Robotic versus open pancreaticoduodenectomy: a meta-analysis of short-term outcomes.

BACKGROUND: Although robotic surgery is popular around the world, its safety and efficacy over classical open surgery is still controversial. The purpose of this article is to compare the safety and efficacy of robotic pancreaticoduodenectomy (RPD) and open pancreaticoduodenectomy (OPD). METHODS: A literature search of PubMed, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library database up to July 29, 2018 was performed and the meta-analysis was performed using RevMan 5.2 software with Fixed and random effects models applied. The IRB approval and written consent were not needed for this paper. RESULTS: Twelve non-randomized retrospective studies and 1 non-randomized prospective study consisting of 2403 patients were included in this meta-analysis. There were 788 (33%) patients in the RPD group and 1615 (67%) patients in the OPD group. Although RPD was associated with a longer operative time (weighted mean difference [WMD]: 71.74 min; 95% CI 23.37-120.12; p = 0.004), patient might benefit from less blood loss (WMD: - 374.03 ml; 95% CI - 506.84 to - 241.21; p < 0.00001), shorter length of stay (WMD: - 5.19 day; 95% CI - 8.42 to - 1.97; p = 0.002), and lower wound infection rate (odds ratio: 0.17; 95% CI 0.04-0.80; p = 0.02). No statistically significant difference was observed in positive margin rate, lymph nodes harvested, postoperative complications, reoperation or readmission rate, and mortality rate. CONCLUSIONS: Robotic pancreaticoduodenectomy is a safe and feasible alternative to open pancreaticoduodenectomy with regard to short-term outcomes. Further studies on the long-term outcomes of these surgical techniques are needed.

Downstaging of Hepatocellular Carcinoma Before Liver Transplantation: Current Advances in Selection Criteria and Therapeutic Options.

Liver transplantation (LT) is an ideal therapeutic option for selected patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The selection criteria of HCC for LT have evolved in recent decades. Downstaging therapy is a promising strategy for patients with tumor burden beyond transplant criteria to increase the chance of receiving LT and improve posttransplant survival. Downstaging therapy is also a selection tool that refines the conventional selection criteria based on tumor morphology. Recently, the success of systemic treatment, including immune checkpoint inhibitors, antiangiogenic tyrosine kinase inhibitors, and VEGF inhibitors, in advanced HCC has prompted the discussion regarding the role of systemic therapies for HCC downstaging before transplantation. In this review, we aimed to summarize the current advances in selection criteria and therapeutic options of downstaging therapy for HCC before LT.

Fatal graft-versus-host disease in recipient with pretransplant exposure to immune checkpoint inhibitors and donor-dominant one-way HLA matching after liver transplantation: A case report.

INTRODUCTION AND IMPORTANCE: Graft-versus-host disease (GvHD) is a rare but severe complication following liver transplantation (LT), occurring in 1-2 % of cases with a mortality rate exceeding 80 %. Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) used pretransplant are associated with increased allograft rejection risk, but their impact on GvHD in LT remains unclear. Dominant one-way donor-recipient human leukocyte antigen (HLA) matching is a known risk factor for GvHD. This report presents a rare case of fatal GvHD in a hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patient treated with PD-1 inhibitors before LT and transplanted with a liver graft from a deceased donor with donor-dominant one-way HLA matching. CASE PRESENTATION: A 59-year-old male with a 30-year history of hepatitis B and unresectable HCC underwent LT after receiving the last dose of PD-1 inhibitors 7 days prior to the transplant. On post-operative day (POD) 12, the patient developed a skin rash, fever, and vomiting, and was diagnosed with GvHD. Despite aggressive treatment, including high-dose corticosteroids and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), the patient succumbed to gastrointestinal bleeding and multi-organ failure on POD 30. HLA genotyping revealed typical donor-dominant one-way HLA matching. CLINICAL DISCUSSION: This case highlights a potential link between pretransplant exposure to ICIs and GvHD, particularly with donor-dominant one-way HLA matching. Residual anti-PD-1 antibodies may activate graft-resident immune cells, precipitating GvHD. Further research with larger cohorts and animal models is required to clarify this relationship and understand the underlying mechanisms. CONCLUSION: Besides allograft rejection, caution should also be exercised regarding GvHD in patients with prior exposure to ICIs before LT.

