Objective To investigate the value of contrast-enhanced ultrasonography in detection and diagnosis of small primary liver cancer. Methods SonoVue-enhanced ultrasonography were performed on 353 patients with 378 primary liver cancer, less than 3 cm in diameter. Enhancement patterns and enhancement phases of hepatic lesions on contrast-enhanced ultrasonography were analyzed and compared with the results of histopathology. Results In all hepatic tumors, 96.6% （365/378） lesions enhanced in the arterial phase. Among them, 317 (83.9%) tumors enhanced earlier than liver parenchyma and 48 (12.7%) tumors enhanced synchronously with liver parenchyma, and 342 (90.5%) tumors showed early wash-out in the portal and late phases. With regard to the enhancement pattern, 329 (87.0%) tumors presented whole-lesion enhancement, 35 (9.3%) to be mosaic enhancement and 14 (3.7%) to be rim-like enhancement. If taking the whole-lesion enhancement and mosaic enhancement in arterial phase as diagnotic standard for primary liver cancer on contrast-enhanced ultrasonography, the sensitivity was 92.9%(351/378), and if the earlier or synchronous enhancement of the tumor compared with liver parenchyma in arterial phase and the wash-out in portal phase were regarded as the stardand, the sensitivity was 87.3%(330/378). Conclusion Contrast-enhanced ultrasonography could display real-time enhancement patterns as well as the wash-out processes both in hepatic tumors and the liver parenchyma. It might be of clinical value in diagnosis of primary liver cancer based on the hemodynamics of hepatic tumors on contrast-enhanced ultrasonography.
ObjectiveTo systematically evaluate efficacy and safety of transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) combined with Huaier granules in treatment of primary liver cancer (PLC).MethodsThe databases including the PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Wanfang Data, CNKI, VIP were searched to obtain the relevant literatures of Huaier granule combined with TACE therapy (Huaier+TACE group) and alone TACE therapy (TACE group) in the treatment of PLC. The short-term curative effects (objective response rate and disease control rate), 6 and 12-month survival rates, immune function change, and adverse reactions were extracted. The RevMan 5.3 software was applied to carry out the meta analysis.ResultsFifteen studies involving 1 781 cases were enrolled in this study, of which 876 cases underwent the Huaier+TACE, 905 underwent the TACE. The meta analysis results showed that the objective response rate and disease control rate, 6 and 12-month survival rates of the Huaier+TACE group were significantly more superior as compared with of the TACE group (P<0.05), the adverse reaction incidence had no significant difference (P>0.05). Compared with the TACE group, the CD4 +/CD8 + of the Huaier+TACE group was significantly improved (P<0.05).ConclusionFrom results of meta analysis, Huaier granule combined with TACE could improve therapeutic effect, increase survival rate, and improve life quality of PLC.
“Chinese Guideline for Diagnosis and Treatment of Primary Liver Cancer （version-2022）” （China Liver Cancer Staging, Abbreviation “CNLC 2022”） was updated recently and the “Barcelona Clinical Liver Cancer Strategy for Prognosis Prediction and Treatment Recommendation: The 2022 update” （Abbreviation “BCLC 2022”） was also updated in December 2021. The similarities and differences of the two guidelines were interpreted. For the BCLC stage B and C, which are equivalent to CNLC stage Ⅱa and Ⅱb and CNLC stage Ⅲa, respectively, the recommendation of surgical treatment and radiation therapy are disparate in the CNLC 2022 and BCLC 2022. For the systematic treatment of advanced liver cancer, Atezolizumab-Bevacizumab, Renvatinib and Sorafenib were both recommended as the first-line medication in the two guidelines. However, the CNLC 2022 is more flexible than BCLC 2022, which provides more treatment options for Chinese liver cancer patients. It is worth paying attention to two important new concepts proposed in the BCLC 2022: stage migration during treatment and untreatable progression. The BCLC stage B was divided into three subgroups according to tumor burden and liver function and different clinical pathways were recommended in the BCLC 2022.
