Hepatology





START-FIT, a prospective, single-arm, phase II trial, has found sequential transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) and stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) followed by anti–PD-L1 treatment with avelumab to be a promising strategy for making patients with locally advanced unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) amenable to curative treatment.






Overall survival (OS) is currently the primary criteria in assessing the efficacy of a cancer treatment. Dr Raghav Sundar, a consultant medical oncologist at the National University Hospital, Singapore, details the crucial role played by tumour response in evaluating treatment efficacy, with a focus on the multiple kinase inhibitor lenvatinib in the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Weekly bepirovirsen treatment may help reduce HBsAg* and hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA levels in patients with chronic HBV infection, the phase IIb B-Clear study showed.






Vonoprazan may be as effective as pantoprazole in reducing the risk of ulcers or bleeding following endoscopic variceal ligation (EVL) in patients with portal hypertension, according to a small study from Egypt presented at the United European Gastroenterology Week (UEG 2022).