It is safe to mobilize, expand, and reinfuse autologous CD34+ cells in patients with ALC. The clinical and biochemical improvement in the study group is encouraging and warrants further clinical trials.

These preliminary studies suggest that H and P NMR spectroscopy of bile may be used to detect differences in phospholipid content between cancer and non-cancer patients. This may have implications for the development of novel diagnostic strategies in hepatopancreaticobiliary cancers. Further larger-scale studies are warranted.

Improvements in imaging technology allow exploitation of the dual blood supply of the liver to aid in the identification and characterisation of both malignant and benign liver lesions. Imaging techniques available include contrast enhanced ultrasound, computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging. This review discusses the application of several imaging techniques in the diagnosis and staging of both hepatocellular carcinoma and cholangiocarcinoma and outlines certain characteristics of benign liver lesions. The advantages of each imaging technique are highlighted, while underscoring the potential pitfalls and limitations of each imaging modality.

Abstract:We present an ex vivo study of temporally and spectrally resolved autofluorescence in a total of 47 endoscopic excision biopsy/resection specimens from colon, using pulsed excitation laser sources operating at wavelengths of 375 nm and 435 nm. A paired analysis of normal and neoplastic (adenomatous polyp) tissue specimens obtained from the same patient yielded a significant difference in the mean spectrally averaged autofluorescence lifetime −570 ± 740 ps (p = 0.021, n = 12). We also investigated the fluorescence signature of non-neoplastic polyps (n = 6) and inflammatory bowel disease (n = 4) compared to normal tissue in a small number of specimens. References and links1. R. Lambert, H. Saito, and Y. Saito, "High-resolution endoscopy and early gastrointestinal cancer...dawn in the East," Endoscopy 39(3), 232-237 (2007