ObjectiveTo investigate the effect and prognosis of emergency hepatectomy and second stage hepatectomy after transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) in spontaneous rupture and bleeding of resectable primary liver cancer.MethodsA total of 42 patients with spontaneous rupture and bleeding of resectable primary liver cancer in this hospital from January 2010 to January 2016 were retrospectively reviewed. Among them 24 cases had accepted the emergency hepatectomy in 24 h–48 h after admission (emergency hepatectomy group, n=24), 18 cases had accepted the second stage hepatectomy in 1 week–2 weeks after the TACE (second stage hepatectomy group, n=18), the intraoperative blood loss and intraoperative blood transfusion volume, perioperative mortality, postoperative incidence of hepatic insufficiency, recurrence rate and abdominal metastasis rate within 1 year after the operation, 1- and 3-year survival rates were compared between the emergency hepatectomy group and the second stage hepatectomy group.ResultsThere was no significant difference in the preoperative general data between these two groups (P>0.050). The intraoperative blood loss and transfusion volume of the emergency hepatectomy group were significantly more than those of the second stage hepatectomy group (P=0.028, P=0.017). There were no significant differences in the perioperative mortality (P=0.489), incidence of hepatic insufficiency (P=1.000), 1- and 3-year survival rates (P=0.650, P=0.463) and 1-year recurrence rate (P=0.601) between these two groups. No intraperitoneal implantation metastasis was found in these two groups.ConclusionBoth emergency hepatectomy and second stage hepatectomy after TACE are safe and effective in treatment of spontaneous rupture and bleeding of resectable primary liver cancer, appropriate treatment should be selected according to the specific conditions of patients.
Objective To understand the role and mechanism of tumor associated macrophages (TAM) on the occurrence and development of primary liver cancer, and its application in the treatment. MethodThe related literatures about the researches of relation between TAM and primary liver cancer at home and abroad in recent years were collected, sorted out, and made a review. Results Under different stimulating factors, TAM could be polarized to anti-tumor type 1 TAMs or tumor-promoting type 2 TAMs, and type 2 TAMs was the main part in the tumor microenvironment. Through some mechanisms such as vascularity-promoting, invasion-promoting, and immunosuppression to promote the occurrence and development of tumors, and potential treatment plans for primary liver cancer could be found by targeting TAM from different perspectives. Conclusion TAM has a wide range of effects on primary liver cancer, and their mechanisms are complex, understanding the relation between them and make an effective control of TAM could provide new therapeutic ideas and plans for clinical treatment of primary liver cancer.
ObjectiveTo systematically review the effects of Liujunzi decoction on improving the quality of life (QOL) of patients with advanced primary liver cancer. MethodsDatabases including MEDLINE, EMbase, SCI, The Cochrane Library (Issue 2, 2014), CBM, CNKI, VIP and WanFang Data were searched electronically from inception to July 2014 to collect randomized controlled trials (RCTs) about Liujunzi Decoction for advanced primary liver cancer. Two reviewers independently screened literature, extracted data and assessed the risk of bias of included studies. Then, meta-analysis was performed by using RevMan 5.3 software. ResultsA total of 7 RCTs involving 458 patients were included. The results of meta-analysis showed that the Liujunzi decoction group had significantly higher stability of QOL (RR=0.76, 95%CI 0.64 to 0.91, P=0.002), Karnofsky Performance Score (KPS) (MD=4.47, 95%CI 2.74 to 6.21, P<0.00001) and effective rate of TCM syndrome (RR=0.73, 95%CI 0.62 to 0.86, P=0.0001) than those of the control group. ConclusionCurrent evidence shows that Liujunzi decoction could improve the QOL and KPS, and relieve TCM syndromes of patients with advanced primary liver cancer, especially for those with spleen deficiency-syndrome. Due to the limited quantity and quality of the included studies, the above conclusion still needs to be verified by carrying out more high-quality RCTs.
ObjectiveTo understand the latest progress of enrichment technology of circulating tumor cells (CTCs), and summarize the principle, advantages and disadvantages of various enrichment technologies and their applications in primary liver cancer (PLC). MethodThe literature relevant to the enrichment methods of CTCs in the PLC was reviewed and summarized. ResultsThe clinical significances of CTCs in the early diagnosis and staging, hierarchical diagnosis and treatment, and efficacy monitoring of patients with PLC had been recognized. There were many separation and enrichment technologies for CTC, which were mainly based on the differences of physical and biochemical characteristics, as well as the combination of enrichment methods with various principles. Each enrichment method had corresponding advantages and disadvantages, and few enrichment methods for CTC was applied to PLC. ConclusionsAlthough many problems need to be solved in enrichment method of CTCs at present, it is believed that the existing problems will be solved one by one with continuous improvement of technology. And CTC detection is expected to apply in clinical, so as to provide more efficient diagnosis and treatment methods for patients with PLC.
