Clinical impact of CEUS on non-characterizable observations and observations with intermediate probability of malignancy on CT/MRI in patients at risk for HCC.

BACKGROUND: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a unique cancer allowing tumor diagnosis with identification of definitive patterns of enhancement on contrast-enhanced imaging, avoiding invasive biopsy. However, it is still unclear to what extent Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound (CEUS) is a clinically useful additional step when Computed tomography (CT) or Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are inconclusive. METHODS: A prospective international multicenter validation study for CEUS Liver Imaging Reporting and Data System (LI-RADS) was conducted between January 2018 and August 2021. 646 patients at risk for HCC with focal liver lesions were enrolled. CEUS was performed using an intravenous ultrasound contrast agent within 4 weeks of CT/MRI. Liver nodules were categorized based on LI-RADS (LR) criteria. Histology or one-year follow-up CT/MRI imaging results were used as the reference standard. The diagnostic performance of CEUS was evaluated for inconclusive CT/MRI scan in two scenarios for which the AASLD recommends repeat imaging or imaging follow-up: observations deemed non-characterizable (LR-NC) or with indeterminate probability of malignancy (LR-3). RESULTS: 75 observations on CT or MRI were categorized as LR-3 (n = 54) or LR-NC (n = 21) CEUS recategorization of such observations into a different LR category (namely, into one among LR-1, LR-2, LR-5, LR-M, or LR-TIV) resulted in management recommendation changes in 33.3% (25/75) and in all but one (96.0%, 24/25) observation, the new management recommendations were correct. CONCLUSION: CEUS LI-RADS resulted in management recommendations change in substantial number of liver observations with initial indeterminate CT/MRI characterization, identifying both non-malignant lesions and HCC, potentially accelerating the diagnostic process and alleviating the need for biopsy or follow-up imaging. CLINICALTRIALS: gov number, NCT03318380.

Liver Imaging Reporting and Data System Contrast-Enhanced US Nonradiation Treatment Response Assessment Version 2024.

The American College of Radiology Liver Imaging Reporting and Data System (LI-RADS) standardizes the imaging technique, reporting lexicon, disease categorization, and management for patients with or at risk for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). LI-RADS encompasses HCC surveillance with US; HCC diagnosis with CT, MRI, or contrast-enhanced US (CEUS); and treatment response assessment (TRA) with CT or MRI. LI-RADS was recently expanded to include CEUS TRA after nonradiation locoregional therapy or surgical resection. This report provides an overview of LI-RADS CEUS Nonradiation TRA v2024, including a lexicon of imaging findings, techniques, and imaging criteria for posttreatment tumor viability assessment. LI-RADS CEUS Nonradiation TRA v2024 takes into consideration differences in the CEUS appearance of viable tumor and posttreatment changes within and in close proximity to a treated lesion. Due to the high sensitivity of CEUS to vascular flow, posttreatment reactive changes commonly manifest as areas of abnormal perilesional enhancement without washout, especially in the first 3 months after treatment. To improve the accuracy of CEUS for nonradiation TRA, different diagnostic criteria are used to evaluate tumor viability within and outside of the treated lesion margin. Broader criteria for intralesional enhancement increase sensitivity for tumor viability detection. Stricter criteria for perilesional enhancement limit miscategorization of posttreatment reactive changes as viable tumor. Finally, the TRA algorithm reconciles intralesional and perilesional tumor viability assessment and assigns a single LI-RADS treatment response (LR-TR) category: LR-TR nonviable, LR-TR equivocal, or LR-TR viable.

