "on-demand" basis in 12/17. In 5 hospitals, all the procedures use drug-eluting beads loaded with doxorubicin. The average number of procedures per patient is 2. The mean time from diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma to transarterial chemoembolisation is ≤ 2 months in 16 hospitals. In 11/17 hospitals, response is assessed by computed tomography. Radiological response is measured without specific criteria in 12/17 and the other five hospitals (4 group A) assessed using standardised criteria. CONCLUSION: Uniformity among the Madrid Regional hospitals was found in the indication and treatment regimen. The use of DEB-TACE has become the preferred form of TACE in clinical practice. The differentiating factors for the more specialised hospitals are a larger volume of procedures, decision-making by multidisciplinary committees and assessment of radiological response more likely to be standardised.

Angiopoietin-2 Serum Levels Improve Noninvasive Fibrosis Staging in Chronic Hepatitis C: A Fibrogenic-Angiogenic Link.

AIMS: Accurate liver fibrosis staging is crucial for the management of chronic hepatitis C (CHC). The invasiveness and cost burden of liver biopsy have driven the search for new noninvasive biomarkers of fibrosis. Based on the link between serum angiopoietin-1 and 2 levels and CHC progression, we aimed to determine the value of these angiogenic factors as noninvasive biomarkers of liver fibrosis. METHODS: Serum levels of angiopoietin-1 and -2 were measured by ELISA in 108 CHC patients who underwent pretreatment liver biopsy. The correlation between angiopoietins and clinical and demographic variables with liver fibrosis was analyzed by univariate regression. Significant factors were then subjected to multivariate analysis, from which we constructed a novel noninvasive liver fibrosis index (AngioScore), whose performance was validated in an independent series of 71 CHC patients. The accuracy of this model was compared with other documented fibrosis algorithms by De Long test. RESULTS: Angiopoietins correlated significantly with hepatic fibrosis; however, only angiopoietin-2 was retained in the final model, which also included age, platelets, AST, INR, and GGT. The model was validated and behaved considerably better than other fibrosis indices in discriminating all, significant, moderate and severe liver fibrosis (0.886, 0.920, 0.923). Using clinically relevant cutoffs, we classified CHC patients by discarding significant fibrosis and diagnosing moderate and severe fibrosis with greater accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity. CONCLUSIONS: Our novel noninvasive liver fibrosis model, based on serum angiopoietin-2 levels, outperforms other indices and should help substantially in managing CHC and monitoring long-term follow-up prognosis.

Long-term outcome of chronic hepatitis C patients with sustained virological response to peginterferon plus ribavirin.

AIM: To assess the clinical, biochemical and virological long-term outcome in chronic hepatitis C (CHC) patients with a sustained virological response (SVR) after peginterferon (PEG-IFN) plus ribavirin combination therapy. METHODS: One hundred and fifty three patients with a SVR after treatment with PEG-IFN plus ribavirin were included in a 5-year follow-up study in a single Spanish center, based on standard clinical practice. Clinical anamnesis, biochemical analysis, hepatitis C virus RNA and alpha-fetoprotein measurement, ultrasonography and transient elastography were performed annually. RESULTS: The mean follow-up period of the 153 patients was 76 ± 13 mo after they obtained a SVR. Five patients (3.26%) presented with cirrhosis before treatment and 116 (75.8%) had genotype 1. No patient showed evidence of hepatic decompensation. One patient (0.65%) developed a hepatocellular carcinoma at month 30 after achieving SVR. There were no virological relapses during this follow-up period. Persistently elevated alanine aminotransferase was found in only one patient (0.65%). At the end of the 5-year follow-up, the mean value of transient elastography was 7 ± 4.3 kPa (F1). There were no deaths and no other tumors. CONCLUSION: The long-term outcome of 153 CHC patients with SVR to PEG-IFN plus ribavirin was good. No evidence of a virological relapse was seen. One patient (0.65%) developed a hepatocellular carcinoma.

[Potential impact of contrast-enhanced ultrasonography in the study of focal liver lesions]. / Potencial de la ultrasonografía ecopotenciada en la caracterización de las lesiones focales hepáticas.

Ultrasonography is the first choice for screening patients with suspected liver lesions. However, due to lack of contrast agents, ultrasonography is less sensitive and specific compared with computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging. The advent of microbubble contrast agents increases both sensitivity and specificity dramatically. Real-time evaluation of the vascular phase can currently be achieved by combining new microbubble specific methods with second-generation contrast agents. The enhancement pattern in the vascular phase, combined with the behavior in the liver-specific late phase, allows the characterization of the most frequent focal liver lesions, with an accuracy similar to those of dynamic computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging.