Adjuvant hepatic chemotherapy after resection of solitary hepatocellular carcinoma associated with hepatitis B virus cirrhosis

BACKGROUND: Although resection is the major treatment for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma ( HCC), the high intrahepatic recurrence remains a cardinal cause of death. This study was undertaken to evaluate the effect of hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy on the survival and recurrence of HCC patients with hepatitis B virus ( HBV) cirrhosis after resection. METHODS: Twenty-eight patients who had undergone placement of a hepatic arterial pump at the time of liver wedge resection for HCC from 1998 through 2004 were reviewed retrospectively. These patients aged 23-71 years had HBV cirrhosis (Child-Pugh class A or B). They were given floxuridine(FUDR) (250 mg), doxorubicin (10 mg) and mitomycin C (4 mg) alternatively every 2 or 3 days through arterial pumps for 8 cycles each year in the first two years after resection. Meanwhile, traditional Chinese herbal medicine was prescribed to the patients. When the leucocyte count was as low as 3 x 109/L or asparate aminotransferase (AST) level was significantly increased, the regimen of chemotherapy was delayed for the normalization of leucocyte count and AST level (below 80 U/L). RESULTS: Of the 28 patients, 23 received 8 or 16 cycles of the set regimen of chemotherapy. These patients are alive with no evidence of recurrence. Among them, 5,7, and 11 patients are alive beyond 5 years, 3 years, and 1 year respectively. In the remaining 5 patients, 3 who had had a HCC 10 cm or more in diameter showed tumor recurrence within 1 year, in whom, 8 cycles of chemotherapy were not completed because of their low leucocyte count (<3 × 109/L) and poor liver function. One patient who had received 8 cycles of chemotherapy demonstrated recurrence at 16 months after resection. One patient who had received 16 cycles of chemotherapy had intrahepatic recurrence at 58 months after surgery. No recurrence was observed in 17 patients who had received 16 cycles of chemotherapy. CONCLUSION: Adjuvant hepatic arterial chemotherapy may be feasible to improve the survival of patients after resection of solitary HCC associated with HBV cirrhosis.

Evaluation of Helicobacter pylori Infection in Patients with Chronic Hepatic Disease

Background： The ^13C urea breath test （^13C-UBT） is the gold standard for detecting Helicobacterpylori infection. H. pylori pathogenesis in patients with hepatitis B virus （HBV） and related diseases remains obscure. We used ^13C-UBT to detect H. p.vlori infection in patients with chronic HBV infection, HBV-related cirrhosis, HBV-related hepatic carcinoma, and other chronic hepatic diseases. Methods： A total of 131 patients with chronic hepatitis B （HB）, 179 with HBV-related cirrhosis, 103 with HBV-related hepatic carcinoma, 45 with HBV-negative hepatic carcinoma, and 150 controls were tested for H. pylori infection using ^13C-UBT. We compared H. pylori infection rate, liver function, complications of chronic hepatic disease, serum HBV-DNA, serum alpha-fetoprotein （AFP）, and portal hypertensive gastropathy （PHG） incidence among groups. Results： HBV-related cirrhosis was associated with the highest H. pylori infection rate （79.3%）. H. pylori infection rate in chronic HB was significantly higher than in the HBV-negative hepatic carcinoma and control groups （P 〈 0.001 ）. 11. pylori infection rate in patients with HBV-DNA ≥10^3 copies/ml was significantly higher than in those with HBV-DNA 〈103 copies/ml （76.8% vs. 52.4%, P 〈 0.001）. Prothrombin time （21.3 ± 3.5 s vs. 18.8 ±4.3 s）, total bilirubin （47.3±12.3 μmol/L vs. 26.6±7.9 μmol/L）, aspartate aminotransferase （ 184.5 ±37.6 U/L vs. 98.4 ± 23.5 U/L）, blood ammonia （93.4 ± 43.6 μmol/L vs. 35.5 ± 11.7 μmol/L）, and AFP （203.4±62.6 μg/L vs. 113.2± 45.8 μg/L） in the ^13C-UBT-positive group were significantly higher than in the ^13C-UBT-negative group （P 〈 0.01）. The incidence rates of esophageal fundus variceal bleeding （25.4% vs. 16.0%）, ascites （28.9% vs. 17.8%）, and hepatic encephalopathy （24.8% vs. 13.4%） in the ^13C-UBT-positive group were significantly higher than in the 13C-UBT-negative group （P 〈 0.01 ）. The percentages of patients with liver function in Child-Pugh Grade C （29.6% vs. 8.1%） and PHG （43.0% vs. 24.3%） in the ^13C-UBT-positive group were significantly higher than in the ^13C-UBT-negative group （P 〈 0.05）. Conclusions： It is possible that H. pylori infection could increase liver damage caused by HBV. 1t. pylori eradication should be performed in patients with complicating H. pylori infection to delay hepatic disease progression.

The power of prevention:how tenofovir and entecavir are changing the game in hepatocellular carcinoma

Introduction Individual patient data(IPD)meta-analysis by Choi et al.(1)compared hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC)risk between the entecavir(ETV)and tenofovir(TDF)in treatment-naïve chronic hepatitis B(CHB)patients using a multivariable Cox proportional hazards model from 11 Asian studies,totaling 42,939 patients receiving nucles(t)tide analogues(NAs)for more than one year.