Surgical treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma in the era of COVID-19 pandemic:A comprehensive review of current recommendations

The new coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has resulted in a globalhealth emergency that has also caused profound changes in the treatment ofcancer. The management of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) across the world hasbeen modified according to the scarcity of care resources that have been divertedmostly to face the surge of hospitalized COVID-19 patients. Oncological andhepatobiliary societies have drafted recommendations regarding the adaptation ofguidelines for the management of HCC to the current healthcare situation. Thisreview focuses on specific recommendations for the surgical treatment of HCC (i.e., hepatic resection and liver transplantation), which still represents the bestchance of cure for patients with very early and early HCC. While surgery shouldbe pursued for very selected patients in institutions where standards of care aremaintained, alternative or bridging methods, mostly thermoablation and transarterialtherapies, can be used until surgery can be performed. The prognosis ofpatients with HCC largely depends on both the characteristics of the tumour andthe stage of underlying liver disease. Risk stratification plays a pivotal role indetermining the most appropriate treatment for each case and needs to balancethe chance of cure and the risk of COVID-19 infection during hospitalization.Current recommendations have been critically reviewed to provide a reference forbest practices in the clinical setting, with adaptation based on pandemic trendsand categorization according to COVID-19 prevalence.

Long term follow-up and outcome of liver transplantation from hepatitis B surface antigen positive donors

Liver transplant for hepatitis B virus(HBV) currently yields excellent outcomes: it allows to rescue patients with an HBV-related advanced liver disease, resulting in a demographical modification of the waiting list for liver transplant. In an age of patient-tailored treatments, in liver transplantation as well the aim is to offer the best suitable graft to the patient who can benefit from it, also expanding the criteria for organ acceptance and allocation. With the intent of developing strategies to increase the donor pool, we set-up a multicenter study involving 3 Liver Transplant Centers in Italy: patients undergoing liver transplantation between March 03, 2004, and May 21, 2010, were retrospectively evaluated. 1408 patients underwent liver transplantation during the study period, 28(2%) received the graft from hepatitis B surface antigen positive(HBs Ag)-positive deceased donors. The average follow-up after liver transplantation was 63.7 mo [range: 0.1-119.4; SD ± 35.8]. None Primary nonfunction, re-liver transplantation, early or late hepatic artery thrombosis occurred. The 1-, 3-and 5-year graft and patient survival resulted of 85.7%, 82.1%, 78.4%. Our results suggest that the use of HBs Agpositive donors liver grafts is feasible, since HBV can be controlled without affecting graft stability. However, the selection of grafts and the postoperative antiviral therapy should be managed appropriately.

Follow-up after curative resection for gastric cancer: Is it time to tailor it?

There is still no consensus on the follow-up frequency and regimen after curative resection for gastric cancer.Moreover,controversy exists regarding the utility of follow-up in improving survival,and the recommendations of experts and societies vary considerably.The main reason to establish surveillance programs is to diagnose tumor recurrence or metachronous cancers early and to thereby provide prompt treatment and prolong survival.In the setting of gastric malignancies,other reasons have been put forth:(1)the detection of adverse effects of a previous surgery,such as malnutrition or digestive sequelae;(2)the collection of data;and(3)the identification of psychological and/or social problems and provision of appropriate support to the patients.No randomized controlled trials on the role of follow-up after curative resection of gastric carcinoma have been published.Herein,the primary retrospective series and systematic reviews on this subject are analyzed and discussed.Furthermore,the guidelines from international and national scientific societies are discussed.Followup is recommended by the majority of institutions;however,there is no real evidence that follow-up can improve long-term survival rates.Several studies have demonstrated that it is possible to stratify patients submitted to curative gastrectomy into different classes according to the risk of recurrence.Furthermore,promising studies have identified several molecular markers that are related to the risk of relapse and to prognosis.Based on these premises,a promising strategy will be to tailor follow-up in relation to the patient and tumor characteristics,molecular marker status,and individual risk of recurrence.

Is proliferative colonic disease presentation changing?

AIM:To compare the site,age and gender of cases of colorectal cancer(CRC) and polyps in a single referral center in Rome,Italy,during two periods.METHODS:CRC data were collected from surgery/pathology registers,and polyp data from colonoscopy reports.Patients who met the criteria for familial adenomatous polyposis,hereditary non-polyposis colorectal cancer syndrome or inflammatory bowel disease were excluded from the study.Overlap of patients between the two groups(cancers and polyps) was carefully avoided.Theχ 2 statistical test and a regression analysis were performed.RESULTS:Data from a total of 768 patients(352 and 416 patients,respectively,in periods A and B) who underwent surgery for cancer were collected.During the same time periods,a total of 1693 polyps were analyzed from 978 patients with complete colonoscopies(428 polyps from 273 patients during period A and 1265 polyps from 705 patients during period B).A proximal shift in cancer occurred during the latter years for both sexes,but particularly in males.Proximal cancer increased > 3-fold in period B compared to period A in males [odds ratio(OR) 3.31,95%CI:2.00-5.47;P < 0.0001).A similar proximal shift was observed for polyps,particularly in males(OR 1.87,95%CI:1.23-2.87;P < 0.0038),but also in females(OR 1.62,95%CI:0.96-2.73;P < 0.07).CONCLUSION:The prevalence of proximal proliferative colonic lesions seems to have increased over the last decade,particularly in males.

Robotic liver surgery is the optimal approach as bridge to transplantation

The role of minimally invasive liver surgery as a bridge to transplantation is very promising but still underestimated. However, it should be noted that surgical approach for hepatocellular carcinomas(HCC) is not merely a technical or technological issue. Nowadays, the epidemiology of HCC is evolving due to the increasing role of non-alcoholic fatty-liver-disease, and the emerging concerns on direct-acting antivirals against hepatitis C virus in terms of HCC incidence. Therefore, a fully multidisciplinary study of the cirrhotic patient is currently more important than ever before, and the management of those patients should be reserved to tertiary referral hepatobiliary centers. In particular, minimally invasive approach to the liver showed several advantages compared to the classical open procedure, in terms of:(1) the small impact on abdominal wall;(2) the gentle manipulation on the liver;(3) the limited surgical trauma; and(4) the respect of venous shunts. Therefore, more direct indications should be outlined also in the Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer model. We believe that treatment of HCC in cirrhotic patients should be reserved to tertiary referral hepatobiliary centers, that should offer patient-tailored approaches to the liver disease, in order to provide the best care for each case, according to the individual comorbidities, risk factors, and personal quality of life expectations.

Use of robotics in liver donor right hepatectomy

We read with great interest the paper by Chen and colleagues entitled "Use of robotics in liver donor right hepatectomy" (1). The authors currently represent the leading group performing robotic living donor liver procurements with 15 procedures completed to date (2).