Genome-wide association study identifies high-impact susceptibility loci for HCC in North America.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Despite the substantial impact of environmental factors, individuals with a family history of liver cancer have an increased risk for HCC. However, genetic factors have not been studied systematically by genome-wide approaches in large numbers of individuals from European descent populations (EDP). APPROACH AND RESULTS: We conducted a 2-stage genome-wide association study (GWAS) on HCC not affected by HBV infections. A total of 1872 HCC cases and 2907 controls were included in the discovery stage, and 1200 HCC cases and 1832 controls in the validation. We analyzed the discovery and validation samples separately and then conducted a meta-analysis. All analyses were conducted in the presence and absence of HCV. The liability-scale heritability was 24.4% for overall HCC. Five regions with significant ORs (95% CI) were identified for nonviral HCC: 3p22.1, MOBP , rs9842969, (0.51, [0.40-0.65]); 5p15.33, TERT , rs2242652, (0.70, (0.62-0.79]); 19q13.11, TM6SF2 , rs58542926, (1.49, [1.29-1.72]); 19p13.11 MAU2 , rs58489806, (1.53, (1.33-1.75]); and 22q13.31, PNPLA3 , rs738409, (1.66, [1.51-1.83]). One region was identified for HCV-induced HCC: 6p21.31, human leukocyte antigen DQ beta 1, rs9275224, (0.79, [0.74-0.84]). A combination of homozygous variants of PNPLA3 and TERT showing a 6.5-fold higher risk for nonviral-related HCC compared to individuals lacking these genotypes. This observation suggests that gene-gene interactions may identify individuals at elevated risk for developing HCC. CONCLUSIONS: Our GWAS highlights novel genetic susceptibility of nonviral HCC among European descent populations from North America with substantial heritability. Selected genetic influences were observed for HCV-positive HCC. Our findings indicate the importance of genetic susceptibility to HCC development.

Contrast-enhanced ultrasound liver imaging reporting and data system: clinical validation in a prospective multinational study in North America and Europe.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The objective of this study is to determine the diagnostic accuracy of the American College of Radiology Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound (CEUS) Liver Imaging Reporting and Data System LR-5 characterization for HCC diagnosis in North American or European patients. APPROACH AND RESULTS: A prospective multinational cohort study was performed from January 2018 through November 2022 at 11 academic and nonacademic centers in North America and Europe. Patients at risk for HCC with at least 1 liver observation not previously treated, identified on ultrasound (US), or multiphase CT or MRI performed as a part of standard clinical care were eligible for the study. All participants were examined with CEUS of the liver within 4 weeks of CT/MRI or tissue diagnosis to characterize up to 2 liver nodules per participant using ACR CEUS Liver Imaging Reporting and Data System. Definite HCC diagnosis on the initial CT/MRI, imaging follow-up, or histology for CT/MRI-indeterminate nodules were used as reference standards. A total of 545 nodules had confirmed reference standards in 480 patients, 73.8% were HCC, 5.5% were other malignancies, and 20.7% were nonmalignant. The specificity of CEUS LR-5 for HCC was 95.1% (95% CI 90.1%-97.7%), sensitivity 62.9% (95% CI 57.9%-67.7%), positive predictive value 97.3% (95% CI 94.5%-98.7%), and negative predictive value 47.7% (95% CI 41.7%-53.8%). In addition, benign CEUS characterization (LR-1 or LR-2) had 100% specificity and 100% positive predictive value for nonmalignant liver nodules. CONCLUSIONS: CEUS Liver Imaging Reporting and Data System provides an accurate categorization of liver nodules in participants at risk for HCC.

