Impact of Nutritional Status on Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte Ratio as a Predictor of Efficacy and Adverse Events of Immune Check-Point Inhibitors.

The neutrophil -to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) is useful for predicting the effectiveness of treatment with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) and immune-related adverse events (irAEs). Because a growing body of evidence has recently shown that the number of lymphocytes that comprise NLR fluctuates according to nutritional status, this study examined whether the usefulness of NLR varies in ICI treatment due to changes in nutritional status. A retrospective analysis was performed on 1234 patients who received ICI treatment for malignant tumors at our hospital. Progression-free survival (PFS) was significantly prolonged in patients with NLR < 4. Multivariate analysis revealed that the factors associated with the occurrence of irAE were NLR < 4 and the use of ipilimumab. However, when limited to cases with serum albumin levels <3.8 g/dL, lymphocyte counts significantly decreased, and the associations between NLR and PFS and between NLR and irAE occurrence disappeared. In contrast, when limited to the cases with serum albumin levels ≥3.8 g/dL, the associations remained, with significantly prolonged PFS and significantly increased irAE occurrence at NLR < 4. NLR may be a good predictive tool for PFS and irAE occurrence during ICI treatment when a good nutritional status is maintained.

Predictive factors for transition to conversion therapy in hepatocellular carcinoma using atezolizumab plus bevacizumab.

BACKGROUND: To identify predictive factors associated with successful transition to conversion therapy following combination therapy with atezolizumab and bevacizumab in the treatment of unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). METHODS: In total, 188 patients with HCC, who received atezolizumab plus bevacizumab combination therapy as the first-line chemotherapy, were studied. Patients who achieved complete response (CR) with systemic chemotherapy alone were excluded. Clinical factors possibly linked to successful transition to conversion therapy and the achievement of cancer-free status were identified. RESULTS: Fifteen (8.0%) patients underwent conversion therapy. In the conversion group, there was a significantly higher proportion of patients with Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) stage A or B (73.3% versus [vs.] 45.1%; p = .03) and tended to have lower Child-Pugh scores and alpha-fetoprotein levels. Multivariate analysis revealed that BCLC stage was a predictive factor for the implementation of conversion therapy (A or B; odds ratio 3.7 [95% CI: 1.1-13]; p = .04). Furthermore, 10 (66.7%) patients achieved cancer-free status and exhibited a smaller number of intrahepatic lesions at the start of treatment (3.5 vs. 7; p < .01), and a shorter interval between systemic chemotherapy induction and conversion therapy (131 vs. 404 days; p < .01). In addition, the rate of achieving cancer-free status by undergoing surgical resection or ablation therapy was significantly higher (p = .03). CONCLUSION: BCLC stage was the sole predictive factor for successful transition to conversion therapy when using combination therapy with atezolizumab and bevacizumab to treat HCC. Furthermore, a small number of intrahepatic lesions and early transition to conversion therapy were associated with the achievement of cancer-free status.

Clinical Outcomes of Next-Generation Microwave Thermosphere Ablation for Hepatocellular Carcinoma with Primarily Hepatitis-Related Etiology.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: We investigated the clinical outcomes of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) who underwent next-generation microwave thermosphere ablation (MTA). METHODS: A total of 429 patients with 607 HCCs (maximum tumor diameter ≤40 mm) were included. We defined the following areas of the liver as those where MTA therapy is difficult to perform: caudate lobe and areas near the primary and secondary branches of the intrahepatic portal vein, inferior vena cava, gallbladder, heart, duodenum, abdominal esophagus, collateral veins around the liver, and spleen. Factors which predisposed patients to local tumor recurrence in the context of tumor location and complications were examined. RESULTS: The primary etiologies of HCC were hepatitis-related: 259 (60.4%) cases of HCV, 31 (7.3%) cases of HBV, and two instances of both. Median maximum tumor diameter was 15.0 (interquartile range, 10.0-21.0) mm. There were 86 tumors in areas of the liver where MTA is difficult. The most common area was near the primary and secondary branches of the intrahepatic portal vein (26 nodules). The cumulative local tumor recurrence rates at 1, 2, and 3 years were 4.4%, 8.0%, and 8.5%, respectively. The cumulative local tumor recurrence rate differed significantly by tumor size group: 6.6%, 13.8%, and 29.4% at three years in the ≤20 mm group (n = 483), 20-30 mm group (n = 107), and ≥30 mm group (n = 17), respectively (p < 0.001). The cumulative local tumor recurrence rate was similar despite difficult-to-treat status (p = 0.169). In the multivariable analysis, tumor size (>15 mm) (hazard ratio [HR], 2.15; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.11-4.16; p = 0.023) and ablative margin (<3 mm) (HR, 2.94; 95% CI, 1.52-5.71; p = 0.001) were significantly associated with local tumor recurrence. Only tumor size (>15 mm) (odds ratio, 3.41 95% CI, 1.53-7.84; p = 0.026) was significantly associated with complications. CONCLUSIONS: MTA is a safe and effective local ablation therapy for HCC, even for tumors located in areas of the liver where local ablation therapy is difficult.

