Journal of Hepatology

Immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) therapy before surgery for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) may produce major pathological response in about one-third of the surgical patients. The clinical and pre-clinical research highlighted that the formation of organized immune hubs within the tumor (tertiary lymphoid structure) after ICI therapy is critical for the induction of antitumor immunity.

Patients with metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) exhibit a higher risk of developing hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) compared to those without MASLD following HCV cure using direct-acting antivirals (DAAs). Moreover, MASLD mediates all cardiometabolic risk factors (CMRFs) contributing to HCC development. Lifestyle modification, effective control of CMRFs, and judicious HCC screening for at-risk populations are essential to reduce and enable early detection of HCC during post-HCV cure follow-up.

Concurrent steatotic liver disease (SLD) is prevalent among patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB); however, the effects of the associated cardiometabolic risk factors on all-cause and cause-specific mortality remain unknown. This study demonstrated that cumulative metabolic burden dose- dependently increased the risks of all-cause, liver-related, and cardiovascular mortality in patients with CHB and SLD. Moreover, new-onset diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and weight gain during the follow-up period further exacerbated these risks. However, patients with SLD had a lower risk of mortality than those without SLD. Thus, routine screening and monitoring of metabolic dysfunctions constitute a key element of daily care for patients with CHB.

Scientists at Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore, have found that elevated blood levels of an amino acid called homocysteine correlate strongly with the severity of an advanced form of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. They also found vitamin B12 and folic acid could potentially prevent and/or delay disease progression.

Advancement in cell lines capable of producing Hepatitis B’s many genotypes can reveal much about the unique virological features and treatment responses eluding researchers of this virus that has been infecting humans as far back as the Bronze Age.