Several therapeutic procedures have been proposed as bridging treatments for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC)awaiting liver transplantation(LT).The most used treatments include transarterial chemoembolizati...Several therapeutic procedures have been proposed as bridging treatments for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC)awaiting liver transplantation(LT).The most used treatments include transarterial chemoembolization and radiofrequency ablation.Surgical resection has also been successfully used as a bridging procedure,and LT should be considered a rescue treatment in patients with previous HCC resection who experience tumor recurrence or post-treatment severe decompensation of liver function.The aims of bridging treatments include decreasing the waiting list dropout rate before transplantation,reducing HCC recurrence after transplantation,and improving post-transplant overall survival.To date,no data from prospective randomized studies are available;however,for HCC patients listed for LT within the Milan criteria,prolonging the waiting time over 6-12 mo is a risk factor for tumor spread.Bridging treatments are useful in containing tumor progression and decreasing dropout.Furthermore,the response to pre-LT treatments may represent a surrogate marker of tumor biological aggressiveness and could therefore be evaluated to prioritize HCC candidates for LT.Lastly,although a definitive conclusion can not be reached,the experiences reported to date suggest a positive impact of these treatments on both tumor recurrence and post-transplant patient survival.Advanced HCC may be downstaged to achieve and maintain the current conventional criteria for inclusion in the waiting list for LT.Recent studies have demonstrated that successfully downstaged patients can achieve a 5-year survival rate comparable to that of patients meeting the conventional criteria without requiring downstaging.展开更多
Cirrhosis is the most important risk factor for hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC) regardless of the etiology of cirrhosis. Compared to individuals who are antihepatitis C virus(HCV) seronegative, anti-HCV seropositive ind...Cirrhosis is the most important risk factor for hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC) regardless of the etiology of cirrhosis. Compared to individuals who are antihepatitis C virus(HCV) seronegative, anti-HCV seropositive individuals have a greater mortality from both hepatic as well as nonhepatic disease processes. The aim of this paper is do describe the burden of HCV infection and consider treatment strategies to reduce HCV-related morbidity and mortality. The newly developed direct acting antiviral(DAA) therapies are associated with greater rates of drug compliance, fewer adverse effects, and appear not to be limited by the presence of a variety of factors that adversely affect the outcome of interferon-based therapies. Because of the cost of the current DAA, their use has been severely rationed by insurers as well as state and federal agencies to those with advanced fibrotic liver disease(Metavir fibrosis stage F3-F4). The rationale for such rationing is that many of those recognized as having the disease progress slowly over many years and will not develop advanced liver disease manifested as chronic hepatitis C, cirrhosis, and experience any of the multiple complications of liver disease to include HCC. This mitigation has a short sided view of the cost of treatment of hepatitis C related disease processes and ignores the long-term expenses of hepatitis C treatment consisting of the cost of treatment of hepatitis C, the management of cirrhosis with or without decompensation as well as the cost of treatment of HCC and liver transplantation. We believe that treatment should include all HCV infected patients including those with stage F0-F2 fibrosis with or without evidence of coexisting liver disease. Specifically, interferon(IFN)-free regimens with the current effective DAAs without liver staging requirements and including those without evidence of hepatic diseases but having recognized extrahepatic manifestations of HCV infection is projected to be the most cost-effective approach for treating HCV in all of its varied presentations. Early rather than later therapy of HCV infected individuals would be even more efficacious than waiting particularly if it includes all cases from F0-F4 hepatic disease. Timely therapy will reduce the number of individuals developing advanced liver disease, reduce the cost of treating these cases and more importantly, reduce the lifetime cost of treatment of those with any form of HCV related disease as well as HCV associated all- cause mortality. Importantly, HCV treatment regimens without any restrictions would result in a substantial reduction in health care expenditure and simultaneously reduce the number of infected individuals who are infecting others.展开更多
Colorectal cancer(CRC) is an emerging health problem in the Western World both for its raising tendency as well as for its metastatic potential. Almost half of the patients with CRC will develop liver metastases durin...Colorectal cancer(CRC) is an emerging health problem in the Western World both for its raising tendency as well as for its metastatic potential. Almost half of the patients with CRC will develop liver metastases during the course of their disease. The liver surgeon dealing with colorectal liver metastases faces several surgical dilemmas especially in the setting of the timing of operation. Synchronous resectable metastases should be treated prior or after induction chemotherapy? Furthermore in the case of synchronous colorectal liver metastases which organ should we first deal with, the liver or the colon? All these questions are set in the editorial and impulse for further investigation is put focusing on multidisciplinary approach and individualization of treatment modalities.展开更多
A mathematical model with cytotoxic cells of hepatitis B virus (HBV)infection is set up based on a basic model of virus dynamics without cytotoxic cells andexperimental observation of anti-viral drag therapy for HBV i...A mathematical model with cytotoxic cells of hepatitis B virus (HBV)infection is set up based on a basic model of virus dynamics without cytotoxic cells andexperimental observation of anti-viral drag therapy for HBV infection patients. A quantitativeanalysis of dynamic behaviors shows that the model has three kinds of equilibrium points, whichrepresent the patient's complete recovery without immune ability, complete recovery with immuneability, and HBV persistent infection at the end of the treatment with drag lamivudine,respectively. Our model may provide possible quantitative interpretations for the treatments ofchronic HBV infections with the drag lamivudine, in particularly explain why the plasma virus ofNowak et al. 's patients turnover the original level after stopping the lamivudine treatment.展开更多
