Intra-hepatic and extra-hepatic cholangiocarcinoma:New insight into epidemiology and risk factors

Cholangiocarcinoma(CCA) is a malignant tumour that arises from biliary epithelium at any portion of the biliary tree.CCA is currently classified as intra-hepatic or extra-hepatic CCA(EH-CCA).Recent evidences suggest that intra-hepatic CCA(IH-CCA) and EH-CCA are biologically different cancers,giving further support to a number of recent epidemiological studies showing large differences in terms of incidence,mortality and risk factors.The purpose of this manuscript is to review recent literature dealing with the descriptive epidemiology and risk factors of CCA with a special effort to compare IH-with EH-CCA.

Duodenal variceal bleeding secondary to idiopathic portal hypertension treated with transjugular intra-hepatic portosystemic shunt plus embolization: A case report

BACKGROUND Duodenal varices are a lesser-known complication with non-cirrhotic portal hypertension. We report a circuitous route from missed diagnosis of duodenal varices to correction. An extremely rare case of duodenal variceal bleeding secondary to idiopathic portal hypertension(IPH) is expounded in this study, which was controlled by transjugular intra-hepatic porto-systemic shunt(TIPS) plus embolization. CASE SUMMARY A 46-year-old woman with anemia for two years was frequently admitted to the local hospital. Upon examination, anemia was attributed to gastrointestinal tract bleeding, which resulted from duodenal variceal bleeding detected by repeated esophagogastroduodenoscopy. At the end of a complete workup, IPH leadingto duodenal varices was diagnosed. Portal venography revealed that the remarked duodenal varices originated from the proximal superior mesenteric vein. TIPS plus embolization with coils and Histoacryl was performed to obliterate the rupture of duodenal varices. The anemia resolved, and the duodenal varices completely vanished by 2 mo after the initial operation. CONCLUSION TIPS plus embolization may be more appropriate to treat the bleeding of large duodenal varices.

Anatomic variations of the intra-hepatic biliary tree in the Caribbean:A systematic review

BACKGROUND In the classic descriptions of the human liver,the common hepatic duct forms at the confluence of left and right hepatic ducts.Many authors have documented variations in the intra-hepatic ductal system,but to the best of our knowledge there has been no report on bile duct variations in Caribbean populations.AIM To evaluate the variations in bile duct anatomy using magnetic resonance cholangiography(MRC)in unselected patients at a major hepatobiliary referral centre in the Eastern Caribbean.Knowledge of the intra-hepatic biliary anatomy is important to optimize service delivery for any physician treating liver and biliary disorders.METHODS This study was carried out at a tertiary referral hospital for hepatobiliary diseases in the Eastern Caribbean.We retrospectively evaluated magnetic resonance cholangiograms in 152 consecutive patients at this facility over a two-year period from April 1,2017 to March 31,2019.Two consultant radiologists experienced in MRC interpretation reviewed all scans and described biliary anatomy according to the Huang’s classification.A systematic review of published studies was performed and relevant data were extracted in order to calculate the global prevalence of each biliary variant.The variants in our population were compared to the global population.RESULTS There were 152 MRCs evaluated in this study in 86 males and 66 females.There were 109(71.7%)persons with“classic”biliary anatomy(type A1)and variants were present in 43(28.3%)persons.There was no statistical relationship between the presence of anatomic variants and gender or ethnicity.We encountered the following variants:29(19.1%)type A2,7(4.6%)type A3,6(3.95%)type A4,0 type A5 and a single variant(quadrification)that did not fit the classification system.Compared to the global prevalence,our population had a significantly greater occurrence of A1 anatomy(71.7%vs 62.6%;P=0.0227)and A2 trifurcations(19.1%vs 11.5%;P=0.0069),but a significantly lower incidence of A3 variants(4.61%vs 11.5%;P=0.0047).CONCLUSION There are significant differences in intra-hepatic biliary anatomy in this unselected Eastern Caribbean population compared to global statistics.Specifically,persons of Caribbean descent have a greater incidence of Huang A2 trifurcations and a lower incidence of Huang A3 variants.

Intrahepatic therapy for liver-dominant metastatic colorectal cancer

In patients with metastatic colorectal cancer, the liver is the most common site of metastatic disease. In patients with liver-dominant disease, consideration needs to be given to locoregional treatments such as hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy, transarterial chemoembolisation and selective internal radiation therapy because hepatic metastases are a major cause of liver failure especially in chemorefractory disease. In this review we provide insights on the published literature for locoregional treatment of liver metastases in metastatic colorectal cancer.

Impact of machine perfusion of the liver on post-transplant biliary complications: A systematic review

AIM To review the clinical impact of machine perfusion(MP) of the liver on biliary complications post-transplantation, particularly ischaemic-type biliary lesions(ITBL). METHODS This systematic review was performed in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Systematic Reviews and MetaAnalysis(PRISMA) protocol. The following databases were searched: PubMed, MEDLINE and Scopus. The keyword "liver transplantation" was used in combination with the free term "machine perfusion". Clinical studies reporting results of transplantation of donor human livers following ex situ or in situ MP were analysed. Details relating to donor characteristics, recipients, technique of MP performed and post-operative biliary complications(ITBL, bile leak and anastomotic strictures) were critically analysed.RESULTS Fifteen articles were considered to fit the criteria for this review. Ex situ normothermic MP was used in 6 studies, ex situ hypothermic MP in 5 studies and the other 4 studies investigated in situ normothermic regional perfusion(NRP) and controlled oxygenated rewarming. MP techniques which have per se the potential to alleviate ischaemia-reperfusion injury: Such as hypothermic MP and NRP, have also reported lower rates of ITBL. Other biliary complications, such as biliary leak and anastomotic biliary strictures, are reported with similar incidences with all MP techniques. There is currently less clinical evidence available to support normothermic MP as a mitigator of biliary complications following liver transplantation. On the other hand, restoration of organ to full metabolism during normothermic MP allows assessment of hepatobiliary function before transplantation, although universally accepted criteria have yet to be validated.CONCLUSION MP of the liver has the potential to have a positive impact on post-transplant biliary complications, specifically ITBL, and expand extended criteria donor livers utilisation.

TREATMENT OF RAT HEPATOMA BY LOCALLY INJECTION OF MURINE IL-12 RETROVIRUS PACKAGING CELL

Objective: To investigate the therapeutic effects of the murine IL-12 (mIL-12) retrovirus packaging cell line on hepatoma injected locally. Methods: The retrovirus vector encoding mIL-12 gene was constructed and transfected into packaging cell line PA317. The cells were then used to treat the rats with experimental orthotopic hepatoma at different time. The therapeutic effects, immune functions of the hosts, pathological and toxicological responses were documented. Results: the results showed that the mIL-12 retrovirus packaging cell line could significantly inhibit the growth of the hepatoma cells injected locally to the hepatoma. The early treatment made the rats survive long, while the medium or late stage treatment could prolong the life time of the rats compared with the bland control group or bland vector control group, though the rats did not survive. The number of NK cells and T cells increased significantly in the treatment group. The effects of the early treatment were superior to those of the medium and late stage treatment. Moreover, the transfection of IL-12 gene locally in the hepatoma tissue could make the hepatoma disappear from other liver lobe. This phenomenon demonstrated that IL-12 could activate the immune cells of the host to kill the untransfected tumor cells. This is very important for IL-12 to be used in gene therapy clinically. Meanwhile, the hepatoma would not recur in the rats that had survived more than 2 months from the early treatment after being re-challenged with tumor cells. Conclusion: the results showed that IL-12 gene injected locally in the hepatoma tissue could enhance the anti-tumor immunity of the host.