Elevated expression of Bmi1 in hepatocellular carcinoma with bile duct tumor thrombi.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with bile duct tumor thrombi (BDTT) is a rare event. The Bmi1 gene has been reported to play important roles in cancer initiation and progression. In this study, the expression of Bmi1 in HCC with BDTT was investigated. METHODOLOGY: The expression of Bmi1 was examined immunohistochemically in HCC patients with BDTT (B+ group), HCC patients with vascular invasion (V+ group) and combined hepatocellular carcinoma and cholangiocarcinoma (C+ group), respectively. Besides, the Bmi1 mRNA level was investigated by real time PCR in the fresh samples obtained from 13 cases in B+ group, 10 cases in V+ group, and 6 cases in C+ group, respectively. RESULTS: Immunohistochemical staining for Bmi1 showed Bmi1 was highly expressed in the B+ group in comparison with the C+ group and the V+ group, respectively. The Bmi1 mRNA level by real time PCR also showed that it was significantly up-regulated in B+ group compared with those of C+ group and V+ group, respectively. However, there was no statistically significant difference in Bmi1 levels between the subjects with vascular invasion and the subjects without vascular invasion. CONCLUSIONS: Bmi1 might play important roles in the development of BDTT in HCC.

Cathepsin-facilitated invasion of BMI1-high hepatocellular carcinoma cells drives bile duct tumor thrombi formation.

Bile duct tumor thrombosis (BDTT) is a complication mostly observed in patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), causing jaundice and associated with poor clinical outcome. However, its underlying molecular mechanism is unclear. Here, we develop spontaneous preclinical HCC animal models with BDTT to identify the role of BMI1 expressing tumor initiating cells (BMI1high TICs) in inducing BDTT. BMI1 overexpression transforms liver progenitor cells into BMI1high TICs, which possess strong tumorigenicity and increased trans-intrahepatic biliary epithelial migration ability by secreting lysosomal cathepsin B (CTSB). Orthotopic liver implantation of BMI1high TICs into mice generates tumors and triggers CTSB mediated bile duct invasion to form tumor thrombus, while CTSB inhibitor treatment prohibits BDTT and extends mouse survival. Clinically, the elevated serum CTSB level determines BDTT incidence in HCC patients. Mechanistically, BMI1 epigenetically up-regulates CTSB secretion in TICs by repressing miR-218-1-3p expression. These findings identify a potential diagnostic and therapeutic target for HCC patients with BDTT.

Hepatitis B Virus Surface Antigen Promotes Stemness of Hepatocellular Carcinoma through Regulating MicroRNA-203a.

Background and Aims: Patients with persistent positive hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), even with a low HBV-DNA load, have a higher risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) than those without HBV infection. Given that tumor stemness has a critical role in the occurrence and maintenance of neoplasms, this study aimed to explore whether HBsAg affects biological function and stemness of HCC by regulating microRNA, and to explore underlying mechanisms. Methods: We screened out miR-203a, the most significant down-regulated microRNA in the microarray analysis of HBsAg-positive samples and focused on that miRNA in the ensuing study. In vitro and in vivo functional experiments were performed to assess its regulatory function. The effect of miR-203a on stemness and the possible correlation with BMI1 were analyzed in this study. Results: MiR-203a was significantly down-regulated in HBsAg-positive HCC with the sharpest decrease shown in microarray analysis. The negative correlation between miR-203a and HBsAg expression was confirmed by quantitative real-time PCR after stimulation or overexpression/knockdown of HBsAg in cells. We demonstrated the function of miR-203a in inhibiting HCC cell proliferation, migration, clonogenic capacity, and tumor development in vivo. Furthermore, the overexpression of miR-203a remarkably increases the sensitivity of tumor cells to 5-FU treatment and decreases the proportion of HCC cells with stem markers. In concordance with our study, the survival analysis of both The Cancer Genome Atlas database and samples in our center indicated a worse prognosis in patients with low level of miR-203a. We also found that BMI1, a gene maintains the self-renewal capacity of stem cells, showed a significant negative correlation with miR-203a in HCC specimen (p<0.001). Similarly, opposite BMI1 changes after overexpression/knockdown of miR-203a were also confirmed in vitro. Dual luciferase reporting assay suggested that miR-203a may regulate BMI1 expression by direct binding. Conclusions: HBsAg may promote the development of HCC and tumor stemness by inhibiting miR-203a, resulting in poor prognosis. miR-203a may serve as a crucial treatment target in HBsAg-positive HCC. More explicit mechanistic studies and animal experiments need to be conducted as a next step.