文摘Several therapeutic procedures have been proposed as bridging treatments for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC)awaiting liver transplantation(LT).The most used treatments include transarterial chemoembolization and radiofrequency ablation.Surgical resection has also been successfully used as a bridging procedure,and LT should be considered a rescue treatment in patients with previous HCC resection who experience tumor recurrence or post-treatment severe decompensation of liver function.The aims of bridging treatments include decreasing the waiting list dropout rate before transplantation,reducing HCC recurrence after transplantation,and improving post-transplant overall survival.To date,no data from prospective randomized studies are available;however,for HCC patients listed for LT within the Milan criteria,prolonging the waiting time over 6-12 mo is a risk factor for tumor spread.Bridging treatments are useful in containing tumor progression and decreasing dropout.Furthermore,the response to pre-LT treatments may represent a surrogate marker of tumor biological aggressiveness and could therefore be evaluated to prioritize HCC candidates for LT.Lastly,although a definitive conclusion can not be reached,the experiences reported to date suggest a positive impact of these treatments on both tumor recurrence and post-transplant patient survival.Advanced HCC may be downstaged to achieve and maintain the current conventional criteria for inclusion in the waiting list for LT.Recent studies have demonstrated that successfully downstaged patients can achieve a 5-year survival rate comparable to that of patients meeting the conventional criteria without requiring downstaging.
文摘Cirrhosis is the most important risk factor for hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC) regardless of the etiology of cirrhosis. Compared to individuals who are antihepatitis C virus(HCV) seronegative, anti-HCV seropositive individuals have a greater mortality from both hepatic as well as nonhepatic disease processes. The aim of this paper is do describe the burden of HCV infection and consider treatment strategies to reduce HCV-related morbidity and mortality. The newly developed direct acting antiviral(DAA) therapies are associated with greater rates of drug compliance, fewer adverse effects, and appear not to be limited by the presence of a variety of factors that adversely affect the outcome of interferon-based therapies. Because of the cost of the current DAA, their use has been severely rationed by insurers as well as state and federal agencies to those with advanced fibrotic liver disease(Metavir fibrosis stage F3-F4). The rationale for such rationing is that many of those recognized as having the disease progress slowly over many years and will not develop advanced liver disease manifested as chronic hepatitis C, cirrhosis, and experience any of the multiple complications of liver disease to include HCC. This mitigation has a short sided view of the cost of treatment of hepatitis C related disease processes and ignores the long-term expenses of hepatitis C treatment consisting of the cost of treatment of hepatitis C, the management of cirrhosis with or without decompensation as well as the cost of treatment of HCC and liver transplantation. We believe that treatment should include all HCV infected patients including those with stage F0-F2 fibrosis with or without evidence of coexisting liver disease. Specifically, interferon(IFN)-free regimens with the current effective DAAs without liver staging requirements and including those without evidence of hepatic diseases but having recognized extrahepatic manifestations of HCV infection is projected to be the most cost-effective approach for treating HCV in all of its varied presentations. Early rather than later therapy of HCV infected individuals would be even more efficacious than waiting particularly if it includes all cases from F0-F4 hepatic disease. Timely therapy will reduce the number of individuals developing advanced liver disease, reduce the cost of treating these cases and more importantly, reduce the lifetime cost of treatment of those with any form of HCV related disease as well as HCV associated all- cause mortality. Importantly, HCV treatment regimens without any restrictions would result in a substantial reduction in health care expenditure and simultaneously reduce the number of infected individuals who are infecting others.
文摘Colorectal cancer(CRC) is an emerging health problem in the Western World both for its raising tendency as well as for its metastatic potential. Almost half of the patients with CRC will develop liver metastases during the course of their disease. The liver surgeon dealing with colorectal liver metastases faces several surgical dilemmas especially in the setting of the timing of operation. Synchronous resectable metastases should be treated prior or after induction chemotherapy? Furthermore in the case of synchronous colorectal liver metastases which organ should we first deal with, the liver or the colon? All these questions are set in the editorial and impulse for further investigation is put focusing on multidisciplinary approach and individualization of treatment modalities.
文摘A mathematical model with cytotoxic cells of hepatitis B virus (HBV)infection is set up based on a basic model of virus dynamics without cytotoxic cells andexperimental observation of anti-viral drag therapy for HBV infection patients. A quantitativeanalysis of dynamic behaviors shows that the model has three kinds of equilibrium points, whichrepresent the patient's complete recovery without immune ability, complete recovery with immuneability, and HBV persistent infection at the end of the treatment with drag lamivudine,respectively. Our model may provide possible quantitative interpretations for the treatments ofchronic HBV infections with the drag lamivudine, in particularly explain why the plasma virus ofNowak et al. 's patients turnover the original level after stopping the lamivudine treatment.