Nodular Regenerative Hyperplasia of the Liver in Rheumatic Disease: Cases and Review of the Literature.

Nodular regenerative hyperplasia (NRH) is a rare disease that is characterized by benign transformation of the hepatic parenchyma into small nodules with little to no fibrosis. Nodular regenerative hyperplasia is a cause of noncirrhotic portal hypertension. Symptoms can range from asymptomatic disease to more serious complications of portal hypertension such as esophageal varices and ascites. Nodular regenerative hyperplasia has been described in association with a variety of different rheumatologic, hematologic, and oncologic diseases, as well as in immune deficiency states and with exposures to certain toxins. Diagnosis is made by histology, and the treatment involves addressing the underlying disease. The first description of this rare disease was actually described in a patient with rheumatoid arthritis, neutropenia, and splenomegaly (Felty's Syndrome). We describe 2 cases of NRH associated with underlying rheumatic disorders, in one of which NRH was actually the presenting feature of the patient's underlying autoimmune condition. Subsequently, we provide a brief review of the literature of NRH in autoimmune disease with respect to epidemiology, cause, clinical manifestations, diagnosis, and treatment.

A SEER Database Analysis of the Survival Advantage of Transarterial Chemoembolization for Hepatocellular Carcinoma: An Underutilized Therapy.

PURPOSE: To measure transarterial chemoembolization utilization and survival benefit among patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) patient population. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective study identified 37,832 patients with HCC diagnosed between 1991 and 2011. Survival was estimated by Kaplan-Meier method and compared by log-rank test. Propensity-score matching was used to address an imbalance of covariates. RESULTS: More than 75% of patients with HCC did not receive any HCC-directed treatment. Transarterial chemoembolization was the most common initial therapy (15.9%). Factors associated with the use of chemoembolization included younger age, more HCC risk factors, more comorbidities, higher socioeconomic status, intrahepatic tumor, unifocal tumor, vascular invasion, and smaller tumor size (all P < .001). Median survival was improved in patients treated with chemoembolization compared with those not treated with chemoembolization (20.1 vs 4.3 mo; P < .0001). Similar findings were demonstrated in propensity-scoring analysis (14.5 vs 4.2 mo; P < .0001) and immortal time bias sensitivity analysis (9.5 vs 3.6 mo; P < .0001). There was a significantly improved survival hazard ratio (HR) in patients treated with chemoembolization (HR, 0.42; 95% confidence interval, 0.39-0.45). CONCLUSIONS: Patients with HCC treated with transarterial chemoembolization experienced a significant survival advantage compared with those not treated with transarterial chemoembolization. More than 75% of SEER/Medicare patients diagnosed with HCC received no identifiable oncologic treatment. There is a significant public health need to increase awareness of efficacious HCC treatments such as transarterial chemoembolization.

Current guidelines for chemoembolization for hepatocellular carcinoma: Room for improvement?

Transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) is the most common oncologic therapy used according to the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD) guidelines established in 2005, revised in 2011. The purpose of this study was to determine how AASLD criteria for the management of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) have impacted TACE practice in the community. Clinical, demographic, and cause of death information were collected for patients diagnosed with HCC in the 2012 linkage of the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Medicare database. Propensity score survival analysis was used to compare survival outcomes in patients whose HCC tumor characteristics were less than, met, or were beyond AASLD criteria. The proportion of patients with HCC receiving TACE who met the AASLD-recommended criteria increased after the 2005 guidelines were published. Up to 17% of patients treated with TACE had tumor characteristics less than the AASLD criteria and were not offered potentially curative therapies. Propensity score matching demonstrated the largest survival advantage in patients with HCC whose tumor characteristics met the AASLD criteria (hazard ratio, 0.42; 95% confidence interval, 0.38-0.47). A significant survival advantage was also observed in patients with HCC whose tumor characteristics exceeded the AASLD criteria. Conclusion: The AASLD criteria successfully identify a population of patients with HCC that maximally benefit from TACE therapy. However, patients with HCC with tumor characteristics beyond the AASLD criteria also appear to receive a significant survival advantage with TACE. Further studies are necessary to improve referral patterns and appropriate use of chemoembolization in the management of unresectable HCC. (Hepatology Communications 2017;1:338-346).

Screening and detection of hepatocellular carcinoma.

The increasing incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has led to the need to identify patients at risk for HCC so that a program of screening can be undertaken. Screening for HCC has led to earlier diagnosis of tumors and thus has aided in initiating optimal medical treatment earlier in the disease course. Advances in radiological techniques and the identification of more accurate serum tests to diagnose HCC continue to be important areas of study and exploration. In particular, there have been efforts to develop new tumor markers to aid in the diagnosis of HCC and guide therapy of tumors.