Atypical Biliary Adenofibroma of the Liver: Related Treatment and Performance.

Biliary adenofibroma is an extremely rare benign liver tumor, but it may be a precancerous lesion of cholangiocarcinoma. So far, only 29 cases have been reported in the literature. A 30-year-old woman was admitted to our department for upper abdomen mass. The computed tomography scan showed a huge cystic and partly substantial mass between the left lobe of the liver and the descending duodenum, which was considered to be an exophytic tumor derived from the left lobe of the liver. Laparoscopic liver segment IVb resection and cholecystectomy were performed. Microscopic examination showed that the tumor was composed of glandular cavities of varying sizes and fibrous interstitium. The glandular cavity was covered with cubic or columnar epithelium without atypia. Some of the mesenchymal cells are myofibroblast-like and spindle-shaped with red-stained cytoplasm. The mesenchymal cells in some areas proliferate densely with moderate atypia. It was considered to be an atypical biliary adenofibroma with focal necrosis and active cell proliferation which may have malignant transformation potential. There was no recurrence and metastasis at a 6-month follow-up. Biliary adenofibroma is a rare benign tumor derived from the bile duct, but it may progress to malignancy and develop distant metastasis. It is difficult to distinguish it from other liver tumors through imaging examination and the gold standard of diagnosis is histopathological examination. Close clinical follow-up is recommended.

Immune Checkpoint FGL1 Expression of Circulating Tumor Cells Is Associated With Poor Survival in Curatively Resected Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

LAG-3 is one of the common tumor immune checkpoints. LAG-3 can inhibit the activation and proliferation of T cells, and can also suppress immunity by regulating other immune-related cell functions. FGL1 was recently discovered to be the main ligand of immune checkpoint LAG-3 and play a critical role in the inhibition of T cells. However, the FGL1 expression in circulating tumor cells (CTCs) and its clinical significance in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remain unclear. Therefore, this bioinformatics analysis was performed to assess the expression of FGL1 in various tumors and its association with immune infiltration. After that, CTCs from 109 HCC patients were detected and the immunofluorescence staining was performed (CD45, EpCAM, CK8/18/19, Vimentin, Twist, DAPI and FGL1). Then, we investigated FGL1 expression and EMT of CTCs and analyzed its relationship with patient survival and clinical relevance. Bioinformatic results showed that FGL1 expression was abnormal in various tumor and it was correlated with the infiltration level of several immune cells. FGL1 expression was detected in CTCs of 40 patients (36.7%). The proportion of advanced TNM stage (P<0.001) and distant metastasis(P=0.020) in FGL1 positive patients was higher than that of FGL1 negative patients. In addition, patients with FGL1 positive circulating tumor cells had worse postoperative survival than FGL1 negative patients (p=0.0297). The mixed phenotypic CTC presented a higher level of FGL1 expression than any other types, the number of which also predicted worse prognosis(p=0.0443). We also found that the expression of FGL1 on CTCs was associated with the level of FGL1 in tumor tissues. Of 12 patients receiving PD-1/PD-L1 blockade in a total of 109 cases, 8 out of 10 patients with FGL1 positive CTC showed immunotherapy resistance. It is the first study that suggested FGL1 expression in CTCs as an indicator of the poor prognosis in HCC patients. CTC detection may serve as a promising replacement for determination of tumor tissue FGL1 expression and provide evidence for the application of immunotherapy.

Intra-Tumoral Secondary Follicle-like Tertiary Lymphoid Structures Are Associated with a Superior Prognosis of Overall Survival of Perihilar Cholangiocarcinoma.