Quantification of Hepatocellular Carcinoma Vascular Dynamics With Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound for LI-RADS Implementation.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to describe a comprehensive contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) imaging protocol and analysis method to implement CEUS LI-RADS (Liver Imaging Reporting and Data System) in a quantifiable manner. The methods that are validated with a prospective single-center study aim to simplify CEUS LI-RADS evaluation, remove observer bias, and potentially improve the sensitivity of CEUS LI-RADS. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This prospective single-center study enrolled patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (April 2021-June 2022; N = 31; mean age ± SD, 67 ± 6 years; 24 men/7 women). For each patient, at least 2 CEUS loops spanning over 5 minutes were collected for different lesion scan planes using an articulated arm to hold the transducer. Automatic respiratory gating and motion compensation algorithms removed errors due to breathing motion. The long axis of the lesion was measured in the contrast and fundamental images to capture nodule size. Parametric processing of time-intensity curve analysis on linearized data provided quantifiable information of the wash-in and washout dynamics via rise time ( RT ) and degree of washout ( DW ) parameters extracted from the time-intensity curve, respectively. A Welch t test was performed between lesion and parenchyma RT for each lesion to confirm statistically significant differences. P values for bootstrapped 95% confidence intervals of the relative degree of washout ( rDW ), ratio of DW between the lesion and surrounding parenchyma, were computed to quantify lesion washout. Coefficient of variation (COV) of RT , DW , and rDW was calculated for each patient between injections for both the lesion and surrounding parenchyma to gauge reproducibility of these metrics. Spearman rank correlation tests were performed among size, RT , DW , and rDW values to evaluate statistical dependence between the variables. RESULTS: The mean ± SD lesion diameter was 23 ± 8 mm. The RT for all lesions, capturing arterial phase hyperenhancement, was shorter than that of surrounding liver parenchyma ( P < 0.05). All lesions also demonstrated significant ( P < 0.05) but variable levels of washout at both 2-minute and 5-minute time points, quantified in rDW . The COV of RT for the lesion and surrounding parenchyma were both 11%, and the COV of DW and rDW at 2 and 5 minutes ranged from 22% to 31%. Statistically significant relationships between lesion and parenchyma RT and between lesion RT and lesion DW at the 2- and 5-minute time points were found ( P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The imaging protocol and analysis method presented provide robust, quantitative metrics that describe the dynamic vascular patterns of LI-RADS 5 lesions classified as hepatocellular carcinomas. The RT of the bolus transit quantifies the arterial phase hyperenhancement, and the DW and rDW parameters quantify the washout from linearized CEUS intensity data. This unique methodology is able to implement the CEUS-LIRADS scheme in a quantifiable manner for the first time and remove its existing issues of currently being qualitative and suffering from subjective evaluations.

Contrast-enhanced US Evaluation of Hepatocellular Carcinoma Response to Chemoembolization: A Prospective Multicenter Trial.

Background Contrast-enhanced (CE) US has been studied for use in the detection of residual viable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) after locoregional therapy, but multicenter data are lacking. Purpose To compare two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) CE US diagnostic performance with that of CE MRI or CT, the current clinical standard, in the detection of residual viable HCC after transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) in a prospective multicenter trial. Materials and Methods Participants aged at least 21 years with US-visible HCC scheduled for TACE were consecutively enrolled at one of three participating academic medical centers from May 2016 to March 2022. Each underwent baseline 2D and 3D CE US before TACE, 2D and 3D CE US 1-2 weeks and/or 4-6 weeks after TACE, and CE MRI or CT 4-6 weeks after TACE. CE US and CE MRI or CT were evaluated by three fellowship-trained radiologists for the presence or absence of viable tumors and were compared with reference standards of pathology (18%), angiography on re-treatment after identification of residual disease at 1-2-month follow-up imaging (31%), 4-8-month CE MRI or CT (42%), or short-term (approximately 1-2 months) CE MRI or CT if clinically decompensated and estimated viability was greater than 50% at imaging (9%). Diagnostic performance criteria, including sensitivity and specificity, were obtained for each modality and time point with generalized estimating equation analysis. Results A total of 132 participants were included (mean age, 64 years ± 7 [SD], 87 male). Sensitivity of 2D CE US 4-6 weeks after TACE was 91% (95% CI: 84, 95), which was higher than that of CE MRI or CT (68%; 95% CI: 58, 76; P < .001). Sensitivity of 3D CE US 4-6 weeks after TACE was 89% (95% CI: 81, 94), which was higher than that of CE MRI or CT (P < .001), with no evidence of a difference from 2D CE US (P = .22). CE MRI or CT had 85% (95% CI: 76, 91) specificity, higher than that of 4-6-week 2D and 3D CE US (70% [95% CI: 56, 80] and 67% [95% CI: 53, 78], respectively; P = .046 and P = .023, respectively). No evidence of differences in any diagnostic criteria were observed between 1-2-week and 4-6-week 2D CE US (P > .21). Conclusion The 2D and 3D CE US examinations 4-6 weeks after TACE revealed higher sensitivity in the detection of residual HCC than CE MRI or CT, albeit with lower specificity. Importantly, CE US performance was independent of follow-up time. Clinical trial registration no. NCT02764801 © RSNA, 2023 Supplemental material is available for this article.

