Liver transplantation for "very early" intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma: International retrospective study supporting a prospective assessment.

UNLABELLED: The presence of an intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (iCCA) in a cirrhotic liver is a contraindication for liver transplantation in most centers worldwide. Recent investigations have shown that "very early" iCCA (single tumors ≤2 cm) may have acceptable results after liver transplantation. This study further evaluates this finding in a larger international multicenter cohort. The study group was composed of those patients who were transplanted for hepatocellular carcinoma or decompensated cirrhosis and found to have an iCCA at explant pathology. Patients were divided into those with "very early" iCCA and those with "advanced" disease (single tumor >2 cm or multifocal disease). Between January 2000 and December 2013, 81 patients were found to have an iCCA at explant; 33 had separate nodules of iCCA and hepatocellular carcinoma, and 48 had only iCCA (study group). Within the study group, 15/48 (31%) constituted the "very early" iCCA group and 33/48 (69%) the "advanced" group. There were no significant differences between groups in preoperative characteristics. At explant, the median size of the largest tumor was larger in the "advanced" group (3.1 [2.5-4.4] versus 1.6 [1.5-1.8]). After a median follow-up of 35 (13.5-76.4) months, the 1-year, 3-year, and 5-year cumulative risks of recurrence were, respectively, 7%, 18%, and 18% in the very early iCCA group versus 30%, 47%, and 61% in the advanced iCCA group, P = 0.01. The 1-year, 3-year, and 5-year actuarial survival rates were, respectively, 93%, 84%, and 65% in the very early iCCA group versus 79%, 50%, and 45% in the advanced iCCA group, P = 0.02. CONCLUSION: Patients with cirrhosis and very early iCCA may become candidates for liver transplantation; a prospective multicenter clinical trial is needed to further confirm these results. (Hepatology 2016;64:1178-1188).

Spontaneous clearance of hepatitis C after liver and renal transplantation.

Spontaneous clearance of hepatitis C virus (HCV) is rare in immunocompromised patients, such as those who have undergone organ transplantation. It has been recognized that patients receiving liver transplantation for HCV-related disease have decreased graft and patient survival compared with those transplanted for other etiologies. There is a growing trend toward treating HCV recurrence aggressively after liver transplantation. For other organ transplant recipients with concurrent HCV, treatment is not often an option, given the high rates of graft rejection and loss secondary to interferon and its immunomodulatory effects. Although spontaneous clearance of HCV has been reported in recipients of solitary liver and renal transplants, a common factor arising in these cases has been previous exposure to interferon. To date, no reports of spontaneous clearance of HCV RNA have been reported in a multiorgan transplant recipient. A case of spontaneous clearance of HCV RNA in an immunocompromised patient, within five months of simultaneous liver and kidney retransplantation is described. Importantly, this patient had no previous exposure to interferon.

The safety and efficacy of antitumour necrosis factor-alpha therapy for inflammatory bowel disease in patients post liver transplantation: a case series.

BACKGROUND: The role of antitumour necrosis factor-alpha (anti-TNF) therapy for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) among liver transplant recipients is largely unknown given the rarity of this population and the paucity of literature on the subject. AIM: To investigate the safety and efficacy of anti-TNF therapy for refractory IBD in the post liver transplant population. METHODS: The liver transplant database at London Health Sciences Centre was searched to identify adult patients with IBD treated with anti-TNF therapy post transplantation. RESULTS: Six patients (five men, one woman) were identified, aged 28-65. All patients had cadaveric orthotopic liver transplants. Four patients required transplantation due to primary sclerosing cholangitis, one due to autoimmune hepatitis, and one due to biliary atresia. Five patients suffered from Crohn's disease and the remaining patient from indeterminate colitis. All patients were treated with infliximab 5 mg/kg every 8 weeks after undergoing induction at weeks 0, 2 and 6, with the exception of one patient. The duration of infliximab therapy ranged from 8 weeks to 4 years. Four patients treated with infliximab experienced sustained improvement of their IBD symptoms post transplantation, as documented by Harvey-Bradshaw Index scores demonstrating clinical remission. Of the remaining two patients, neither had sustained improvement of their IBD with infliximab or subsequent adalimumab. One patient was diagnosed with systemic lupus erythematosus and another with colorectal adenocarcinoma following anti-TNF therapy. Otherwise, no side effects were attributed to anti-TNF therapy. CONCLUSIONS: Based on this case series, anti-TNF therapy appears to be safe and effective for treating refractory IBD in patients post liver transplantation. These patients respond to anti-TNF therapy similar to those who have not been previously transplanted.