Ectopic lymphoid structures termed tertiary lymphoid structures (TLSs) have an immunomodulatory function and positively affect prognosis in certain cancers. However, their clinical relevance and prognostic utility in perihilar cholangiocarcinoma (pCCA) are unknown. Therefore, determining the involvement and prognostic utility of TLSs in pCCA is the aim of this study. Ninety-three patients with surgically resected pCCA were included retrospectively. Hematoxylin and eosin and immunohistochemical staining identified and classified the TLSs, and multiplex immunofluorescence determined the TLS composition in the pCCA sample. The correlations between clinical features and TLSs were analyzed using either Fisher's exact test or the Chi-squared test. Recurrence-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS) correlations with TLSs were analyzed using Cox regression and Kaplan-Meier analyses. We identified TLSs in 86% of patients with pCCA, including lymphoid aggregates (6.45%), primary (13.98%) and secondary follicles (65.59%). Patients with intra-tumoral secondary follicle-like TLSs (S-TLSs) had better OS (p = 0.003) and RFS (p = 0.0313). The multivariate analysis identified the presence of S-TLSs as a good independent prognostic indicator for OS but not for RFS. Interestingly, the presence of S-TLS only indicated better 5-year OS in 54 patients without lymph node metastasis (LNM-, p = 0.0232) but not in the 39 patients with lymph node metastasis (LNM+, p = 0.1244). Intra-tumoral S-TLSs predicted longer OS in patients with surgically resected pCCA, suggesting intra-tumoral S-TLSs' contribution to effective antitumor immunity and that S-TLSs hold promise for diagnostic and therapeutic development in pCCA.

Activation of the Notch1-c-myc-VCAM1 signalling axis initiates liver progenitor cell-driven hepatocarcinogenesis and pulmonary metastasis.

The cellular origin of hepatocellular carcinomas (HCC) and the role of Notch1 signalling in HCC initiation are controversial. Herein, we establish Notch1 as a regulator of HCC development and progression. Clinically, high Notch1 expression correlates with enhanced cancer progression, elevated lung metastasis, increased cancer stem cell (CSC)-like cells' gene signature expression, and poor overall survival in HCC patients. Notch1 intracellular domain (N1ICD) overexpression spontaneously transforms rat liver progenitor cells (LPC) into CSC-like cells (WBN1ICD C5) under a selective growth environment, while orthotopic injection of these cells generates liver tumors and spontaneous pulmonary metastasis in an isogenic rat model. Mechanistically, the elevated Notch1 activity increases c-myc expression, which then transcriptionally upregulates VCAM1 expression to activate macrophage dependent HCC transendothelial migration. In vivo, silencing c-myc prohibits the tumorigenicity of WBN1ICD C5 cells, while depletion of VCAM1 reduces spontaneous lung metastasis without affecting primary WBN1ICD C5 orthotopic liver tumor growth. Importantly, depletion of macrophage or blockade of macrophage VCAM1 binding receptor α4ß1-integrin reduces the number of WBN1ICD C5 lung nodules in an experimental metastasis model. Overall, our work discovers that the Notch1-c-myc-VCAM1 signaling axis initiates LPC-driven hepatocarcinogenesis and metastasis, providing a preclinical model for HCC study and therapeutic targets for an improved HCC treatment.

Clinicopathological characteristics of 20 cases of hepatocellular carcinoma with bile duct tumor thrombi.