Thermal ablation compared to stereotactic body radiation therapy for hepatocellular carcinoma: A multicenter retrospective comparative study.

BACKGROUND AIMS: Early-stage HCC can be treated with thermal ablation or stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT). We retrospectively compared local progression, mortality, and toxicity among patients with HCC treated with ablation or SBRT in a multicenter, US cohort. APPROACH RESULTS: We included adult patients with treatment-naïve HCC lesions without vascular invasion treated with thermal ablation or SBRT per individual physician or institutional preference from January 2012 to December 2018. Outcomes included local progression after a 3-month landmark period assessed at the lesion level and overall survival at the patient level. Inverse probability of treatment weighting was used to account for imbalances in treatment groups. The Cox proportional hazard modeling was used to compare progression and overall survival, and logistic regression was used for toxicity. There were 642 patients with 786 lesions (median size: 2.1 cm) treated with ablation or SBRT. In adjusted analyses, SBRT was associated with a reduced risk of local progression compared to ablation (aHR 0.30, 95% CI: 0.15-0.60). However, SBRT-treated patients had an increased risk of liver dysfunction at 3 months (absolute difference 5.5%, aOR 2.31, 95% CI: 1.13-4.73) and death (aHR 2.04, 95% CI: 1.44-2.88, p < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: In this multicenter study of patients with HCC, SBRT was associated with a lower risk of local progression compared to thermal ablation but higher all-cause mortality. Survival differences may be attributable to residual confounding, patient selection, or downstream treatments. These retrospective real-world data help guide treatment decisions while demonstrating the need for a prospective clinical trial.

Role of Quantitation of Saline Bubble Studies in Patients with Liver Cirrhosis.

OBJECTIVE: Microbubble contrast echocardiography with a late positive signal enables the detection of intrapulmonary vascular dilation, including hepatopulmonary syndrome, in patients with end-stage liver disease. We assessed the relationship between the severity of bubble study and clinical outcome. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed 163 consecutive patients with liver cirrhosis who underwent an echocardiogram with bubble study from 2018 to 2021. Patients who were diagnosed with a late positive signal were divided into three groups: grade 1 (1-9 bubbles), grade 2 (10-30 bubbles) and grade 3 (>30 bubbles). RESULTS: Fifty-six percent of the patients had a late positive bubble study (grade 1: 31%, grade 2: 23%, grade 3: 46%). Patients with grade 3 had a significantly higher international normalized ratio, model for end-stage liver disease score and Child-Pugh score and a lower peripheral oxygen saturation compared with patients with a negative study. In patients undergoing liver transplant (LT), survival rates were similar among the groups (3-mo: >87%, 1-y: >87%, 2-y: >83%). However, survival rate was lower in grade 3 patients without LT (3-mo: 81%, 1-y: 64%, 2-y: 39%). CONCLUSION: Patients with grade 3 had much worse mortality without LT compared with other groups. However, after LT, all grades had equal survival. Therefore, patients with grade 3 may be considered as higher priority for LT.

LI-RADS: Looking Back, Looking Forward.

