Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), once thought to impact younger individuals, now manifests in approximately 10% of patients over 65, characterized by a heightened vulnerability to complications and greater diagnostic intricacies than conventional cases. However, comprehensive global epidemiological data regarding elderly-onset IBD are currently insufficient. Our study addresses this critical gap by analyzing trends in elderly-onset IBD over a decade, encompassing the estimation of annual frequencies and age-standardized rates of elderly-onset IBD burden for both genders, stratifying the data by geographical and sociodemographic factors. Our research highlights a notable increase in the proportion of elderly-onset IBD, constituting around 13% of all IBD cases. We observed a rising incidence in males, contrasted by a decreasing trend in females. The highest surge in incidence rates was seen in the Western Pacific region in both genders, but the highest burden was observed in America. Countries with high sociodemographic index (SDI) carried the greatest burden of elderly-onset IBD, while countries with low SDI had the least. The mortality and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) rates trend downward in most regions. This study underscores an increasing incidence and proportion of IBD, particularly in elderly-onset IBD, particularly in males. While mortality and DALYs are decreasing in most regions, the overall burden remains highest in America and high-SDI countries. Effective public health interventions and comprehensive studies are required to tackle this mounting burden.

Background/Objectives: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a leading cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide, primarily developing in the context of chronic liver disease. Traditional prevention has focused on liver-specific interventions like antiviral therapies and surveillance. However, extrahepatic factors also significantly contribute to HCC risk. This review explores comprehensive strategies for HCC prevention, including both hepatic and extrahepatic factors. Methods: An extensive literature search of peer-reviewed articles up to October 2024 was conducted, focusing on studies addressing HCC prevention strategies. Studies that focused on both hepatic and extrahepatic factors were included. Data were extracted and synthesized to provide an overview of current prevention strategies and their effectiveness in reducing HCC incidence. Results: Hepatitis B vaccination and antiviral treatments for hepatitis B and C significantly reduce HCC incidence. Lifestyle modifications—such as reducing alcohol consumption, maintaining a healthy weight through diet and exercise, and smoking cessation—are crucial in lowering HCC risk. Environmental measures to limit exposure to aflatoxins and other hazards also contribute to prevention. Regular surveillance of high-risk groups enables early detection and improves survival rates. Emerging strategies like immunotherapy and gene therapy show potential for further reducing HCC risk. Conclusions: A comprehensive approach combining medical interventions, lifestyle changes, and environmental controls is essential for effectively decreasing HCC incidence globally. Implementing these combined measures could significantly reduce the global burden of HCC.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains a leading cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide, particularly among individuals with chronic liver diseases. Early detection through surveillance significantly improves survival rates and current guidelines recommend semiannual ultrasound, with or without alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) testing, for high-risk populations. However, limitations in ultrasound sensitivity, physician adherence, and patient compliance affect the effectiveness of these surveillance efforts. This review explores both current and emerging strategies for HCC surveillance. Individualized surveillance approaches, utilizing risk stratification tools such as the aMAP and PAGE-B scores, enable tailored monitoring based on individual risk profiles, potentially reducing unnecessary screening in low-risk groups. Advanced imaging techniques, including contrast-enhanced ultrasound and abbreviated magnetic resonance imaging, demonstrate improved sensitivity over traditional ultrasound, particularly for early-stage HCC detection. Additionally, combining clinical characteristics with novel HCC biomarkers—such as the Gender, Age, AFP-L3, AFP, and Des-gamma-carboxy prothrombin (GALAD) score; HCC early detection screening score version 2 (HES V2.0) score; Gender, Age, AFP, and Des-gamma-carboxy prothrombin (GAAD) score; and AFP, Sex, Age, and Protein induced by vitamin K absence-II (ASAP) score—has shown higher sensitivity for early detection, with GALAD and HES V2.0 performing particularly well in phase 3 biomarker studies. Emerging molecular diagnostics, including liquid biopsy and genetic markers, also show promise in refining future HCC surveillance protocols. Despite these advancements, a limited number of at-risk patients currently undergo surveillance. Therefore, solutions must focus on enhancing awareness, adherence, and accessibility to surveillance tools. This review discusses various strategies for optimizing HCC surveillance, emphasizing a multifaceted approach that integrates risk-assessment tools, advanced imaging, and novel biomarkers to improve early detection and reduce mortality.