ObjectiveTo investigate the effects of pipecolic acid oxidase (PIPOX) on the proliferation, apoptosis, migration and invasion of primary liver cancer cells. MethodsImmunohistochemical staining and analysis of The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database were used to examine the PIPOX expression levels in liver cancer tissues and paired adjacent normal tissues, and studied their relationship with patient prognosis. Liver cancer cell lines stably overexpressing or knocking out PIPOX were constructed to explore PIPOX’s impact on liver cancer cell proliferation, apoptosis, migration and invasion by conducting in vitro functional experiments such as CCK-8, EdU, apoptosis detection, and Transwell assays. In vivo, nude mice subcutaneous tumor models and lung metastasis models were used to verify PIPOX’s effect on liver cancer growth and metastasis. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) and western blot were both employed to detect the expression of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) markers in liver cancer cells. ResultsImmunohistochemical staining and TCGA database analysis revealed that PIPOX expression was significantly lower in liver cancer tissues compared to paired adjacent normal tissues (P<0.05). Prognostic analysis indicated shorter overall survival and disease-free survival in PIPOX low expression group (P<0.05). In vitro gain- and loss-of-function experiments showed that PIPOX significantly inhibited liver cancer cell migration and invasion (P<0.05), while having no significant effects on their proliferation and apoptosis (P>0.05). Animal experiments also confirmed that PIPOX significantly inhibited liver cancer lung metastasis (P<0.05), but had no significant effects on tumor growth (P>0.05). Finally, RT-qPCR and western blot results revealed that PIPOX promoted the expression of the epithelial marker E-cadherin (P<0.05) and inhibited the expression of mesenchymal markers (N-cadherin, vimentin, Snail) (P<0.05). ConclusionsPIPOX significantly inhibits liver cancer cell migration and invasion, potentially via suppressing the EMT process. However, PIPOX does not significantly affect liver cancer cell proliferation and apoptosis.
ObjectiveTo evaluate systematically the effectiveness and safety of transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) in combination with lenvatinib (LEN) in the treatment of intermediate and advanced primary liver cancer (PLC). MethodsThe relevant literature was comprehensively searched in the CNKI, VIP, Ovid, Schopus, PubMed, and other databases from the establishment of the databases to March 14, 2023. The literature was obtained according to the search strategy and the inclusion and exclusion criteria, and the data were extracted and the literature quality was evaluated. The Revman 5.4 software and Stata 15.1 software were used to conduct the meta-analysis to evaluate the effect of TACE+LEN regimen on the objective response rate (ORR), disease control rate (DCR), overall survival (OS), as well as secondary outcome indicators such as aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), alpha fetoprotein (AFP), and hypertension, diarrhea, hand-foot disease, fatigue, proteinuria, and fever for the patients with PLC. ResultsA total of 15 relevant literature was included, including 1 219 patients with PLC, 591 of whom treated with TACE+LEN and 628 treated with TACE alone. The meta-analysis results showed that the TACE+LEN regimen could increase ORR and DCR and prolong OS (P<0.01), as well as effectively decrease AFP level (P<0.01). However, TACE+LEN regimen increased the risks of hypertension, diarrhea, hand-foot disease, fatigue, and proteinuria as compared with TACE alone treatment (P<0.05). However, there were no statistical impacts on AST and ALT, or the risk of fever (P>0.05). ConclusionFrom the results of this meta-analysis, TACE+LEN regimen has a certain efficacy in treatment of intermediate and advanced PLC, but prevention of its related complications is paid attention to.
Objective To explore application value of multi-disciplinary team (MDT) model in patient underwent associating liver partition and portal vein occlusion for staged hepatectomy (ALPPS). Methods A huge mass of liver right lobe about 90.9 mm×75.5 mm×77.5 mm was found by the preoperative abdominal CT examination, which was considered as the primary liver cancer. The ALPPS was decided to perform through the discussion by the Departments of Radiology, Anesthesiology, Infectious disease, Oncology, and Hepatobiliary surgery. The first step operation included the exploratory laparotomy, associating ligation of the right branch of portal vein and disconnection of left and right hemi liver, radiofrequency ablation, and cholecystectomy. The second step operation was performed at 45 d after the first step operation, which included the release of the abdominal adhesion and the resection of the right lobe of liver. Results During the period of the two steps surgeries, though the patient had the liver failure, hepatic encephalopathy, and poor proliferation of the left lobe of liver, and so on, the ALPPS was finished smoothly and the R0 resection was achieved through the collboration of MDT. After the surgery, the related complications were treated by the MDT, the patient got great recovery and no recurrence or metastasis occurred during the following-up. Conclusion It is feasible to use ALPPS in treatment of primary giant liver cancer under MDT model, it will be more conducive to clinical brainstorming for the best treatment and better income of patient.