Since its initial release in 2011, the Liver Imaging Reporting and Data System (LI-RADS) has evolved and expanded in scope. It started as a single algorithm for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) diagnosis with CT or MRI with extracellular contrast agents and has grown into a multialgorithm network covering all major liver imaging modalities and contexts of use. Furthermore, it has developed its own lexicon, report templates, and supplementary materials. This article highlights the major achievements of LI-RADS in the past 11 years, including adoption in clinical care and research across the globe, and complete unification of HCC diagnostic systems in the United States. Additionally, the authors discuss current gaps in knowledge, which include challenges in surveillance, diagnostic population definition, perceived complexity, limited sensitivity of LR-5 (definite HCC) category, management implications of indeterminate observations, challenges in reporting, and treatment response assessment following radiation-based therapies and systemic treatments. Finally, the authors discuss future directions, which will focus on mitigating the current challenges and incorporating advanced technologies. Tha authors envision that LI-RADS will ultimately transform into a probability-based system for diagnosis and prognostication of liver cancers that will integrate patient characteristics and quantitative imaging features, while accounting for imaging modality and contrast agent.

Heart-liver-kidney transplantation for AL amyloidosis using normothermic recovery and storage from a donor following circulatory death: Short-term outcome in a first-in-world experience.

AL amyloidosis is a rare condition characterized by the overproduction of an unstable free light chain, protein misfolding and aggregation, and extracellular deposition that can progress to multiorgan involvement and failure. To our knowledge, this is the first worldwide report to describe triple organ transplantation for AL amyloidosis and triple organ transplantation using thoracoabdominal normothermic regional perfusion recovery with a donation from a circulatory death (DCD) donor. The recipient was a 40-year-old man with multiorgan AL amyloidosis with a terminal prognosis without multiorgan transplantation. An appropriate DCD donor was selected for sequential heart, liver, and kidney transplants via our center's thoracoabdominal normothermic regional perfusion pathway. The liver was additionally placed on an ex vivo normothermic machine perfusion, and the kidney was maintained on hypothermic machine perfusion while awaiting implantation. The heart transplant was completed first (cold ischemic time [CIT]: 131 minutes), followed by the liver transplant (CIT: 87 minutes, normothermic machine perfusion: 301 minutes). Kidney transplantation was performed the following day (CIT: 1833 minutes). He is 8 months posttransplant without evidence of heart, liver, or kidney graft dysfunction or rejection. This case highlights the feasibility of normothermic recovery and storage modalities for DCD donors, which can expand transplant opportunities for allografts previously not considered for multiorgan transplantations.

Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound (CEUS) in the Evaluation of Hemoperitoneum in Patients With Cirrhosis.

Hemoperitoneum in cirrhosis is a life-threatening condition that requires emergent evaluation. Contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) permits multiple dynamic characterizations of abdominal structures through all vascular phases, and contrast extravasation or the presence of microbubbles in the ascites could be a sensitive tool. We reviewed 13 patients with cirrhosis that underwent CEUS due to high suspicion for intra-abdominal bleeding. In 10 cases, CEUS demonstrated extravasation of contrast, including 2 instances where CEUS detected active bleeding despite negative computed tomography. These data support further study of CEUS in direct comparison to other imaging modalities in this clinical context.

TAPO in first-line osimertinib therapy and continuation of osimertinib.

BACKGROUND: Osimertinib is associated with a relatively high frequency of drug-induced interstitial lung disease (D-ILD), and transient asymptomatic pulmonary opacities (TAPO) have been reported to occur during osimertinib administration. The frequency of TAPO during first-line treatment and the pros and cons of osimertinib continuation is unknown. METHODS: This was a multicenter, retrospective study. The purpose of this study was to research the frequency of TAPO and to evaluate osimertinib continuation in first-line therapy. We also evaluated progression-free survival (PFS) including subgroup analysis. RESULTS: From August 2018 to December 2020, 133 patients were enrolled into the study. The median observation period was 23.2 months (0.3-48.3 months). Thirty patients (22.6%) experienced D-ILD events, including 16 patients (12.1%) with CTCAE grade 1, five patients (3.8%) with grade 2, and nine patients (6.7%) with grade 3 and above D-ILD. Among the patients with grade 1 D-ILD, 11 cases (8.3%) of TAPO were observed, and all patients succeeded in osimertinib continuation. The TAPO images were characterized by localized patchy opacities (73%). The median PFS was 22.6 months (95% confidence interval [CI]: 17.8-28.7 months). Patients with TAPO had a significantly longer PFS than patients with non-TAPO D-ILD in the multivariate analysis. CONCLUSIONS: This study showed that grade 1 D-ILD might include TAPO and that patients with TAPO might have good PFS. We need to consider the possibility of osimertinib continuation when lung opacities appear.

