Th2 dominance was not altered by elimination of eHCC after RFA therapy. Therefore, Th2 dominance might induce carcinogenesis in patients with HCV-related LC rather than carcinogenesis leading to Th2 dominance.
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the third most common cause of cancer-associated mortality worldwide. No effective treatment has been established for unresectable advanced HCC, and the prognosis is poor. Sorafenib is an oral multi-targeted tyrosine kinase inhibitor for unresectable advanced HCC that significantly improves progression-free and overall survival. However, in the two large phase III clinical trials (the SHARP and Asia-Pacific trials), no cases of complete response (CR) were reported. The present study reports the case of a 68-year-old male with hepatitis C virus-related cirrhosis and multiple recurrent HCCs, with a tumor thrombus of the third portal vein following resection. The patient received 400 mg once daily (half the standard dose) of sorafenib for two years and achieved a CR. At the most recent follow-up examination at one year after the cessation of treatment, the patient was observed to be in remission without clinical or imaging evidence of disease recurrence.
Background/Aim: When patients with chronic hepatitis C (CHC) are treated with interferon (IFN)-based therapy, achieving serum HCV-RNA negativity by week 12 (early viral response, EVR) is an important predictor of a sustained virologic response. The aim of this study was to clarify whether changes in IFN-α receptor 2 (IFNAR-2) expression by peripheral blood monocytes (Mo) and the EVR rate differed between patients with genotype 1b and a high viral load showing substitution of amino acid 70 in the core region of HCV (mutant, n = 20) and patients without this substitution (wild, n = 23). Patients and Methods: Forty-three CHC patients were studied, and received pegylated IFN plus ribavirin. IFNAR-2 expression by Mo was determined using flow cytometry to measure the mean fluorescence intensity (MFI) before and up to 28 days after starting therapy. Results: The EVR rate of the mutant group was significantly lower than that of the wild group (35 vs.70%). The MFI of Mo was significantly higher in the wild group than in the mutant group before and also 3, 7, and 28 days after starting therapy. Conclusions: Mutation of HCV was related to lower IFNAR-2 expression by Mo before and after starting therapy.
Abstract. The present study aimed to determine the usefulness of contrast-enhanced ultrasonography (CEUS) with Sonazoid in evaluating the therapeutic response to sorafenib for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). In total, 26 patients with advanced HCC who received sorafenib and were followed up by CEUS were enrolled in the present study. CEUS was performed prior to and within 2-4 weeks of treatment, and the images of the target lesion in the post-vascular phase with a re-injection method were analyzed. The presence (+) or absence (-) of intratumoral necrosis and the intratumoral vascular architecture on micro-flow imaging (MFI) were compared prior to and subsequent to treatment. Target lesions that exhibited non-enhancement after re-injection were considered to indicate intratumoral necrosis. The intratumoral vascular architecture was classified into three groups, as follows: Vd, the intratumoral vessels visually narrowed or decreased; Vnc, the vessels remained unchanged; and Vi, the vessels were thickened or increased. Survival curves were estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method and compared using the log rank test between the intratumoral necrosis (+) and (-) groups, and among the Vd, Vnc and Vi groups. P<0.05 was considered to indicate a statistically significant difference. The number of patients in the intratumoral necrosis (+) and (-) groups was 8 and 18 patients, respectively, and the median survival time (MST) was 7.2 months [95% confidence interval (CI), 2.2-12.2] and 9.5 months (95% CI, 5.1-13.8), respectively (P= 0.44). The MFI findings were observed in 11 patients in the Vd group, 10 patients in the Vnc group and 5 patients in the Vi group. The MSTs in the Vd, Vnc and Vi groups were 15.6 months (95% CI, 5.0-23.3), 11.0 months (95% CI, 3.5-17.6) and 3.6 months (95% CI: 1.2-6.0), respectively. The P-value for the differences between the Vd and Vnc groups, Vd and Vi groups, and Vnc and Vi groups were 0.78, 0.016 and 0.047, respectively, which indicated that the survival time decreased significantly in the Vi group. Evaluation of intratumoral vascular architecture using MFI demonstrates promise for assessing the therapeutic response to sorafenib in patients with HCC.
We aim to investigate the hemodynamics in focal steatosis and focal spared lesion of the liver using contrast-enhanced ultrasonography (CEUS) with Sonazoid. The subjects were 47 patients with focal steatosis and focal spared lesion. We evaluated enhancement patterns (hyperenhancement, isoenhancement, and hypoenhancement) in the vascular phase and the presence or absence of a hypoechoic area in the postvascular phase for these lesions using CEUS. Of the 24 patients with focal steatosis, the enhancement pattern was isoenhancement in 19 and hypoenhancement in 5. Hypoechoic areas were noted in the postvascular phase in 3 patients. Of the 23 patients with focal spared lesions, the enhancement pattern was isoenhancement in 18 and hyperenhancement in 5. No hypoechoic areas were noted in the postvascular phase in any patient. The hemodynamics in focal steatosis and focal spared lesions in nondiffuse fatty liver can be observed using low-invasive procedures in real-time by CEUS. It was suggested that differences in the dynamics of enhancement in the vascular phase of CEUS were influenced by the fat deposits in the target lesion, the surrounding liver parenchyma, and the third inflow.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.