From an understanding of etiopathogenesis to novel therapies-what is new in the treatment of celiac disease?

Celiac disease, a chronic autoimmune disorder caused by genetic factors and exposure to gluten, is increasingly being recognized and diagnosed in both children and adults. Scientists have been searching for a cure for this disease for many years, but despite the impressive development of knowledge in this field, a gluten-free diet remains the only recommended therapy for all patients. At the same time, the increasing diagnosis of celiac disease in adults, which was considered a childhood disease in the 20th century, has opened a discussion on the etiopathology of the disease, which is proven to be very complex and involves genetic, immunological, nutritional, environmental and gut microbiota-related factors. In this review, we extensively discuss these factors and summarize the knowledge of the proposed state-of-the-art treatments for celiac disease to address the question of whether a better understanding of the etiopathogenesis of celiac disease has opened new directions for therapy.

Prediction of cardiovascular risk in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma receiving anti-angiogenic drugs: lessons from sorafenib.

Antiangiogenics are associated with an increased risk of major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events (MACE). The identification of at-risk subjects is relevant in the case of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), for which anti-angiogenic TKIs and bevacizumab are used in first and subsequent lines of therapy, to select alternative drugs for patients with excessive risk. We verified the ability to predict MACE in sorafenib-treated patients of the 2022 European Society of Cardiology (ESC-2022) score for anti-angiogenics and the recently proposed CARDIOSOR score. A retrospective analysis was conducted of prospectively collected data of the ARPES and ITA.LI.CA databases. All patients received sorafenib for unresectable HCC from 2008 to 2018. Baseline information to calculate the ESC-2022 and CARDIOSOR scores and registration of evolutive events (including MACE) were available for all patients. The predictive ability of both scores was verified using competing risk regressions and tests for goodness of fit. This study included 843 patients (median follow-up 11.3 months). Thirty-four (4.0%) patients presented a MACE. The four-tier ESC-2022 classification showed a progressive risk increase for every class (cumulative risk 1.7%, 2.7%, 4.3%, and 15.0% in the low, medium, high, and high-risk tiers, respectively). The dichotomous CARDIOSOR scale identified a high-risk group with a fourfold increased risk of MACE (sHR 4.66, p = 0.010; cumulative risk 3.8% and 16.4%). ESC-2022 showed a better goodness of fit compared to the CARDIOSOR score [C-index 0.671 (0.583-0.758) vs 0.562 (0.501-0.634), p = 0.021], but this gap was eliminated using the linear version of CARDIOSOR. Both the ESC-2022 and CARDIOSOR scores discriminated patients at increased risk for MACE. The use of these scores in clinical practice should be encouraged, since therapeutic measures can mitigate the cardiovascular risk.

Impact of body mass index on the prognosis of unresectable HCC patients receiving first-line Lenvatinib or atezolizumab plus bevacizumab.

INTRODUCTION: Overweight is a negative prognostic factor in the general population in the long term. However, the role of body mass index (BMI) in the short-mid term in advanced tumours is unclear. The present analysis investigates the role of BMI weight classes in a large sample of patients affected by HCC and receiving atezolizumab plus bevacizumab or lenvatinib as first-line treatment. METHODS AND MATERIAL: The cohort included consecutive patients affected by BCLC-c and BCLC-B HCC patients from a multicenter international study group who received atezolizumab plus bevacizumab or lenvatinib as first-line therapy. Population was stratified according to the BMI in under-, over- and normal-weight according to the conventional thresholds. The primary objective of the study was to evaluate the prognostic and predictive impact of BMI in patients affected by advanced or intermediate HCC. Survival curves were estimated using the product-limit method of Kaplan-Meier. The role of stratification factors was analysed with log-rank tests. RESULTS: 1292 consecutive patients with HCC were analysed. 466 (36%) patients were treated with lenvatinib and 826 (64%) patients were treated with atezolizumab plus bevacizumab. In the atezolizumab plus bevacizumab arm, 510 (62%) patients were normal-weight, 52 (6%) underweight and 264 (32%) overweight. At the univariate analysis for OS, underweight patients had significantly shorter OS compared to normal-weight patients, whereas no differences were found between normal-weight versus overweight. Multivariate analysis confirmed that underweight patients had significantly shorter OS compared to normal-weight patients (HR: 1.7; 95% CI: 1.0-2.8; p = .0323). In the lenvatinib arm, 26 patients (5.6%) were categorized as underweight, 256 (54.9%) as normal-weight, and 184 (39.5%) as overweight. At the univariate analysis for OS, no significant differences were found between normal-weight versus underweight and between normal-weight versus overweight, which was confirmed at multivariate analysis. CONCLUSION: Our analysis highlighted a prognostic role of BMI in a cohort of patients with advanced HCC who received atezolizumab plus bevacizumab, while no prognostic role for low BMI was apparent in patients who received lenvatinib.