A Biomarker Panel Based upon AFP, Fucosylated Kininogen and PEG-Precipitated IgG Is Highly Accurate for the Early Detection Hepatocellular Carcinoma in Patients with Cirrhosis in Phase II and Phase III Biomarker Evaluation.

We have previously identified alterations in glycosylation on serum proteins from patients with HCC and developed plate-based assays using lectins to detect the change in glycosylation. However, heterophilic antibodies, which increase with non-malignant liver disease, compromised these assays. To address this, we developed a method of polyethylene glycol (PEG) precipitation that removed the contaminating IgG and IgM but allowed for the lectin detection of the relevant glycoprotein. We found that this PEG-precipitated material itself could differentiate between cirrhosis and HCC. In the analysis of three training cohorts and one validation cohort, consisting of 571 patients, PEG-IgG had AUC values that ranged from 0.713 to 0.810. In the validation cohort, which contained samples from patients at a time of 1-6 months prior to HCC detection or 7+ months prior to detection, the AUC of this marker remained consistent (0.813 and 0.846, respectively). When this marker was incorporated into a biomarker algorithm that also consisted of AFP and fucosylated kininogen, the AUROC increased to 0.816-0.883 in the training cohort and was 0.909 in the external validation cohort. Biomarker performance was also examined though the analysis of partial ROC curves, at false positive values less than 10% (90-ROC), ≤20% (80-ROC) or ≤30% (70-ROC), which highlighted the algorithm's improvement over the individual markers at clinically relevant specificity values.

Risk of advanced fibrosis in first-degree relatives of patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.

BACKGROUNDA pilot, single-center study showed that first-degree relatives of probands with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) cirrhosis have a high risk of advanced fibrosis. We aimed to validate these findings using 2 independent cohorts from the US and Europe.METHODSThis prospective study included probands with NAFLD with advanced fibrosis, NAFLD without advanced fibrosis, and non-NAFLD, with at least 1 first-degree relative. A total of 396 first-degree relatives - 220 in a derivation cohort and 176 in a validation cohort - were enrolled in the study, and liver fibrosis was evaluated using magnetic resonance elastography and other noninvasive imaging modalities. The primary outcome was prevalence of advanced fibrosis in first-degree relatives.RESULTSPrevalence of advanced fibrosis in first-degree relatives of probands with NAFLD with advanced fibrosis, NAFLD without advanced fibrosis, and non-NAFLD was 15.6%, 5.9%, and 1.3%, respectively (P = 0.002), in the derivation cohort, and 14.0%, 2.6%, and 1.3%, respectively (P = 0.004), in the validation cohort. In multivariable-adjusted logistic regression models, age of ≥50 years (adjusted OR [aOR]: 2.63, 95% CI 1.0-6.7), male sex (aOR: 3.79, 95% CI 1.6-9.2), diabetes mellitus (aOR: 3.37, 95% CI 1.3-9), and a first-degree relative with NAFLD with advanced fibrosis (aOR: 11.8, 95% CI 2.5-57) were significant predictors of presence of advanced fibrosis (all P < 0.05).CONCLUSIONFirst-degree relatives of probands with NAFLD with advanced fibrosis have significantly increased risk of advanced fibrosis. Routine screening should be done in the first-degree relatives of patients with advanced fibrosis.FUNDINGSupported by NCATS (5UL1TR001442), NIDDK (U01DK061734, U01DK130190, R01DK106419, R01DK121378, R01DK124318, P30DK120515, K23DK119460), NHLBI (P01HL147835), and NIAAA (U01AA029019); Academy of Finland grant 309263; the Novo Nordisk, EVO, and Sigrid Jusélius Foundations; and the Innovative Medicines Initiative 2 Joint Undertaking under grant agreement 777377. This Joint Undertaking receives support from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program and the EFPIA.