BACKGROUND: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with bile duct tumor thrombi (BDTT) is a rare type of primary liver cancer, and its clinical and pathological characteristics remain to be defined. AIMS: To investigate the clinical and pathological characteristics of HCC with BDTT. METHODS: Among 676 HCC patients who underwent surgical treatment from Dec. 2002 to Dec. 2008 at the author's hospital, HCC with BDTT was identified in 20 patients. The clinical and pathological characteristics of the 20 patients were measured or analyzed retrospectively. The integrity of the involved bile duct was examined macroscopically and microscopically, the expression of liver stem cell markers was investigated by immunohistochemistry, and the Kaplan-Meier method was adopted for evaluating survival. RESULTS: Among the 20 patients, the diameter of the primary tumor was less than 5 cm in 13 patients (range: 0.5-10 cm, mean 4.47±0.68 cm). Most of the primary tumors lacked an intact tumor capsule (15/20, 75%), had simultaneous blood vessel invasion (12/20, 60%), and were poorly differentiated (13/20, 65%). There was no evidence of bile duct wall infiltration by the tumor cells macroscopically or microscopically. The positive rate of the liver stem cell markers c-kit, CD90, CD133, and EpCAM was 90, 90, 85 and 85%, respectively. Postoperative overall survival rates at 1, 2, and 3 years were 73.1, 41.1, and 20.6%, respectively. The log-rank test showed that the overall survival rates were significantly worse for HCC patients with BDTT than for HCC patients without BDTT (P=0.016). CONCLUSIONS: HCC with BDTT has aggressive characteristics and the long-term prognosis is extremely dismal.

Clinical and pathological analysis of hepatic artery aneurysm in a patient with systemic lupus erythematosus: report of a case.

A hepatic artery aneurysm is an unusual but life-threatening hepatobiliary complication occurring in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), and early diagnosis and treatment of this complication are essential. A 31-year-old man with SLE presented with recurring epigastric pain and jaundice for 2 months; he was diagnosed with choledocholithiasis and underwent surgery. Hemobilia was found intraoperatively, and two hepatic artery aneurysms were identified in the left lateral lobe during postoperative arteriography. Major hemobilia occurred 6 days after the operation, and the patient was immediately treated with selective embolization of the hepatic artery. However, the major hemobilia recurred 2 days later, and he was treated with a left lateral lobectomy and ligation of the proximal hepatic artery. The patient recovered uneventfully and is in good condition. A histological analysis revealed small- and medium-sized arteritis as well as hepatic artery aneurysm. Systemic lupus erythematosus complicated by a hepatic artery aneurysm should be considered in the differential diagnosis of patients showing symptoms of abdominal pain, jaundice, or gastrointestinal bleeding.

Clinicopathological analysis of 14 patients with combined hepatocellular carcinoma and cholangiocarcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Combined hepatocellular carcinoma and cholangiocarcinoma (cHCC-CC) is an uncommon subtype of primary hepatic carcinoma, and its prognosis is poor. This study was undertaken to investigate the prognosis and the clinicopathological characteristics of cHCC-CC, including their possible cellular origin. METHODS: Among 852 patients with a primary hepatic carcinoma who underwent hepatectomy from January 1998 to April 2008 at our hospital, cHCC-CC was identified in 14 patients. The clinicopathological characteristics of the 14 patients were analyzed retrospectively. The expression of the liver stem cell markers (c-kit, CD90, CD133 and CK19) in the tumor tissue was detected by immunohistochemistry, and the Kaplan-Meier method was used to evaluate survival. RESULTS: Among the 14 patients, 9 presented with abdominal pain, 3 with anorexia and debilitation, and the remaining two patients were asymptomatic. The mean age was 53.6+/-3.0 (range 38-74) years. Among the included patients, 11 had an elevated serum alpha-fetoprotein level, 13 were infected with hepatitis B virus, 9 had vascular invasion and 1 had lymph node metastasis. The average diameter of the tumors was 9.9+/-1.1 (range 5.0-16.0) cm. The median overall survival time was 7.9+/-1.0 months. In addition, the presence of the liver stem cell markers, c-kit, CD90, CD133 and CK19 was 71.4%, 85.7%, 92.9% and 78.6%, respectively. All four markers were simultaneously expressed in eight cases. CONCLUSIONS: cHCC-CC has aggressive characteristics and the prognosis is extremely dismal. The high expression of liver stem cell markers in the tumor tissue suggests that these tumors may derive from liver stem cells.

