Background: The dominant artery blood supply is a characteristic of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, it is not known whether the blood supply can predict the post-hepatectomy prognosis of patients with HCC. This retrospective study investigated the prognostic value of the portal venous and arterial blood supply estimated on triphasic liver CT (as a portal venous coefficient, PVC, and hepatic arterial coefficient, HAC, respectively) in patients with HCC following hepatectomy. Methods: HCC patients who were tested by triphasic liver CT 2 weeks before hepatectomy and received R0 hepatectomy at the Second Affiliated Hospital, Kunming Medical University between January 1, 2016 and December 31, 2020, were retrospectively screened. Their PVC and HAC, and other variables were analyzed for the prediction of overall survival (OS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS) using the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator and Cox proportional hazard regression models. Results: Four hundred and nineteen patients (53.2 ± 10.6 years of age and 370 men) were evaluated. A shorter OS was independently associated with higher blood albumin and total bilirubin grade [hazard ratio (HR) 2.020, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.534– 2.660], higher Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) stage (HR 1.514, 95% CI 1.290– 1.777), PVC ≤ 0.386 (HR 1.628, 95% CI 1.149– 2.305), and HAC > 0.029 (HR 1.969, 95% CI 1.380– 2.809). A shorter RFS was independently associated with male (HR 1.652, 95% CI 1.005– 2.716), higher serum α-fetoprotein ≥ 400 ng/mL (HR 1.672, 95% CI 1.236– 2.263), higher BCLC stage (HR 1.516, 95% CI 1.300– 1.768), tumor PVC ≤ 0.386 (HR 1.641, 95% CI 1.198– 2.249), and tumor HAC > 0.029 (HR 1.455, 95% CI 1.060– 1.997). Conclusion: Tumor PVC or HAC before hepatectomy is valuable for independently predicting postoperative survival of HCC patients.

Objective: Lymphatic vessels are present in the capsule of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) at an early stage, but their value in the prognosis remains unclear. The study aimed to evaluate the prognostic impact of lymphatic vessels in the tumor capsule on patients with HCC at Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) stages 0-A. This is one of the first studies to investigate the tumor capsule specifically. Methods: This retrospective study included HCC patients at BCLC stages 0-A, who underwent radical liver resection between January 2017 and December 2020. Lymphatic vessel density (LVD) in the tumor capsule was determined by immunohistochemistry using anti-D2-40. Patients were stratified into the high and low LVD groups. Their overall survival (OS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS) were analyzed. The potential risk factors affecting survival and for predicting microvascular invasion (MVI) or satellite nodules were analyzed using Cox regression analysis and logistic regression analysis, respectively. Results: A total of 212 patients were included (180 male and 142 patients < 60 years old). The 1, 3, and 5-year OS were 76.5%, 52.9%, and 41.2% in the high LVD group, versus 94.4%, 76.4%, and 69.0% in the low LVD group ( P = 0.013). The 1, 3, and 5-year RFS were 30.6%, 30.6%, and 30.6% in the high LVD group, versus 72.5%, 52.2%, and 38.7% in the low LVD group ( P = 0.014). High LVD in the tumor capsule was an independent risk factor for worse OS (HR = 2.145, 95% CI: 1.096-4.197, P = 0.026) and RFS (HR = 2.506, 95% CI: 1.197-5.243, P = 0.015), and also associated with the onset of MVI (OR = 8.493, 95% CI: 2.314-31.174, P = 0.001) and satellite nodules (OR = 5.755, 95% CI: 1.340-24.718, P = 0.019). Conclusions: High LVD in the tumor capsule was associated with worse OS, RFS, and intrahepatic spread (MVI and satellite nodules) in patients with HCC at BCLC stages 0-A after liver resection. Our findings suggest that assessing LVD in the tumor capsule could serve as a useful tool in predicting postoperative prognosis and guiding personalized treatment strategies for patients with early-stage HCC.

Hepatitis A virus (HAV) and hepatitis E virus (HEV) are causative agents of acute viral hepatitis transmitted via the fecal–oral route. Both viruses place a heavy burden on the public health and economy of developing countries. To test the possibility that HAV could be used as an expression vector for the development of a combination vaccine against hepatitis A and E infections, recombinant HAV-HEp148 was created as a vector to express an HEV neutralization epitope (HEp148) located at aa 459–606 of the HEV capsid protein. The recombinant virus expressed the HEp148 protein in a partially dimerized state in HAV-susceptible cells. Immunization with the HAV-HEp148 virus induced a strong HAV- and HEV-specific immune response in mice. Thus, the present study demonstrates a novel approach to the development of a combined hepatitis A and E vaccine.

Thyroid carcinosarcoma (TCS) is a rare and aggressive malignant tumor, typically reported as a primary thyroid neoplasm. Here, we present an unusual case of TCS occurring in the chest wall. The patient was a 66-year-old woman with a history of papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) diagnosed 12 years prior. She received two courses of radioactive iodine (RAI) therapy (200 mCi and 150 mCi) five years ago for metastatic disease in cervical lymph nodes and lungs. Four years after completing RAI treatment, she presented with a progressively enlarging left chest wall mass, which was surgically resected and pathologically confirmed as TCS. This report details the patient’s clinical course and explores the temporal and topographic association between the development of TCS and the prior RAI therapy.