501 Background: There have been global efforts to manage hepatobiliary malignancies such as hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in a multidisciplinary setting under the concept of transplant oncology. We published preliminary data of hepatology-directed treatment of HCC (Ann Hepatol 2019). However, the actual role of hepatologists in this setting is not well defined. Methods: We evaluated 107 patients with newly diagnosed HCC, undergoing locoregional therapy (LRT) as a first therapy (microwave ablation, TACE, TARE or SBRT) in our institution between 1/2017 to 2/2019 and being followed until 8/2019. Patients were divided into three groups based on referral pathways: outside referral directly to oncologists (O-group, n=24), internal referral from hepatologists to oncologists (H/O-group, n=62) and hepatologist directed HCC treatment (H-group, n=21). The hepatologist performed all microwave ablations in H-group; rest of the LRTs were performed by either interventional radiology or radiation oncology. Results: The baseline gender, etiology of liver disease, MELD score, Child-Pugh score, BCLC stage, CLIP score, AFP and proportion of patients within Milan criteria were similar between 3 groups ( p=n.s.). However, O-group included older patients (median 70 vs 63/62 y.o., p<0.01), and had larger HCC size (median diameter 41 vs 26/28mm, p<0.01). In H-group, there were more cases discussed in multidisciplinary tumor boards (77% vs 46%, p=0.012) and referrals for liver transplantation (71% versus 50%, p=0.046). Time between the diagnosis and the first procedure was shorter in H-group than others (median 53 vs 69 days, p=0.048). The rate of complete response/partial response per mRECIST criteria was highest in H-group (91 vs 66%, p=0.024). The 2-year cumulative survival was comparable among three groups (70, 74 and 76% in O-group, H/O-group and H-group, respectively, p=0.4). Conclusions: Hepatologists are often the first point of contact and can play a key (and even more direct) role in subsequent management of HCC. To further accomplish the concept of multidisciplinary approach and transplant oncology, primary/secondary care institutions might be a potential target for intervention for outreach.
The Role of Diffusion-Weighted Imaging (DWI) in Locoregional Therapy Outcome Prediction and Response Assessment for Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC): The New Era of Functional Imaging Biomarkers