Comparative Analysis of Subclassification Systems in Patients with Intermediate-Stage Hepatocellular Carcinoma (Barcelona Clinic Liver Classification B) Receiving Systemic Therapy.

BACKGROUND: Intermediate-stage hepatocellular carcinoma (BCLC B HCC) occurs in a heterogeneous group of patients and can be addressed with a wide spectrum of treatments. Consequently, survival significantly varies among patients. In recent years, several subclassification systems have been proposed to stratify patients' prognosis. We analyzed and compared these systems (Bolondi, Yamakado, Kinki, Wang, Lee, and Kim criteria) in patients undergoing systemic therapy. METHODS: We considered 171 patients with BCLC B HCC treated with sorafenib as first-line systemic therapy in six Italian centers from 2010 to 2021 and retrospectively applied the criteria of six different subclassification systems. RESULTS: Except for the Yamakado criteria, all the subclassification systems showed a statistically significant correlation to overall survival (OS). In the postestimation analysis, the Bolondi criteria (OS of subgroups 22.5, 11.9, and 6.6 mo, respectively; C-index 0.586; AIC 1338; BIC 1344) and the Wang criteria (OS of subgroups 20.6, 11.9, and 7.0, respectively; C-index 0.607; AIC 1337; BIC 1344) presented the best accuracy. Further analyses of these two subclassification systems implemented with the prognostic factor of alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) > 400 ng/mL have shown an increase in accuracy for both systems (C-index 0.599 and 0.624, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Intermediate-stage subclassification systems maintain their predictive value also in the setting of systemic therapy. The Bolondi and Wang criteria showed the highest accuracy. AFP > 400 ng/mL enhances the performance of these systems.

Autoimmune Polyendocrine Syndromes in Adult Italian Celiac Disease Patients.

Celiac disease (CD) is frequently associated with other autoimmune disorders. Different studies have explored the association between CD and single autoimmune endocrine disease (AED), especially autoimmune thyroiditis (AIT) and type-1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM). Data about CD as a component of autoimmune polyendocrine syndrome (APS) are scant. We analyzed a large dataset including prospectively collected data from 920 consecutive adult CD patients diagnosed in a third-level Italian institution in the 2013-2023 period, The prevalence of isolated autoimmune endocrine diseases and APS were collected. A total of 262 (28.5%) CD patients had at least one associated AED, with AIT (n = 223, 24.2%) and T1DM (n = 27, 2.9%) being the most frequent conditions. In most cases (n = 173, 66%), AEDs were diagnosed after CD. Thirteen patients (1.4%) had at least two of the requested three endocrinopathies, satisfying the diagnosis of type 2 APS. APS-2 is a rare but not exceptional occurrence among Italian CD patients, underscoring the intricate and multifaceted nature of autoimmune disorders. Periodic evaluations of thyroid function and glycaemia should be recommended after the diagnosis of CD together with testing for autoantibodies that may be helpful in assessing disease risk before disease onset. Likewise, implementation of a systematic screening for CD amongst T1DM and other autoimmune endocrine diseases are paramount.

Genetic, Immunological, Dietary, Gut Microbiota, and Environmental Determinants of Osteoporosis in the Course of Celiac Disease: Which Factor Plays the First Violin in This Orchestra?

