Liver transplantation in patients with neuroendocrine tumors: a case series and literature review.

Neuroendocrine tumors (NET) are a rare and heterogeneous group of neoplasms with variable biological behavior. They frequently metastasize to the liver, requiring active, multimodality treatment. Surgical resection, possible in only a minority of cases, was until recently the only potentially curative option. For unresectable NET with liver metastases, liver transplantation (LT) emerged as a potential curative treatment due to relatively slow growth and indolent behavior of the metastases. In this case series with literature review, we retrospectively analyzed the characteristics of 12 highly selected patients with metastatic NET disease as an indication for LT treated in our center. We also summarized the proposed prognostic factors, and evaluated and compared the existing selection criteria. The main poor prognostic factors in our patients were high grade NET and primary tumor in the pancreas. Inconsistent liver transplantation outcome parameters make it difficult to standardize patient selection criteria. There is a need for further studies that would fully elucidate the curative potential of LT in patients diagnosed with NET.

NATIVE VALVE ENDOCARDITIS CAUSED BY METHICILLIN-RESISTANT STAPHYLOCOCCUS EPIDERMIDIS IN A PATIENT WITH ADVANCED LIVER CIRRHOSIS.

We present a case of a 50-year-old man with advanced liver cirrhosis and native valve infective endocarditis caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus epidermidis. Bacterial infections are one of the most common complications of liver cirrhosis, but reports of infective endocarditis in patients with liver cirrhosis are relatively rare. Because of vulnerability of patients with advanced cirrhosis for developing infections, it is necessary to pay attention to the pathogens that are sometimes considered contamination and actively seek for the seat of infection, even in less expected areas (e.g., native heart valves without a history of heart disease).