Citations

Among patients with treatment-naive hepatocellular carcinoma, glass microsphere radiation segmentectomy before liver transplant achieved high rates of complete pathologic necrosis, which was positively associated with the number of optimized treatment parameter thresholds.

Pulsed Electric Field (PEF) ablation is a non-thermal cancer treatment that disrupts tumor cell membranes while preserving the immune microenvironment and promoting immunogenic cell death. We present a case of a patient with metastatic hormone receptor-positive, HER2-low breast cancer who achieved a durable clinical response after PEF in combination with an immune checkpoint inhibitor (pembrolizumab). The patient remained off systemic therapy for 14 months without disease progression. Single-cell spatial molecular imaging (SMI) and gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) were performed to evaluate immune microenvironment changes pre- and post-PEF treatment. Spatial transcriptomics of the tumor cell compartment revealed a post-PEF enrichment of immune-related pathways, including interferon alpha/beta and gamma signaling and MHC class I antigen processing and presentation, alongside increased infiltration of immune cells: CD8+ T cells, plasmablasts, and monocytes within the tumor neighborhood. This hypothesis-generating case suggests PEF’s potential to reshape the tumor-immune microenvironment when combined with immune checkpoint blockade, warranting further studies on its role in combination immunotherapy strategies.

Liver transplantation has emerged as a curative treatment option for selected patients with unresectable hepatic malignancies beyond hepatocellular carcinoma, marking a paradigm shift in transplant oncology. For colorectal cancer liver metastases (CRLM), prospective trials have demonstrated that highly selected patients achieve 5-year OS rates of 60–83%, with the Oslo score identifying optimal candidates for transplantation. Perihilar cholangiocarcinoma (pCCA) has been successfully treated using strict patient selection criteria combined with neoadjuvant therapy, achieving 5-year OS rates of 50–68%, though emerging data suggests chemotherapy-based approaches may be preferable to radiation in selected cases. Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (iCCA), previously considered a contraindication to transplantation, can now achieve excellent long-term outcomes (79.5% 5-year OS) in patients demonstrating sustained response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy and radioembolization, with metabolic tumor volume < 70 cm3 serving as an objective prognostic marker. Across these three emerging indications, successful outcomes depend on strict patient selection based on tumor biology, intensive multimodal neoadjuvant therapy, multidisciplinary evaluation in high-volume centers, and careful observation during treatment to exclude patients with aggressive disease. This evolution in transplant practice offers curative intent therapy to patients that previously only had palliative therapeutic options, fundamentally transforming hepatobiliary and oncologic surgery.

Abstract Liver metastases from well-differentiated thyroid carcinomas are rare. We report 3 patients, 1 with follicular and 2 with oncocytic thyroid cancers, treated for liver metastases with yttrium-90 radioembolization. The 2 patients with oligometastatic disease received ablative radiation doses, while 1 patient with diffuse metastatic liver disease was treated palliatively with 2 sessions of reduced nonablative radiation dose due to a large hepatopulmonary shunt fraction diagnosed at work-up. The 2 cases of oligometastatic disease had a complete local response by imaging criteria, while the third case had a pronounced local partial response, without adverse events. Future guidelines should include radioembolization as a viable option for locoregional therapy of liver metastases of differentiated thyroid cancer not responsive to radioiodine in patients that do not qualify for or refuse hepatic surgery.

Objectives Heritable connective tissue disorders (HCTDs), including hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (hEDS) and hypermobile spectrum disorder (HSD), have complex clinical manifestations, but the prevalence of left common iliac vein (LCIV) compression in these groups is not well known. This study aimed to compare the prevalence of significant LCIV compression in patients with hEDS, HSD, and healthy controls. Methods This retrospective, IRB-approved, single-center study analyzed 109 patients (25 hEDS, 64 HSD, 20 controls) who underwent contrast-enhanced abdominal and pelvic CT imaging from 2020 to 2023. LCIV compression was measured on axial CT, with >50% luminal narrowing defined as significant. Statistical analyses included chi-square tests, odds ratios, and t -tests. Interrater reliability was evaluated using intraclass correlation coefficients. Results Significant LCIV compression occurred in 68.0% of hEDS, 65.6% of HSD, and 35.0% of controls ( p = 0.034). Both hEDS ( p = 0.027) and HSD ( p = 0.015) groups had significantly higher compression rates than controls, with no statistically significant difference between the two clinical groups ( p = 0.831). Odds of compression were nearly fourfold greater in hEDS (OR 3.95) and HSD (OR 3.54) compared to controls. Conclusion LCIV compression is significantly more prevalent in patients with hEDS and HSD than in healthy controls, warranting further investigation of its clinical significance.