Celiac disease (CD) is a chronic small intestinal immune-mediated enteropathy precipitated by exposure to dietary gluten in genetically predisposed individuals. The worldwide prevalence of CD is estimated to be 0.7-1.4% of the general population. Etiopathology of this disease is multifactorial, with genetic determinants being a major contributing player to CD susceptibility. Its manifestation embraces different organs, including the musculoskeletal apparat. Patients with CD have increased risk of bone disorders. According to data, bone disorders - osteopenia and osteoporosis - can affect up to 70% of patients with CD at diagnosis, and it decreases after the initiation of a gluten-free diet. Gluten consumption in patients with CD triggers an inflammatory reaction followed by tissue damage, and both; local and systemic inflammation can increase the risk of bone mass deterioration. Other theory assumes shortages of vitamin D and an impaired calcium absorption mechanism leading to secondary hyperparathyroidism. Taking into account the increasing prevalence of CD and osteoporosis, we broadly discuss genetic, immunological, dietary, gut microbiota, and environmental factors that could increase the risk of osteoporosis in CD. Furthermore, we discuss lifestyle and pharmacological preventing and treatment measures.

Circulating CD8 lymphocytes predict response to atezolizumab-bevacizumab in hepatocellular carcinoma.

Due to the lack of biomarkers predictive of response to atezolizumab-bevacizumab, the standard of care for advanced HCC, we analyzed baseline and early on-treatment variation of peripheral lymphocyte populations of 37 prospective patients treated by atezolizumab-bevacizumab and in 15 prospective patients treated by sorafenib or lenvatinib (TKIs). RNAseq analysis followed by RT-PCR validation on patients-derived PBMC was also performed. At first imaging, re-evaluation 13 patients receiving atezolizumab-bevacizumab, showed an objective response, 17 stable disease, while 7 were nonresponders. Baseline CD8+ and CD8+PD-L1+ peripheral lymphocytes were lower in responders versus nonresponders (T-test, p = 0.012 and 0.004, respectively). At 3 weeks, 28 of 30 responders displayed a rise of CD8+PD1+ lymphocytes with a positive mean fold change of 4.35 (±5.6 SD), whereas 6 of 7 nonresponders displayed a negative fold change of 0.89 (±0.84 SD). These changes were not observed in patients treated by TKIs. TRIM56, TRIM16, TRIM64, and Ki67 mRNAs were validated as upregulated in responders versus nonresponders after 3 weeks after treatment start, providing possible evidence of immune activation. Baseline CD8+ and CD8+PD-L1+ peripheral lymphocytes and early changes in CD8+PD1+ lymphocytes predict response to atezolizumab-bevacizumab providing noninvasive markers to complement clinical practice in the very early phases of treatment of HCC patients.

Exploring occupational toxicant exposures in patients with metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease: A prospective pilot study.

BACKGROUND: Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) has been traditionally associated with insulin resistance and obesity. Recently, pollutants have been shown to contribute to the development of MASLD. Given the global burden of MASLD, understanding whether pollutants are merely associated with steatosis or contribute to its progression to advanced chronic liver disease (ACLD) and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is critical. Workers exposed to occupational toxicants represent an ideal population for assessing the potentially hazardous consequences of professional exposure. Confirming a link between occupational exposure and ACLD/HCC may not only provide further elements in understanding MASLD, but also contribute to preventive strategies for exposed workers. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to assess the prevalence of self-reported occupational exposure to toxicants in patients with MASLD. METHODS: This hospital-based prospective pilot study included 201 patients with MASLD. Data on workplace toxicant exposure were collected systematically using a structured questionnaire. Subsequently, patients with ACLD and/or HCC (n = 55) were compared to controls (n = 146). Logistic regression analysis and propensity score models were used to investigate the associations between self-reported occupational exposure and ACLD and/or HCC. RESULTS: Patients with ACLD/HCC reported exposure to metals, halogenated refrigerants, pain/resins, and fuel emissions more often than the controls. After controlling for confounders, durations of 21-30 years and >30 years of occupational exposure to toxicants showed odds ratios (ORs) of 2.31 (95 % confidence interval [CI]: 1.09-4.88, p = 0.029) and 4.47 (95 % CI: 2.57-7.78, p<0.001), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: In this pilot study, patients with MASLD complications were more likely to report workplace toxicant exposure. Our results warrant future multicentre confirmatory studies, as implementing prevention policies may reduce the risk of life-threatening diseases among exposed populations.

Second-Line Chemotherapy for Intrahepatic Cholangiocarcinomas: What Is the Real Gain?