A Multicenter Randomized Controlled Study of Contrast-enhanced US versus US-guided Biopsy of Focal Liver Lesions.

Background Retrospective or single-center prospective studies with relatively small samples have shown that contrast-enhanced US (CEUS) can improve the diagnostic accuracy of percutaneous biopsy, but larger prospective studies are lacking. Purpose To assess the diagnostic performance of CEUS-guided biopsy (CEUS-GB) of focal liver lesions (FLLs) compared with US-guided biopsy (US-GB) in a prospective multicenter study. Materials and Methods In this randomized controlled study conducted in nine hospitals in China between March 2016 and August 2019, adult participants with FLLs detected with US, CT, or MRI and planned for percutaneous biopsy were randomly assigned to undergo either US-GB or CEUS-GB. Lesions diagnosed as malignant at histopathologic analysis were considered true-positive findings. Benign or indeterminate lesions required further confirmation with either repeat biopsy or clinical follow-up at 6 months or later. The primary endpoint was the diagnostic accuracy rate, and comparison between groups was made using the χ2 test. Results In this study, 2056 participants (1297 men, 759 women; mean age, 58 years ± 11 [SD]) were analyzed: 1030 underwent biopsy with US guidance and 1026 underwent biopsy with CEUS guidance. The overall diagnostic accuracy rate of CEUS-GB was 96% (983 of 1026) versus 93% (953 of 1030) for US-GB (P = .002), CEUS-GB enabled correct identification in 96% of participants (983 of 1026) compared with 92% (953 of 1030) with US-GB (P = .002). The negative predictive value (NPV) for both biopsy methods was moderate but significantly higher for CEUS-GB than for US-GB (74% vs 57%, P = .001). The difference was remarkable for lesions smaller than 2.0 cm, with CEUS-GB showing higher diagnostic accuracy (96% vs 88%, P = .004) and sensitivity (95% vs 87%, P = .007) than US-GB. Among lesions smaller than 2.0 cm, the accuracy of CEUS-GB and US-GB for detection of hepatocellular carcinoma was 93% and 80%, respectively (P = .008), while it was comparable for liver metastases (98% vs 95%, P = .63). Conclusion Contrast-enhanced US-guided biopsy of focal liver lesions is an effective and safe procedure with a higher diagnostic accuracy than US-guided biopsy, especially for lesions smaller than 2.0 cm and for hepatocellular carcinoma diagnosis. Clinical trial registration no. NCT02413437 © RSNA, 2022 Online supplemental material is available for this article.

Changing global epidemiology of liver cancer from 2010 to 2019: NASH is the fastest growing cause of liver cancer.

Liver cancer epidemiology is changing due to increasing alcohol consumption, rising prevalence of obesity, and advances in hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) treatment. However, the impact of these changes on global liver cancer burden remains unclear. We estimated global and regional temporal trends in the burden of liver cancer and the contributions of various liver disease etiologies using the methodology framework of the Global Burden of Disease study. Between 2010 and 2019, there was a 25% increase in liver cancer deaths. Age-standardized death rates (ASDRs) increased only in the Americas and remained stable or fell in all other regions. Between 2010 and 2019, non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and alcohol had the fastest growing ASDRs, while HCV and HBV declined. Urgent measures are required at a global level to tackle underlying metabolic risk factors and slow the growing burden of NASH-associated liver cancer, especially in the Americas.

Liver imaging: it is time to adopt standardized terminology.