Objective To evaluate outcomes in patients with type 2 endoleak (T2E) and the impact of treatment outside the device instructions for use (IFU). Methods This retrospective single-center study included abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA) patients who underwent EVAR (2011- 2024). Primary outcomes were 30-day and mid-term complications, reintervention, and mortality by T2E status. Propensity score matching was applied and secondary analysis stratified outcomes by IFU compliance, comparing within ( in IFU) or outside( out IFU) IFU in each T2E group. Results Among 154 EVAR patients (137 men (89.1%) and 17 women (11.0%); mean age 77.5 ± 7.6 years), 77 were T2E(−), and 77 were T2E(+). Baseline characteristics were similar. Thirty-day complications were comparable (T2E(−): 5, 6.4% vs T2E(+): 2, 2.56%, P = 0.72). The mean follow-up duration was 2.7 ± 2.4 years. Sac diameter change (Δ) decreased in the T2E(−) (7.7 ± 8.4 mm) and enlarged in the T2E(+) (1.79 ± 12.5 mm; P < 0.01). Mid-term graft-related complications (T2E(−): 3, 3.8% vs T2E(+): 49, 62.8%, P < 0.01) and reinterventions (T2E(−): 3, 3.8%, vs T2E(+): 20, 25.6% P < 0.01) were higher in the T2E(+) with no difference in mortality ( P = 1.00). These findings remained after excluding type 1 endoleaks. Among the T2E(+), those treated out IFU had longer hospital stays ( out IFU: 3.0 ± 2.8 days vs in IFU: 1.8 ± 2.0 days, P = 0.03), higher T1E ( out IFU: 3, 33.3% vs in IFU: 1, 4.34%, P < 0.01), higher rates of reintervention ( out IFU: 9, 100.0% vs in IFU:17; 24.6%, P < 0.01) and higher all-cause mortality than those within IFU criteria ( out IFU: 5, 55.0% vs in IFU: 13, 18.8%, P < 0.01). IFU status did not significantly affect outcomes in T2E(−) patients. Conclusions T2E is associated with sac growth and increased reinterventions, but not higher mortality. On subgroup analysis, those T2E(+) treated out IFU had longer hospitalizations, higher T1E rates, more reinterventions, and higher all-cause; but not aneurysmal-related mortality.

Despite European colorectal liver metastases (CRLM) transplant trials having been performed entirely using deceased donor liver transplant (DDLT), there has been speculation about whether similar results can be achieved in the United States, given the lack of MELD score prioritization. A formal transplant protocol for unresectable CRLM was implemented in our center at the start of 2022 with the plan to utilize DDLT. Between 2022 and 2025, 86 patients with CRLM were referred to our program, and 19 patients underwent a formal transplant evaluation. Median time from listing until transplant was 31 days (range 3–115 d). Median allocation MELD was 8 (range 6–15). The donor livers were from DCDs, older donors, or National Share livers, which had been declined by all other centers. All but 2 of the cases underwent advanced perfusion. There were no cases of primary nonfunction, postreperfusion syndrome, acute kidney injury, hepatic artery thrombosis, or ischemic cholangiopathy. The length of stay for the median posttransplant was 5 days. Graft and patient survival were 100% at the time of maximal follow-up. Recurrence developed in 3 recipients (25.0%), 1 of whom was treated and has no evidence of disease. These findings support the viability of DDLT for CRLM using advanced perfusion, contingent on strict protocol adherence. Center-specific waitlist dynamics must inform the choice between DDLT and living donor liver transplant (LDLT).

Abstract May-Thurner physiology (MTP) can lead to various congestion syndromes due to compression of the left common iliac vein (LCIV) by the right common iliac artery (RCIA). This compression may result in venous reflux through the lumbar vein, leading to congestion of the spinal epidural venous plexus (EVP), which could contribute to refractory headaches. This case report details the clinical course of a patient with severe refractory new daily persistent headache associated with MTP who underwent ascending lumbar vein (ALV) embolization. The patient is a 59-year-old female with a 3-year history of daily persistent headache which failed multiple migraine prevention therapies and minimally invasive procedures. Imaging studies revealed significant LCIV compression by the RCIA, retrograde ALV flow, and EVP congestion. The patient underwent ALV embolization, resulting in significant symptomatic relief. At the 22-month follow-up, headache severity reduced by 80%, with the patient no longer requiring routine headache medications. Additionally, treatment of associated pelvic congestion syndrome through gonadal vein embolization resolved longstanding associated pelvic pain and pressure. This case highlights the role of venous congestion in refractory headache syndromes and underscores the potential of targeted venous interventions, such as embolization, in their management. The findings expand on emerging evidence linking venous compression syndromes to headache pathophysiology and support exploring interventional strategies as viable treatment options for selected patients. Further research is needed to validate these findings and establish evidence-based guidelines for clinical practice.