BACKGROUND: The presence of actionable alterations in advanced biliary tract cancer patients opened new therapeutic possibilities for second-line treatments. However, for around 60% of the patients, chemotherapy remains the only therapeutic option. The aim of our study was to evaluate outcomes and prognostic parameters in patients with intrahepatic cholangiocarcinomas treated with second-line chemotherapy. METHODS: A total of 255 consecutive metastatic intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) patients were retrospectively reviewed and clinicopathologic and survival data were collected. RESULTS: Fourty-four percent of ICC patients underwent second-line chemotherapy. In particular, younger ICC patients with better ECOG PS status, and with disease control after first-line chemotherapy were those who were treated with second-line treatments. Median progression-free survival in the patients treated with second-line chemotherapy was 3 months. Finally, the patients affected by intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma with better ECOG PS, with prior surgical resection of the primary tumor, who responded to first-line chemotherapy, and had better progression-free survival with second-line chemotherapy, were associated with better outcomes in multivariate analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Not all patients seem to benefit from second-line chemotherapy. To improve therapeutic decisions, performance status and disease control with first-line chemotherapy should lead to the decision on the usefulness of second-line treatments in advanced ICC patients.

Sequential therapies after atezolizumab plus bevacizumab or lenvatinib first-line treatments in hepatocellular carcinoma patients.

INTRODUCTION: The aim of this retrospective proof-of-concept study was to compare different second-line treatments for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma and progressive disease (PD) after first-line lenvatinib or atezolizumab plus bevacizumab. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 1381 patients had PD at first-line therapy. 917 patients received lenvatinib as first-line treatment, and 464 patients atezolizumab plus bevacizumab as first-line. RESULTS: 49.6% of PD patients received a second-line therapy without any statistical difference in overall survival (OS) between lenvatinib (20.6months) and atezolizumab plus bevacizumab first-line (15.7months; p = 0.12; hazard ratio [HR]= 0.80). After lenvatinib first-line, there wasn't any statistical difference between second-line therapy subgroups (p = 0.27; sorafenib HR: 1; immunotherapy HR: 0.69; other therapies HR: 0.85). Patients who underwent trans-arterial chemo-embolization (TACE) had a significative longer OS than patients who received sorafenib (24.7 versus 15.8months, p < 0.01; HR=0.64). After atezolizumab plus bevacizumab first-line, there was a statistical difference between second-line therapy subgroups (p < 0.01; sorafenib HR: 1; lenvatinib HR: 0.50; cabozantinib HR: 1.29; other therapies HR: 0.54). Patients who received lenvatinib (17.0months) and those who underwent TACE (15.9months) had a significative longer OS than patients treated with sorafenib (14.2months; respectively, p = 0.01; HR=0.45, and p < 0.05; HR=0.46). CONCLUSION: Approximately half of patients receiving first-line lenvatinib or atezolizumab plus bevacizumab access second-line treatment. Our data suggest that in patients progressed to atezolizumab plus bevacizumab, the systemic therapy able to achieve the longest survival is lenvatinib, while in patients progressed to lenvatinib, the systemic therapy able to achieve the longest survival is immunotherapy.

Evolution of bone densitometry parameters and risk of fracture in coeliac disease: a 10-year perspective.

BACKGROUND: Metabolic bone disease is frequently found in patients with coeliac disease (CD). Despite its high prevalence, international guidelines are partially discordant about its management due to the lack of long-term data. METHODS: We retrospectively evaluated a large dataset of prospectively collected data of CD patients assessing the variation of DXA parameters and estimated fracture risk according to the FRAX® score in a 10-year follow-up. Incident fractures are reported, and the predictive ability of the FRAX® score is verified. RESULTS: We identified 107 patients with low bone density (BMD) at the diagnosis of CD and a 10-year follow-up. After improving at the first follow-up, T-scores slowly reduced over time but with no clinically relevant differences between the first and last examination (lumbar spine: from - 2.07 to - 2.07, p = 1.000; femoral neck: from - 1.37 to - 1.55, p = 0.006). Patients with osteoporosis at the index measurement had more marked fluctuations than those with osteopenia; the latter group also showed minimal modifications of the FRAX® score over time. Six incident major fragility fractures occurred, with a good predictive ability of the FRAX® (AUC 0.826). CONCLUSION: Adult CD patients with osteopenia and no risk factors had substantially stable DXA parameters and fracture risk during a 10-year follow-up. A dilated interval between follow-up DXA for these patients could be considered to reduce diagnosis-related time and costs, maintaining a 2-year interval for patients with osteoporosis or risk factors.