Clinicopathological and Prognostic Value of Programmed Cell Death 1 Expression in Hepatitis B Virus-related Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The efficacy of targeted programmed cell death 1/programmed death ligand 1 (PD-1/PD-L1) monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) has been confirmed in many solid malignant tumors. The overexpression of PD-1/PD-L1 serves as a biomarker to predict prognosis and clinical progression. However, the role of PD-1 in patients with hepatitis B virus-related hepatocellular carcinoma (HBV-HCC) remains indeterminate. Given that HBV is the most important cause for HCC, this study aimed to investigate the prognostic and clinicopathological value of PD-1 in HBV-HCC via a meta-analysis. METHODS: We searched PubMed, Embase, Scopus, the Cochrane Library, Web of Science and Google Scholar up to January 2021 for studies on the correlation between clinicopathology/prognosis and PD-1 in patients with HBV-HCC. The pooled hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated to investigate the prognostic significance of PD-1 expression. The odds ratios (ORs) and 95% CIs were determined to explore the association between PD-1 expression and clinicopathological features. RESULTS: Our analysis included seven studies with 658 patients, which showed that high PD-1 expression was statistically correlated with poorer overall survival (HR=2.188, 95% CI: [1.262-3.115], p<0.001) and disease-free survival (HR=2.743, 95% CI: [1.980-3.506], p<0.001). PD-1 overexpression was correlated with multiple tumors (OR=2.268, 95% CI: [1.209-4.257], p=0.011), high level of alpha fetoprotein (AFP; OR=1.495, 95% CI: [1.005-2.223], p=0.047) and advanced Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) stage (OR=3.738, 95% CI: [2.101-6.651], p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Our meta-analysis revealed that the high level of PD-1 expression was associated with multiple tumors, high level of AFP and advanced BCLC stage. It significantly predicted a poor prognosis of HBV-HCC, which suggests that anti-PD-1 therapy for HBV-HCC patients is plausible.

Nerve growth factor-beta expression is associated with lymph node metastasis and nerve infiltration in human hilar cholangiocarcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Angiogenesis and lymphangiogenesis are important processes in the progression of malignant tumors. Previous studies have shown that nerve growth factor-beta (NGF-beta) can promote the initiation and progression of many tumors. In addition, vascular endothelial growth factor-C (VEGF-C) has become recognized as the most important lymphangiogenic factor. In the present study, the expression of NGF-beta in human hilar cholangiocarcinoma and its relationship with lymphangiogenesis, lymph node metastasis, nerve infiltration, and VEGF-C expression was investigated. METHODS: Nerve growth factor-beta and VEGF-C expression were investigated by immunohistochemistry in samples from 28 cases of hilar cholangiocarcinoma. The lymphatic vessel density (LVD) in the tumor tissue that indicated lymphangiogenesis were calculated by immunostaining with the lymphendothelial-specific antibody D2-40. The relationship between NGF-beta expression and VEGF-C expression, lymphangiogenesis, lymph node metastasis, and nerve infiltration was evaluated. RESULTS: The overexpression of NGF-beta and VEGF-C occurred in 57.1% (16/28) and 46.4% (13/28) of tumor samples, respectively. Nerve growth factor-beta overexpression was highly correlated with VEGF-C overexpression (P = 0.005), LVD (P < 0.001), lymph node metastasis (P = 0.021), nerve infiltration (P = 0.019), and tumor stage (P = 0.040). Furthermore, VEGF-C overexpression was highly correlated with LVD (P < 0.001) and lymph node metastasis (P < 0.001). However, there was no statistic significance in the relation between NGF-beta expression and sex (P = 0.185), age (P = 0.387), maximal tumor size (P = 0.736), Bismuth classification (P = 0.627) as well as histological grade (P = 0.203). CONCLUSIONS: Nerve growth factor-beta might promote lymph node metastasis and nerve infiltration in human hilar cholangiocarcinoma.

Prognostic factors and outcome of 438 Chinese patients with hepatocellular carcinoma underwent partial hepatectomy in a single center.

