Clinical and Molecular Hepatology最新文献

Liver cancer is one of the deadliest malignancies, with increasing incidence worldwide. Recent advances in immunotherapy have expanded the options for systemic therapy against advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), but there are no biomarkers currently available to predict which patients will respond, leading to suboptimal patient selection strategies. Understanding of the genetic and immunologic features of HCC is accelerating rapidly through the use of single cell and spatial transcriptomic techniques. However, there is a need to translate insights gained through these new studies to improve treatment options and improve patient selection. In this review we summarize knowledge of the immunogenomics of HCC, emphasizing recent advances, and discuss progress toward clinical translation.

Background/aims: Patients with concurrent type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) face elevated cardiovascular risks. However, optimal oral antidiabetic drug (OAD) selection for this population remains unclear.

Methods: Using the Korean National Health Information Database, we conducted a target trial emulation comparing cardiovascular outcomes among patients with T2DM and MASLD (defined by fatty liver index ≥30) who initiated sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors, thiazolidinediones, dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitors, or sulfonylureas with metformin. The primary outcome was major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), including cardiovascular mortality, nonfatal myocardial infarction, and nonfatal stroke.

Results: Among 71,071 patients (331,726 person-years), SGLT2 inhibitor users experienced a significantly lower MACE risk compared to sulfonylurea users (adjusted subdistribution hazard ratio [aSHR], 0.44; 95% CI, 0.31-0.62). SGLT2 inhibitors also demonstrated a lower MACE risk compared to thiazolidinediones (aSHR, 0.61; 95% CI, 0.39-0.96) and DPP-4 inhibitors (aSHR, 0.59; 95% CI, 0.42-0.96). Cardiovascular mortality risk was notably reduced with SGLT2 inhibitors compared to sulfonylureas (aSHR, 0.13; 95% CI, 0.03-0.50), thiazolidinediones (aSHR, 0.19; 95% CI, 0.04-0.86), and DPP-4 inhibitors (aSHR, 0.22; 95% CI, 0.06-0.84). Mediation analysis revealed that MASLD regression accounted for 8.7% of the total cardiovascular benefit when comparing SGLT2 inhibitors to sulfonylureas.

Conclusions: In patients with concurrent T2DM and MASLD, SGLT2 inhibitors demonstrated better cardiovascular outcomes compared to other OADs. These findings suggest that SGLT2 inhibitors may be the preferred OAD choice for cardiovascular risk reduction in this high-risk population.

Background/aims: The association between aspirin use and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) risk in patients with metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) remains unclear. This study evaluated the effect of aspirin on HCC development in MASLD patients using Korean National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) and UK Biobank (UKB) databases.

Methods: A retrospective cohort analysis was conducted using the NHIS database with a 3-year landmark design. Baseline characteristics were balanced using inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) and 1:3 propensity score matching (PSM). Additionally, Mendelian randomization analysis was performed in the UKB cohort using a genomic risk score (GRS) for salicylic acid, based on genetic variants related to aspirin metabolism, as a proxy for aspirin use.

Results: In the NHIS cohort, 6,584,155 eligible patients were included, of whom 1,723,435 had MASLD. After PSM, aspirin use was associated with a significantly lower risk of HCC compared to no aspirin use, in both the overall population (adjusted subdistribution hazard ratio [ASHR]=0.86; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.78-0.95; P=0.002) and MASLD group (ASHR=0.86; 95% CI 0.75-0.99; P=0.036). Similar results were reproduced in the IPTW population and several sensitivity and subgroup analyses. In the UKB cohort, individuals in the top 95% of GRS had a significantly lower risk of HCC compared to those in the bottom 5%, in both the overall population (ASHR=0.61; 95% CI 0.39-0.95; P=0.028) and MASLD group (ASHR=0.47; 95% CI 0.29-0.76; P=0.002).

Conclusions: Findings from both population-based and genetic analyses suggest a possible protective association between aspirin use and HCC in patients with MASLD, which warrants further validation.