Presence of Hepatocellular Carcinoma Does Not Affect Course and Response to Anticoagulation of Bland Portal Vein Thrombosis in Cirrhotic Patients.

Background: Malignancies are generally considered a risk factor for deep vein thrombosis and may hamper the recanalisation of thrombosed veins. Aim: We investigate whether the natural course and response to anticoagulant treatment of bland portal vein thrombosis (PVT) in patients with cirrhosis complicated by hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) differ from those without HCC. Methods: Retrospective study in two hepatology referral centres, in Italy and Romania where patients with a diagnosis of PVT on cirrhosis and follow-up of at least 3 months with repeated imaging were included. Results: A total of 162 patients with PVT and matching inclusion and exclusion criteria were identified: 30 with HCC were compared to 132 without HCC. Etiologies, Child-Pugh Score (7 vs 7) and MELD scores (11 vs 12, p=0.3679) did not differ. Anticoagulation was administered to 43% HCC vs 42% nonHCC. The extension of PVT in the main portal trunk was similar: partial/total involvement was 73.3/6.7% in HCC vs 67.4/6.1% in nonHCC, p=0.760. The remainder had intrahepatic PVT. The recanalization rate was 61.5% and 60.7% in HCC/nonHCC in anticoagulated patients (p=1). Overall PVT recanalisation, including treated and untreated patients, was observed in 30% of HCC vs 37.9% of nonHCC, p=0.530. Major bleeding incidence was almost identical (3.3% vs 3.8%, p=1). Progression of PVT after stopping anticoagulation did not differ (10% vs 15.9%, respectively, HCC/nHCC, p=0.109). Conclusion: The course of bland non-malignant PVT in cirrhosis is not affected by the presence of active HCC. Treatment with anticoagulation in patients with active HCC is safe and as effective as in nonHCC patients, this can potentially allow us to use otherwise contraindicated therapies (ie TACE) if a complete recanalization is achieved with anticoagulation.

Low-Baseline PD1+ Granulocytes Predict Responses to Atezolizumab-Bevacizumab in Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

INTRODUCTION: Immune check point inhibitors have recently entered the armamentarium of advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) treatment. Among them, the combination of atezolizumab plus bevacizumab has pushed it a step forward; however, a number of patients still present primary non-responses without any biomarker to predict responses to different options. Here, we aimed to identify a putative baseline biomarker to predict the response to atezolizumab-bevacizumab, by investigating whether baseline PD1+ and PD-L1+ peripheral granulocyte percentages might offer a non-invasive, cheap, and easily feasible assay. METHODS: A prospective Italian cohort of 34 patients treated by atezolizumab-bevacizumab was tested to assay the baseline percentage of peripheral granulocytes and their PD1 and PD-L1 expression. The neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) was also considered, and all data were compared with the clinical course of patients. RESULTS: A low-baseline PD1+ peripheral granulocyte percentage turned out to predict responder patients (mean ±SD of PD1+ granulocyte percentage in responders versus non-responders: 9.9 ± 9.1 vs. 29.2 ± 17.6; student's t-test, p < 0.01). In line, patients identified by a low PD1+ granulocyte percentage displayed a longer TTP (log-rank test, p < 0.0001). A lower granulocyte percentage on total white blood cells, irrespective of PD1 or PD-L1 expression, is also associated with responses to atezolizumab-bevacizumab (log-rank test, p < 0.05). No predictive value was observed for either the PD-L1+ granulocyte percentage or NLR. CONCLUSIONS: A low-baseline PD1+ peripheral granulocyte percentage is associated with responses to atezolizumab-bevacizumab treatment in advanced HCC. These findings encourage evaluating this minimally invasive, cheap, and easy test in further independent cohorts and outlining the relevance of innate immunity in the response to immune-checkpoint inhibitors.

Bone Metastases from Intrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma Confer Worse Prognosis.

