Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common primary cancer of the liver responsible for an increasing number of cancer-related deaths, especially in developing economies of Asia and Africa. A plethora of risk factors have been described in the literature. Some of the important ones include chronic viral hepatitis, liver cirrhosis, environmental toxins such as aflatoxin, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, lifestyle factors like alcohol consumption, smoking, and dietary factors, metabolic diseases like diabetes mellitus and obesity, and genetic and hereditary disorders. The development of HCC is complex involving sustained inflammatory damage leading to hepatocyte necrosis, regeneration, and fibrotic deposition. It also poses multiple challenges in diagnosis and treatment despite advances in diagnostic, surgical, and other therapeutic advancements. This is a narrative review of findings of multiple studies that were retrieved from electronic databases like PubMed, MEDLINE, Embase, Google Scholar, Scopus, and Cochrane. We summarise the current knowledge regarding the epidemiology and various risk factors for the development of HCC with a brief note on various prevention strategies.

Cystic hepatic lesions are commonly encountered in daily practice. The diagnosis of these lesions ranges from benign lesions of no clinical significance to malignant and potentially lethal conditions. The prevalence of hepatic cyst (HC) has been reported to be as high as 15-18% in the United States. Imaging with conventional ultrasound, computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, or contrast-enhanced ultrasound can be used to characterize further and diagnose. The pre-test probability of a diagnosis is highly affected by the patient’s comorbidities and the clinical and laboratory data; thus, imaging studies should be interpreted in the context of the other clinical information for that particular patient. Treatment modalities for hepatic cyst include fenestration, aspiration sclerotherapy, or surgical resection. In the current review, we discuss the pathophysiology, diagnosis, and treatment modalities for various cystic hepatic lesions.

A pancreatic cystic lesion (PCL) is a collection of fluid in the pancreas, which is often diagnosed incidentally during abdominal imaging, and often poses a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge. PCLs not only have diverse histological and imaging appearances but also differ in clinical presentation, biologic behaviour, growth pattern, and risk of malignancy. Apart from their diagnosis, the management of PCL is also multifactorial, which takes into consideration risk of malignancy, cost of cyst analysis, cyst surveillance, anatomic location of the cyst, the patient's age, and overall health status. Although guidelines exist for surgical and conservative management, each case needs to be tailored to malignant risk, surgical risk, and life expectancy in mind. This would thereby reduce both the monetary and non-monetary burden on patients. In this review, we aim to provide insight into the various recent advances in the diagnosis and management of PCL. Streszczenie Zmiana torbielowata w trzustce (PCL) to zbiornik płynu, który często jest diagnozowany przypadkowo podczas obrazowania jamy brzusznej. Nierzadko stanowi on wyzwanie diagnostyczne i terapeutyczne. Zmiany torbielowate różnią się między sobą wynikami badań histologicznych i obrazowych, a także obrazem klinicznym, cechami biologicznymi, wzorcem wzrostu i ryzykiem nowotworu. Postępowanie w PCL jest wieloczynnikowe, uwzględnia ryzyko złośliwości, koszty analizy torbieli, kontrolę nad torbielą, jej lokalizację anatomiczną, wiek i ogólny stan zdrowia pacjenta. Chociaż istnieją wytyczne dotyczące postępowania chirurgicznego i zachowawczego, każdy przypadek musi być rozpatrywany indywidualnie z uwzględnieniem ryzyka złośliwości, ryzyka chirurgicznego i średniej długości życia. W ten sposób zmniejszyłoby się obciążenie pacjentów-zarówno finansowe, jak i innego rodzaju. Autorzy przedstawiają najnowsze informacje dotyczące postępów w diagnostyce i leczeniu PCL.

No abstract