Sirolimus‐based immunosuppression is associated with increased survival after liver transplantation for hepatocellular carcinoma

Christian Toso, Shaheed Merani, David L. Bigam, A.M. James Shapiro, Norman M. Kneteman – 26 March 2010 – Liver transplantation is an important treatment option for selected patients with nonresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Several reports have suggested a lower risk of posttransplant tumor recurrence with the use of sirolimus and a higher one with calcineurin inhibitors, but the selection of an ideal immunosuppression protocol is still a matter of debate.

Mitogen‐inducible gene‐6 is a negative regulator of epidermal growth factor receptor signaling in hepatocytes and human hepatocellular carcinoma

Markus Reschke, Ingvar Ferby, Ewa Stepniak, Nina Seitzer, David Horst, Erwin F. Wagner, Axel Ullrich – 26 March 2010 – The mitogen‐inducible gene‐6 (mig‐6) is a multi‐adaptor protein implicated in the regulation of the HER family of receptor tyrosine kinases. We have reported recently that mig‐6 is a negative regulator of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)‐dependent skin morphogenesis and tumor formation in vivo. In the liver, ablation of mig‐6 leads to an increase in EGFR protein levels, suggesting that mig‐6 is a negative regulator of EGFR function.

Low vitamin D serum level is related to severe fibrosis and low responsiveness to interferon‐based therapy in genotype 1 chronic hepatitis C

Salvatore Petta, Calogero Cammà, Concetta Scazzone, Claudio Tripodo, Vito Di Marco, Antonino Bono, Daniela Cabibi, Giusalba Licata, Rossana Porcasi, Giulio Marchesini, Antonio Craxí – 26 March 2010 – 25‐Hydroxyvitamin D (25[OH]D) can potentially interfere with inflammatory response and fibrogenesis. Its role in disease progression in chronic hepatitis C (CHC) and its relation with histological and sustained virological response (SVR) to therapy are unknown.

A meta‐analysis of survival rates of untreated patients in randomized clinical trials of hepatocellular carcinoma

Giuseppe Cabibbo, Marco Enea, Massimo Attanasio, Jordi Bruix, Antonio Craxì, Calogero Cammà – 26 March 2010 – Knowing the spontaneous outcome of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is important for designing randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of new therapeutic approaches; however, survival of patients in the absence of treatment is highly variable, and prognostic factors influencing outcomes are incompletely defined.

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