BACKGROUND: Metastatic intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma still has a dismal prognosis. The aim of our study was to investigate the prognostic role of bone metastases in patients affected by intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma. METHODS: A total of 186 metastatic intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma patients were retrospectively reviewed. Clinicopathologic and survival data were collected and reviewed, in particular overall survival, progression-free survival after first-line treatment and time from end of first-line therapy to cancer death. RESULTS: Around 11% of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma patients developed bone metastases. This subgroup of patients showed no differences in progression-free survival to first-line chemotherapy but had a shorter median overall survival of 4 months compared to the group with liver involvement only (p = 0.03). If treated, the outcome for ECOG PS 2 patients with bone metastases was worse in comparison to patients with liver involvement only with poor performance status (p = 0.003). The presence of bone metastases, poor performance status and no subsequent second-line treatment was associated with a worse outcome in multivariate analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with intrahepatic carcinoma and bone metastases with poor ECOG performance status might be treated with best supportive care and not active chemotherapy treatment, the decisions which have to be shared with patients.

Prognostic Impact of Metastatic Site in Patients Receiving First-Line Sorafenib Therapy for Advanced Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Extrahepatic spread is a well-known negative prognostic factor in patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The prognostic role of different metastatic sites and their response rate to systemic treatment is still being debated. We considered 237 metastatic HCC patients treated with sorafenib as first-line therapy in five different Italian centers from 2010 to 2020. The most common metastatic sites were lymph nodes, lungs, bone and adrenal glands. In survival analysis, the presence of dissemination to lymph nodes (OS 7.1 vs. 10.2 months; p = 0.007) and lungs (OS 5.9 vs. 10.2 months; p < 0.001) were significantly related to worse survival rates compared with all other sites. In the subgroup analysis of patients with only a single metastatic site, this prognostic effect remained statistically significant. Palliative radiation therapy on bone metastases significantly prolonged survival in this cohort of patients (OS 19.4 vs. 6.5 months; p < 0.001). Furthermore, patients with lymph node and lung metastases had worse disease control rates (39.4% and 30.5%, respectively) and shorter radiological progression-free survival (3.4 and 3.1 months, respectively). In conclusion, some sites of an extrahepatic spread of HCC have a prognostic impact on survival in patients treated with sorafenib; in particular, lymph nodes and lung metastases have worse prognosis and treatment response rate.

Donafenib in hepatocellular carcinoma.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a global healthcare problem, with a high prevalence in nonindustrialized countries and a rising incidence in industrialized countries. Sorafenib demonstrated its efficacy as the first therapeutic agent for unresectable HCC in 2007. Since then, other multitarget tyrosine kinase inhibitors have demonstrated efficacy in HCC patients. Still, the tolerability of these drugs remains an unsolved problem, with 5-20% of patients permanently discontinuing their therapies due to adverse events. Donafenib is a deuterated form of sorafenib exploiting the increased bioavailability derived from the deuterium-for-hydrogen replacement. In the multicenter, randomized, controlled phase II-III trial ZGDH3, donafenib outperformed sorafenib in terms of overall survival, with favorable safety and tolerability. As a result, donafenib was approved as a possible first-line treatment of unresectable HCC by the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) of China in 2021. In this monograph, we review the main preclinical and clinical evidence that emerged in the trials of donafenib.

TKIs in combination with immunotherapy for hepatocellular carcinoma.

INTRODUCTION: The treatment landscape of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has significantly changed over the last 5 years with multiple options in the frontline, second line, and beyond. Tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) were the first approved systemic treatments for the advanced stage of HCC; however, thanks to the increasing knowledge and characterization of the immunological features of the tumor microenvironment, the systemic treatment of HCC has been further expanded with the immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) approach and the following evidence of the higher efficacy obtained with combined treatment with atezolizumab plus bevacizumab over sorafenib. AREAS COVERED: In this review, we look at rationale, efficacy, and safety profiles of current and emerging ICI/TKI combination treatments and discuss the available results from other clinical trials using similar combinatorial therapeutic approaches. EXPERT OPINION: Angiogenesis and immune evasion are the two key pathogenic hallmarks of HCC. While the pioneering regimen of atezolizumab/bevacizumab is consolidating as the first-line treatment of advanced HCC, it will be essential, in the near future, to determine the best second-line treatment options and how to optimize the selection of the most effective therapies. These points still need to be addressed by future studies that are largely warranted to enhance the treatment's effectiveness and ultimately to tackle down HCC lethality.