Background: In recent years, immunotherapy using immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) has revolutionized the treatment of advanced malignancies. As such, numerous ICIs are establishing themselves as prospective therapy alternatives for individuals with head and neck cancer (HNC). Evidence suggests a potential correlation between body mass index (BMI) and the efficacy of ICIs in cancer patients. However, this association in HNC patients subjected to immunotherapy is still unclear.Aims: To investigate the effect of BMI on the survival outcomes of HNC patients treated with immunotherapy.Methods: PubMed, Web of Science, and Google Scholar databases were searched extensively for records published until January 2024. Full‐text articles aligned with the research objective were included, while records published in English, case reports, reviews, editorials, and studies reporting immunotherapy combined with other cancer therapies were excluded. The data required for review and analysis was abstracted in Excel files by two independent reviewers. Additionally, data synthesis was carried out using the Review Manager program, and evaluation of methodological quality was done with the Newcastle Ottawa scale. The statistical analyses were stratified according to the BMI values, of which patients were categorized as follows: Obese (BMI ≥ 27.5), non‐obese (BMI < 27.5), overweight (BMI: 23.5–27.5), underweight (BMI < 18.5), normal (BMI: 18.5–23.5), low (BMI < 20), and high (BMI ≥ 20).Results: Only six studies were reviewed and analyzed. A subgroup analysis of data from these studies showed that obese HNC patients on immunotherapy had significantly better overall survival (OS) rates than non‐obese patients (HR: 0.51; 95% CI: 0.29–0.93; p = 0.03). However, the progression‐free survival (PFS) was statistically similar between obese and non‐obese patients (HR: 0.72; 95% CI: 0.39–1.33; p = 0.30). In addition, when BMI was stratified as either low or high, no significant difference was observed in the OS and PFS of HNC patients (HR: 0.99; 95% CI: 0.59–1.66; p = 0.97 and HR: 0.93; 95% CI: 0.61–1.41; p = 0.42, respectively). Similarly, the statistical analyses showed that overweight patients have similar OS and PFS as patients with normal BMI (HR: 0.53; 95% CI: 0.15–1.92; p = 0.33 and HR: 0.55; 95% CI: 0.20–1.52; p = 0.25, respectively). In contrast, underweight patients demonstrated poor OS and PFS (HR: 2.56; 95% CI: 1.29–5.12; p = 0.008 and HR: 2.76; 95% CI: 1.17–6.52; p = 0.02, respectively).Discussion and Conclusion: Obese HNC patients on immunotherapy tend to have improved OS than non‐obese patients, while underweight patients have worse clinical prognoses than those with normal or above BMI.

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) represents a significant health threat worldwide. The aging population and a rise in metabolic syndrome in Asia might influence the epidemiology of NAFLD among the elderly. However, there is a lack of understanding of the burden and recommendations for NAFLD in this group. Our study sought to investigate the trends in the NAFLD burden among the elderly in the Asia-Pacific region. We employed data from the Global Burden of Disease 2019 study for an in-depth analysis of the prevalence and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) along with age-standardized rate (ASR) associated with NAFLD in elderly populations (age 65–89 years) across the Asia-Pacific region, including the Southeast Asia (SEA) and Western Pacific (WP) regions, from 2010 to 2019. This study also examined the trends and disparities in NAFLD burden across different nations and sexes. In 2019, there were over 120 million cases of NAFLD in the elderly in the Asia-Pacific region. The ASR of prevalence was higher in SEA compared to WP (36,995.37 vs. 32,821.78 per 100,000). ASR of prevalence increased with annual percentage change (APC) +0.95% in the WP while it increased by +0.87% in SEA. During the study period, the ASR of DALYs decreased in SEA (APC −0.41%) but remained stable in the WP region. The burden of NAFLD in the elderly population in Asia-Pacific has increased, underscoring the timely intervention to tackle this high and rising burden.