Liver imaging plays a vital role in the management of patients at risk for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC); however, progress in the field is challenged by nonuniform and inconsistent terminology in the published literature. The Steering Committee of the American College of Radiology (ACR)'s Liver Imaging Reporting And Data System (LI-RADS), in conjunction with the LI-RADS Lexicon Writing Group and the LI-RADS International Working Group, present this consensus document to establish a single universal liver imaging lexicon. The lexicon is intended for use in research, education, and clinical care of patients at risk for HCC (i.e., the LI-RADS population) and in the general population (i.e., even when LI-RADS algorithms are not applicable). We anticipate that the universal adoption of this lexicon will provide research, educational, and clinical benefits. KEY POINTS: •To standardize terminology, we encourage authors of research and educational materials on liver imaging to use the standardized LI-RADS Lexicon. •We encourage reviewers to promote the use of the standardized LI-RADS Lexicon for publications on liver imaging. •We encourage radiologists to use the standardized LI-RADS Lexicon for liver imaging in clinical care.

Eliciting Patient Preferences for Hepatocellular Carcinoma Screening: A Choice-Based Conjoint Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Abbreviated MRI (AMRI), proposed as an alternative imaging modality for hepatocellular carcinoma screening, provides higher sensitivity than ultrasound. It is, however, unknown how patients weigh the higher sensitivity of AMRI against its higher cost and potentially less desirable testing experience. PURPOSE: To assess patient preferences for hepatocellular carcinoma screening test attributes including sensitivity, false-positive rate, test-related anxiety, cost, and need for intravenous catheterization and contrast use, measured by choice-based conjoint analysis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was an ancillary study to two prospective dual-center studies designed to compare the hepatocellular carcinoma detection rates by ultrasound versus AMRI. Of the 135 eligible participants, 106 (median age 63, range 25-85; 56% male) completed the choice-based conjoint analysis survey and were included in this substudy. Participants' preference for individual screening test attributes was assessed using a 12-item, web-based choice-based conjoint analysis survey administered in person at the screening visit. Conjoint analyses software and hierarchical Bayes random-effects logit model were used to calculate the relative importance of each attribute. RESULTS: The most important attribute driving patient preferences was higher test sensitivity (importance score 39.8%), followed by lower cost (importance score 22.8%) and lower false-positive rate (importance score 19.4%). The overall estimated participants' preference for ultrasound and AMRI were similar when assuming the same specificity for both modalities. CONCLUSION: Higher screening test sensitivity and lower cost were the leading patient preference drivers. This study has important implications for understanding patient preferences for specific screening test characteristics as potential determinants of adherence.

GlycoFibroTyper: A Novel Method for the Glycan Analysis of IgG and the Development of a Biomarker Signature of Liver Fibrosis.

Our group has recently developed the GlycoTyper assay which is a streamlined antibody capture slide array approach to directly profile N-glycans of captured serum glycoproteins including immunoglobulin G (IgG). This method needs only a few microliters of serum and utilizes a simplified processing protocol that requires no purification or sugar modifications prior to analysis. In this method, antibody captured glycoproteins are treated with peptide N-glycosidase F (PNGase F) to release N-glycans for detection by MALDI imaging mass spectrometry (IMS). As alterations in N-linked glycans have been reported for IgG from large patient cohorts with fibrosis and cirrhosis, we utilized this novel method to examine the glycosylation of total IgG, as well as IgG1, IgG2, IgG3 and IgG4, which have never been examined before, in a cohort of 106 patients with biopsy confirmed liver fibrosis. Patients were classified as either having no evidence of fibrosis (41 patients with no liver disease or stage 0 fibrosis), early stage fibrosis (10 METAVIR stage 1 and 18 METAVIR stage 2) or late stage fibrosis (6 patients with METAVIR stage 3 fibrosis and 37 patients with METAVIR stage 4 fibrosis (cirrhosis)). Several major alterations in glycosylation were observed that classify patients as having no fibrosis (sensitivity of 92% and a specificity of 90%), early fibrosis (sensitivity of 84% with 90% specificity) or significant fibrosis (sensitivity of 94% with 90% specificity).