COVID-19: Has the Liver Been Spared?

The liver is a secondary and often collateral target of COVID-19 disease but can lead to important consequences. COVID-19 might directly cause a high number of complications in patients with pre-existing chronic liver disease, increasing their risk of hepatic decompensation. Moreover, it also determines indirect consequences in the management of patients with liver disease, especially in those suffering from decompensated cirrhosis and HCC, as well as in the execution of their follow-up and the availability of all therapeutic possibilities. Liver imaging in COVID-19 patients proved to be highly nonspecific, but it can still be useful for identifying the complications that derive from the infection. Moreover, the recent implementation of telemedicine constitutes a possible solution to both the physical distancing and the re-organizational difficulties arising from the pandemic. The present review aims to encompass the currently hypothesized pathophysiological mechanisms of liver injury in patients with COVID-19 mediated by both the direct invasion of the virus and its indirect effects and analyze the consequence of the pandemic in patients with chronic liver disease and liver tumors, with particular regard to the management strategies that have been implemented to face this worldwide emergency and that can be further improved.

Atezolizumab plus bevacizumab versus lenvatinib for unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma: a large real-life worldwide population.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Atezolizumab plus bevacizumab and lenvatinib have not been compared in a randomised controlled trial. We conducted a retrospective multi-centre study to compare the clinical efficacy and safety of lenvatinib and atezolizumab with bevacizumab as a first-line treatment for patients with unresectable HCC in the real-world scenario. METHODS: Clinical features of lenvatinib and atezolizumab plus bevacizumab patients were balanced through inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) methodology, which weights patients' characteristics and measured outcomes of each patient in both treatment arms. Overall survival (OS) was the primary end-point. RESULTS: The analysis included 1341 patients who received lenvatinib, and 864 patients who received atezolizumab plus bevacizumab. After IPTW adjustment, atezolizumab plus bevacizumab did not show a survival advantage over lenvatinib HR 0.97 (p = 0.739). OS was prolonged by atezolizumab plus bevacizumab over lenvatinib in viral patients (HR: 0.76; p = 0.024). Conversely, OS was prolonged by lenvatinib in patients with non-alcoholic steatohepatitis/non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (HR: 1.88; p = 0.014). In the IPTW-adjusted population, atezolizumab plus bevacizumab provided better safety profile for most of the recorded adverse events. CONCLUSION: Our study did not identify any meaningful difference in OS between atezolizumab plus bevacizumab and lenvatinib. Although some hints are provided suggesting that patients with non-alcoholic steatohepatitis/non-alcoholic fatty liver disease might benefit more from lenvatinib therapy and patients with viral aetiology more from atezolizumab plus bevacizumab.

Clinical outcomes with atezolizumab plus bevacizumab or lenvatinib in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma: a multicenter real-world study.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to compare response rates of lenvatinib and atezolizumab plus bevacizumab, in first-line real-world setting. METHODS: Overall cohort included Western and Eastern hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patient populations from 46 centres in 4 countries (Italy, Germany, Japan, and Republic of Korea). RESULTS: 1312 patients were treated with lenvatinib, and 823 patients were treated with atezolizumab plus bevacizumab. Objective response rate (ORR) was 38.6% for patients receiving lenvatinib, and 27.3% for patients receiving atezolizumab plus bevacizumab (p < 0.01; odds ratio 0.60). For patients who achieved complete response (CR), overall survival (OS) was not reached in both arms, but the result from univariate Cox regression model showed 62% reduction of death risk for patients treated with atezolizumab plus bevacizumab (p = 0.05). In all multivariate analyses, treatment arm was not found to be an independent factor conditioning OS. Comparing ORR achieved in the two arms, there was a statistically significant difference in favor of lenvatinib compared to atezolizumab plus bevacizumab in all subgroups except for Eastern patients, Child-Pugh B patients, presence of portal vein thrombosis, α-feto-protein ≥ 400 ng/mL, presence of extrahepatic disease, albumin-bilirubin (ALBI) grade 2, and no previous locoregional procedures. CONCLUSION: Lenvatinib achieves higher ORR in all patient subgroups. Patients who achieve CR with atezolizumab plus bevacizumab can achieve OS so far never recorded in HCC patients. This study did not highlight any factors that could identify patient subgroups capable of obtaining CR.