Intermediate hepatocellular carcinoma: How to choose the best treatment modality?

Intermediate stage, or stage B according to Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer classification, of hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC) comprises a heterogeneous population with different tumor burden and liver function. This heterogeneity is confirmed by the large variability of treatment choice and disease-relate survival. The aim of this review was to highlight the existing evidences regarding this specific topic. In a multidisciplinary evaluation, patients with large(> 5 cm) solitary HCC should be firstly considered for liver resection(LR). When LR is unfeasible, locoregional treatments are evaluable therapeutic options, being transarterial chemoembolization(TACE), the most used procedure. Percutaneous ablation can be an evaluable treatment for large HCC. However, the efficacy of all ablative procedures decrease as tumor size increases over 3 cm. In clinical practice, a combination treatment strategy [TACE or transarterial radioembolization(TARE)-plus percutaneous ablation] is "a priori" preferred in a relevant percentage of these patients. On the other hands, sorafenib is the treatment of choice in patients who are unsuitable to surgery and/or with a contraindication to locoregional treatments. In multifocal HCC, TACE is the first-line treatment. The role of TARE is still undefined. Surgery may have also a role in the treatment of multifocal HCC in selected cases(patients with up to three nodules, multifocal HCC involving 2-3 adjacent liver segments). In some patients with bilobar disease the combination of LR and ablative treatment may be a valuable option. The choice of the best treatment in the patient with intermediate stage HCC should be "patient-tailored" and made by a multidisciplinary team.

Fecal calprotectin in coeliac disease

We would like to share with the readers the results of our experience in 50 celiac disease (CD) patients, enrolled between September 2012 and April 2013, who were referred to our third-level CD Unit. The fecal calprotectin (FC) concentration of 50 adults with newly diagnosed CD was compared to that of a control group of 50 healthy subjects. FC level was determined by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay with diagnostic cut-off of 75 μg/g. In addition, we tried to correlate the FC level with symptoms, histological severity of CD (Marsh grade) and level of tissue transglutaminase antibodies (aTg) in CD patients. Finally, FC level was increased in five CD patients and in four controls (10% vs 8%, P = NS); mean FC concentration of patients and controls were 57.7 (SD ± 29.1) and 45.1 (SD ± 38.4) respectively. Furthermore, no significant correlation was seen between FC levels and symptoms/Marsh grade/aTg. The five CD patients did not show inflammatory lesions (e.g., ulcers, erosions) at upper endoscopy. The four healthy controls with positive FC were followed-up for further six months; in this observational period they did not show clinical signs of any underlying disease. On these bases, we think that FC is not able to investigate the subclinical inflammatory changes of active CD and FC should be considered a useless tool in the diagnostic work-up of uncomplicated CD but it should be accompanied by aTg when ruling out organic disease in patients with irritable bowel syndrome.

High prevalence of post-partum depression in women with coeliac disease

AIM： To explore the prevalence of post-partumdepression （PPD） in coeliac disease （CD）. METHODS： we performed a case-control study evaluating the prevalence of PPD in CD patients on gluten-free diet （GFD） compared to that of healthy subjects experiencing a recent delivery. All participants were interviewed about menstrual features, modality and outcome of delivery and were evaluated for PPD by Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale （EPDS）. RESULTS： The study included 70 CD patients on GFD （group A） and 70 controls （group B）. PPD was present in 47.1% of CD women and in 14.3% of controls （P 〈 0.01; OR = 3.3）. Mean EPDS score was higher in CD compared to the controls （mean score： group A 9.9 ± 5.9; group B 6.7 ± 3.7; P 〈 0.01）. A signifcant association was observed between PPD and menstrual disorders in CD （69.7% vs 18.9%; P 〈 0.001; OR = 3.6）.CONCLUSION： PPD is frequent in CD women on GFD, particularly in those with previous menstrual disorders. we suggest screening for PPD in CD for early detection and treatment of this condition.

Thermal ablation of large unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma in cirrhotic patients

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common and lethal malignancies worldwide. Surgery is the mainstay of treatment, but less than 20%-30% of patients are good candidates. Actually, thermal ablation is considered the best treatment with curative intent for cirrhotic patients with unresectable HCC≤ 3 cm. Unfortunately, radio frequency efficacy in obtaining the complete ablation of HCC nodules diminishes with increasing tumor size and local tumor progression is more frequent in larger nodules. To overcome these problems, higher-powered generators, different devices and techniques have been attempted. Furthermore, microwave ablation has been introduced with the promise of a large ablative capacity. The aim of this review is to describe the role of thermal ablation for the treatment of large unresectable HCC.