Characteristics of hepatocellular carcinoma in patients with hepatitis C virus who received direct-acting antiviral therapy and achieved sustained virological response: The impact of a hepatologist on surveillance.

Background and Aim: The relationship between the characteristics of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) diagnosed after sustained virological response (SVR) with direct-acting antiviral (DAA) therapy and surveillance status has not been sufficiently investigated. This study investigated the clinical risk factors for HCC development and HCC characteristics according to which type of physician performed follow-up after SVR. Methods: A total of 1070 patients in whom hepatitis C virus (HCV) was eradicated with DAA therapy were evaluated. Results: There were 458 patients followed by hepatologists (specialist group) and 612 followed by non-hepatologists (non-specialist group) after SVR. During the follow-up period, 54 patients developed HCC. The 1-, 2-, 3-, 4-, and 5-year cumulative incidence rates of HCC were 1.8, 4.1, 6.9, 10.5, and 17.2%, respectively. Multivariate Cox proportional hazards analysis showed that male sex (hazard ratio [HR], 3.139; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.732-5.690), α-fetoprotein level (HR, 1.056; 95% CI, 1.035-1.077), and fibrosis-4 (FIB-4) index (HR, 1.051; 95% CI, 1.017-1.085) were significantly associated with HCC development, while the follow-up physician type after SVR was not. There were 25 patients with stage I HCC, 17 with stage II, 9 with stage III, and 3 with stage IV. Multivariate ordinal logistic regression showed that follow-up physician type (non-specialist) (HR, 39.100; 95% CI, 9.350-224.00) was independently associated with HCC stage, while α-fetoprotein level and FIB-4 index were not. Conclusion: When patients have more risk factors for HCC development after SVR (i.e., male sex, elevated α-fetoprotein, or elevated FIB-4 index), they should be followed by a hepatologist for HCC surveillance.

Efficacy and safety of cold forceps biopsy for diminutive pharyngeal neoplasms: Single-center, prospective pilot study.

BACKGROUND: Management of diminutive pharyngeal neoplasms is controversial. Thus, we conducted a single-center, prospective pilot study to investigate the efficacy and safety of endoscopic excision with cold forceps biopsy (CFB) of these lesions. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Thirty-nine lesions endoscopically diagnosed with narrow-band imaging as pharyngeal neoplasms of 3 mm or smaller were excised with CFB using jumbo biopsy forceps (cap diameter 2.8 mm, jaw volume 12.4 mm3 ). The primary outcome was endoscopically determined local remnant/recurrence rate 3 months after CFB. The secondary outcomes were histopathologically determined local remnant/recurrence rate; risk factors associated with the endoscopic remnant/recurrence; and incidence of intraoperative or delayed bleeding and other adverse events. RESULTS: Histological diagnosis of the 39 CFB-excised lesions were: 11 high-grade dysplasia (28.2%), 22 low-grade dysplasia (56.4%), two basal cell hyperplasia (5.1%) and four atypical squamous epithelium (10.3%).Twenty-seven patients (30 lesions) underwent follow-up endoscopy 3 months after CFB; the endoscopic and pathological local remnant/recurrence rate was 20% (6/30; 95% confidence interval (CI), 7.7-36.6%) and 16.7% (5/30; 95% CI, 5.6-34.7%), respectively. Location of the lesion in the hypopharynx was a significant risk factor associated with the endoscopic local remnant/recurrence (P = 0.049). No significant adverse events occurred. CONCLUSIONS: Cold forceps biopsy with jumbo biopsy forceps appears to be a safe and effective technique for excising diminutive pharyngeal neoplasms. Although small, the excised lesions may have a remarkably high frequency of high-grade dysplasia. (Clinical trial registration number: UMIN000037980).