Evolution of Liver Transplantation Indications: Expanding Horizons.

Liver transplantation (LT) has significantly transformed the prognosis of patients with end-stage liver disease and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The traditional epidemiology of liver diseases has undergone a remarkable shift in indications for LT, marked by a decline in viral hepatitis and an increase in metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), along with expanded indications for HCC. Recent advancements in surgical techniques, organ preservation and post-transplant patients' management have opened new possibilities for LT. Conditions that were historically considered absolute contraindications have emerged as potential new indications, demonstrating promising results in terms of patient survival. While these expanding indications provide newfound hope, the ethical dilemma of organ scarcity persists. Addressing this requires careful consideration and international collaboration to ensure equitable access to LT. Multidisciplinary approaches and ongoing research efforts are crucial to navigate the evolving landscape of LT. This review aims to offer a current overview of the primary emerging indications for LT, focusing on acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF), acute alcoholic hepatitis (AH), intrahepatic and perihilar cholangiocarcinoma (i- and p-CCA), colorectal liver metastasis (CRLM), and neuroendocrine tumor (NET) liver metastases.

Maternal liver-related symptoms during pregnancy in primary sclerosing cholangitis.

Background & Aims: Although worsening liver-related symptoms during pregnancy can occur in primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC), there are insufficient data to effectively counsel patients on their pre-conception risk and no clear recommendations on monitoring and management during pregnancy. We aimed to describe maternal liver-related symptoms in pregnancy, both before and after PSC diagnosis, and explore factors associated with worsening symptoms and liver-related outcomes. Methods: We conducted a multicentre retrospective observational study of females with PSC and known pregnancy with live birth, via the International PSC Study Group. We included 450 patients from 12 European centres. Data included clinical variables, liver-related symptoms (pruritus and/or cholangitis) during pregnancy, and liver biochemistry. A composite primary endpoint of transplant-free survival from time of PSC diagnosis was used. Results: There were 266 pregnancies in 178 patients following PSC diagnosis. Worsening liver-related symptoms were reported in 66/228 (28.9%) pregnancies; they had a reduced transplant-free survival (p = 0.03), which retained significance on multivariate analysis (hazard ratio 3.02, 95% CI 1.24-7.35; p = 0.02).Abnormal biochemistry and/or liver-related symptoms (pruritus and/or cholangitis) were noted during pregnancy before PSC diagnosis in 21/167 (12.6%) patients. They had a reduced transplant-free survival from pregnancy (p = 0.01), which did not retain significance in a multivariable model (hazard ratio 1.10, 95% CI 0.43-2.85; p = 0.84). Conclusions: Liver-related symptoms are frequently encountered during pregnancies before the diagnosis of PSC, and pregnancy may expose the pre-clinical phase of PSC in some patients. Worsening liver-related symptoms were seen in a third of our cohort with known PSC during pregnancy; and this subgroup had a poorer prognosis, which may be related to more advanced liver disease at time of pregnancy and/or a more severe disease phenotype. Impact and implications: Patients with PSC can develop worsening of their liver-related symptoms during pregnancy; however, risk factors for this and the long-term implications are not known. We identified that there is a significant risk of these symptoms in pregnancy, both before and after PSC has been diagnosed, particularly in patients with elevated alkaline phosphatase. Furthermore, our findings suggest that worsening symptoms during pregnancy may be associated with adverse long-term clinical outcomes of liver transplantation and death in patients with known PSC. This may be related to the presence of more advanced liver disease at time of pregnancy. This information can be used to counsel patients with PSC before conception and identify patients who need close follow-up after delivery.

Cholangiocyte senescence in primary sclerosing cholangitis is associated with disease severity and prognosis.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) is a rare cholangiopathy of unknown aetiopathogenesis. The aim of this study was to evaluate cellular senescence (CS) marker expression in cholangiocytes of patients with PSC and their correlation with clinical-pathological features and prognosis. METHODS: Thirty-five patients with PSC with at least 1 available liver sampling were included. Clinical laboratory data at the time of liver sampling were collected. The endpoints were survival without liver transplantation (LT), time to LT, and survival without LT or cirrhosis decompensation. Histological grading and staging were assessed according to Nakanuma. Immunohistochemical stains for CS markers, p16INK4A (p16) and p21WAF1/Cip1 (p21), were performed and scored by a 3-tier scale based on positivity extent in native bile duct (NBD) and ductular reaction (DR).Results: p16 expression in NBD and DR was directly correlated with fibrosis (p ≤0.001 for both) and stage (p = 0.006 and p <0.001, respectively). Moreover, p16 in NBD was positively correlated with hepatitis activity (HA) (p = 0.026), whereas p16 in DR was directly correlated with bile duct loss (BDL) (p = 0.005) and metaplastic hepatocytes (MH) (p <0.01). p21 expression in NBD and DR was directly correlated with HA (p = 0.004 and p = 0.043, respectively), fibrosis (p = 0.006 and p <0.001, respectively), stage (p = 0.006 and p = 0.001, respectively), BDL (p = 0.002 and p = 0.03, respectively), and DR and MH (p ≤0.004 for all). By multivariate analysis, p16 expression in DR was independently associated with stage (p = 0.001), fibrosis (p = 0.001), and BDL (p = 0.011). p21 expression in NBD was independently associated with HA (p = 0.012), BDL (p = 0.04), and DR (p = 0.014). Finally, p21 expression in DR was independently associated with LT-free survival, time to LT, and adverse outcome-free survival (p = 0.001, p = 0.017, and p = 0.001, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Cholangiocyte senescence is detectable in all stages of PSC and is associated with histological and clinical disease severity, potentially representing a new prognostic and therapeutic target. LAY SUMMARY: In this study, we showed that cholangiocyte senescence (CS), previously demonstrated in liver of patients with end-stage primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC), is an early event and is detectable in all disease stages. Moreover, we observed that CS is associated with histological and clinical disease severity and patients' outcome. Thus, we suggest that CS may represent a new prognostic tool and a potential therapeutic target in PSC. CLINICAL TRIAL NUMBER: Protocol number 0034435, 08/06/2020.