OBJECTIVE: This study was designed to evaluate the prognostic factors and outcome of 438 Chinese patients with hepatocellular carcinoma who underwent partial hepatectomy in a single center. METHODS: Clinicopathological data of 438 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma who underwent partial hepatectomy at the author's hospital between 1991 and 2004 were reviewed retrospectively. The Kaplan-Meier method was adopted for evaluating survival. Prognostic factors were assessed by Cox proportional hazard model and logistic regression model. RESULTS: The perioperative (30 days) mortality and morbidity were 7.5% (33/438) and 21.7% (95/438), respectively. The operative mortality decreased significantly from 10.6% (23/218) in 1991-2001 to 4.5% (10/220) in 2002-2004 (P = 0.019). Postoperative overall survival rates at 1 year, 3 years, and 5 years were 72.2%, 53.5%, and 43.3%, respectively. Cox multivariate analysis indicated that Child-Pugh score, tumor size, capsular invasion, tumor stage, vascular invasion, and resection margin were independent prognostic factors for overall survival (P < 0.05). Also, 254 cases had tumor recurrence after operation and 87 cases of them were reoperated. Logistic multivariate analysis showed that tumor size, capsular invasion, vascular invasion, lymph node metastasis, extrahepatic metastasis, and resection margin were independent risk factors of tumor recurrence (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Tumor size, capsular invasion, vascular invasion, and resection margin were the main factors that may impact the overall survival and tumor recurrence. Because resection margin was the only factor that relates to the surgery, enough resection margin (>2 cm) should be obtained whenever possible.

Clinical strategies for differentiating IgG4-related cholecystitis from gallbladder carcinoma to avoid unnecessary surgical resection.

Immunoglobulin G4 (IgG4)-related cholecystitis (IgG4-C) is often difficult to distinguish from gallbladder carcinoma (GBC). This study aimed to determine a practical strategy for differentiating between IgG4-C and GBC to avoid unnecessary surgical resection. The expression of IgG4 in the gallbladder was detected by immunohistochemistry. The clinicopathological and radiological characteristics of IgG4-C patients and GBC patients were analyzed retrospectively. Immunohistochemistry revealed that IgG4 was upregulated in the plasma cells of IgG4-C tissues. The median serum total bilirubin levels were significantly higher in the patients with IgG4-C than in those with GBC (45.8 µmol L-1 vs. 29.9 µmol L-1). The serum γ-GGT levels were higher in IgG4-C patients than in GBC patients, whereas the serum levels of CA125 were significantly higher in GBC patients than in IgG4-C patients. The imaging scans were helpful for differentiating IgG4-C from GBC based on the presence of a layered pattern and Rokitansky-Aschoff sinuses in the gallbladder wall. There were no statistically significant differences in age, presence of abdominal pain, level of emaciation between the two groups. Our study demonstrated that the combination of imaging with serum total bilirubin, γ-GGT and CA125 levels can offer added preoperative diagnostic value and reduce the rate of IgG4-C misdiagnosis.

Construction of a risk score prognosis model based on hepatocellular carcinoma microenvironment.

BACKGROUND: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a common cancer with a poor prognosis. Previous studies revealed that the tumor microenvironment (TME) plays an important role in HCC progression, recurrence, and metastasis, leading to poor prognosis. However, the effects of genes involved in TME on the prognosis of HCC patients remain unclear. Here, we investigated the HCC microenvironment to identify prognostic genes for HCC. AIM: To identify a robust gene signature associated with the HCC microenvironment to improve prognosis prediction of HCC. METHODS: We computed the immune/stromal scores of HCC patients obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas based on the ESTIMATE algorithm. Additionally, a risk score model was established based on Differentially Expressed Genes (DEGs) between high- and low-immune/stromal score patients. RESULTS: The risk score model consisting of eight genes was constructed and validated in the HCC patients. The patients were divided into high- or low-risk groups. The genes (Disabled homolog 2, Musculin, C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 8, Galectin 3, B-cell-activating transcription factor, Killer cell lectin like receptor B1, Endoglin and adenomatosis polyposis coli tumor suppressor) involved in our risk score model were considered to be potential immunotherapy targets, and they may provide better performance in combination. Functional enrichment analysis showed that the immune response and T cell receptor signaling pathway represented the major function and pathway, respectively, related to the immune-related genes in the DEGs between high- and low-risk groups. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis confirmed the good potency of the risk score prognostic model. Moreover, we validated the risk score model using the International Cancer Genome Consortium and the Gene Expression Omnibus database. A nomogram was established to predict the overall survival of HCC patients. CONCLUSION: The risk score model and the nomogram will benefit HCC patients through personalized immunotherapy.