Hepatology

Isolated anti-HBc positivity ups liver-related death risk

16 hours ago

Isolated hepatitis B core antibody (anti-HBc) positivity appears to increase the risk of liver-related and liver cancer mortality, particularly when accompanied by a high fibrosis score, according to a study of Korean adults.

Saroglitazar may lower cardiovascular risk in NAFLD

3 days ago

Treatment with the dual PPAR α/γ agonist saroglitazar helps improve the serum atherogenic lipoprotein profile in patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), regardless of comorbid conditions and statin use, as shown in a study.

Immune checkpoint inhibitors carry some risk of hepatotoxicity

25 Jan 2023

The use of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) for the treatment of various cancers appears to have hepatotoxic effects, the risk of which is greater with ICI combination therapy than with monotherapy, as reported in a recent study.

HCC is the second cause of cancer mortalities in Hong Kong and China.

Objective response to systemic therapy linked to overall survival in unresectable HCC

Stephen Padilla, 23 Jan 2023

Objective response to first-line systemic therapy with lenvatinib or sorafenib independently predicts overall survival (OS) in individuals with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), as shown by the subanalysis of the REFLECT study.

Preventing decompensation in cirrhosis: A 2nd youth for β blockers?

Idiopathic/local factor NC-SVT ups risk of recurrent thrombosis

19 Jan 2023

The risk of overall recurrent thrombosis (RT) is greater among individuals with idiopathic/local factor-related noncirrhotic splanchnic vein thrombosis (NC-SVT), reveals a study. Moreover, splanchnic RT can appear without symptoms and requires screening to be detected.

START-FIT: TACE + RT + avelumab promising as conversion therapy for locally advanced unresectable HCC

Natalia Reoutova, 18 Jan 2023

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.

Reducing risks and improving long-term outcomes in patients with CHB

Prof. Vincent Wong, Prof. Ray Kim, Dr. Tan Poh Seng, 10 Sep 2019

Chronic hepatitis B (CHB) remains a major public health concern because of its worldwide distribution and potential adverse sequelae, including cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). At a recent symposium held during the GIHep Singapore 2019, Professor Vincent Wong from the Chinese University of Hong Kong and Professor Ray Kim from the Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, US, discussed antiviral treatments for CHB, with a focus on the novel agent tenofovir alafenamide (Vemlidy®). Dr Tan Poh Seng from the National University Hospital, Singapore, chaired the symposium.

Relationship between tumour response to systemic therapy and overall survival in unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma

Dr Raghav Sundar, 09 Sep 2019

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).

ALXN1840 generates rapid, sustained copper mobilization in Wilson disease

Audrey Abella, 15 Dec 2022

In individuals with Wilson disease (WD), a rare disease of copper metabolism, ALXN1840 led to significantly greater copper mobilization compared with standard of care (SoC), findings from a rater-blinded phase III study have shown.

Maralixibat improves pruritus across all PFIC types

Elaine Soliven, 14 Dec 2022

Treatment with maralixibat significantly reduced the severity of pruritus in children with progressive familial intrahepatic cholestasis (PFIC) in the MARCH-PFIC* study presented at The Liver Meeting 2022.

Odevixibat improves pruritus, reduces bile acids in children with ALGS

Elaine Soliven, 13 Dec 2022

Treatment with odevixibat, a potent, selective IBAT* inhibitor, significantly improved pruritus and reduced serum bile acid levels in children with Alagille syndrome (ALGS), according to the ASSERT** trial presented at The Liver Meeting 2022.

Resmetirom safe, effective in improving NASH fibrosis markers

Audrey Abella, 12 Dec 2022

Treatment with the selective THR-β* agonist resmetirom for 52 weeks was well-tolerated and effective in reducing markers of NASH** fibrosis in a well-compensated Child-Pugh (CP)-A NASH population, a phase III trial has shown.

Midodrine a novel option for PICD prevention in ACLF

Elvira Manzano, 06 Dec 2022

Oral midodrine may be a good alternative to intravenous albumin for preventing paracentesis-induced circulatory dysfunction (PICD) in patients with acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) undergoing modest-volume paracentesis for ascites, suggests a new study.

Is vonoprazan an alternative to pantoprazole in preventing post-EVL ulcers, bleeding?

Roshini Claire Anthony, 08 Nov 2022

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).