Meet the experts

Dr. Emil Cohen completed medical training at George Washington University Medical School and then went on to an Internship at Washington Hospital Center. He completed residencies and fellowships in the Department of Radiology at the Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York. He is currently Assistant Professor in the Department of Radiology at Georgetown University Hospital in Washington DC. Dr. Cohen has been an investigator and co-investigator on two international clinical trials for hepatocellular carcinoma and is a reviewer on the Journal of Vascular and Interventional Radiology and the American Journal of Roentgenology.
Relevant publications
Gaba RC, Lewandowski RJ, Hickey R, Baerlocher MO, Cohen EI, Dariushnia SR, d’Othée BJ, Padia SA, Salem R, Wang DS, Nikolic B. Transcatheter therapy for hepatic malignancy: standardization of terminology and reporting criteria. J Vasc Interv Radiol 2016 Apr; 27(4): 457-73.

McWilliams JP, Kuo MD, Rose SC, Bagla S, Caplin DM, Cohen EI, Faintuch S, Spies JB, Saad WE, Nikolic B. Society of interventional radiology position statement: prostate artery embolization for treatment of benign disease of the prostate. J Vasc Interv Radiol 2014; 25: 1349–1351.

Franklin BR, Patel KM, Nahabedian MY, Baldassari LE, Cohen EI, Bhanot P. Predicting abdominal closure after component separation for complex ventral hernias: maximizing the use of preoperative computed tomography. Ann Plast Surg 2013; 71: 261–265.

Lee JS, Patel KM, Zou Z, Prince MR, Cohen EI. Computerized tomographic and magnetic resonance angiography for perforator-based free flaps: technical considerations. Clinics in Plastic Surgery 2011; 38: 219–228.

Stanca CM, Fiel MI, Aledort L, Cohen E, del Rio Martin J, Schiano TD. Factors associated with persistent thrombocytopenia after liver transplantation. Transplant Proc 2010; 42: 1769–1773.

Aidi HE, Mani V, Weinshelbaum KB, Aguiar SH, Taniguchi H, Postley JE, Samber DD, Cohen EI, Stern J, van der Geest RJ, Reiber JH, Woodward M, Fuster V, Gidding SS, Fayad ZA. Cross-sectional, prospective study of MRI reproducibility in the assessment of plaque burden of the carotid arteries and aorta. Nat Clin Pract Cardiovasc Med 2009 Mar; 6(3): 219-28. doi: 10.1038/ncpcardio1444. Epub 2009 Jan 27.

Lim KH, Ward SC, Roayaie S, Cohen E, Schwartz M, Fiel MI, Thung SN. Multiple inflammatory and serum amyloid a positive telangiectatic hepatic adenomas with glycogenated nuclei arising in a background of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis. Semin Liver Dis 2008 Nov; 28(4): 434-439.

Siegel AB, Cohen EI, Ocean A, Lehrer D, Goldenberg A, Knox JJ, Chen H, Clark-Garvey S, Weinberg A, Mandeli J, Christos P, Mazumdar M, Popa E, Brown RS Jr, Rafii S, Schwartz JD. Phase II trial evaluating the clinical and biologic effects of bevacizumab in unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma. J Clin Oncol 2008 Jun 20; 26(18): 2992-2998.

Cohen EI, Kelly SA, Edye M, Mitty HA, Bromberg JS. MRI estimation of total renal volume demonstrates significant association with healthy donor weight. Eur J Radiol 2009 Aug; 71(2): 283-287.

Cohen EI, Weinreb DB, Siegelbaum RH, Honig S, Marin M, Weintraub JL, Lookstein RA. Time resolved magnetic resonance angiography for the classification of endoleaks after endovascular aneurysm repair. J Magn Reson Imaging 2008 Mar; 27(3): 500-503.

Emre S, Arnon R, Cohen E, Morotti RA, Vaysman D, Shneider BL. Resolution of hepatopulmonary syndrome after auxiliary partial orthotopic liver transplantation in abernethy malformation. A case report. Liver Transpl 2007; 13: 1662-1668.

Talenfeld AD, Schwope RB, Alper HJ, Cohen EI, Lookstein RA. MDCT angiography of the renal arteries in patients with atherosclerotic renal artery stenosis: implications for renal artery stenting with distal protection. AJR Am J Roentgenol 2007; 188: 1652-1658.

Schwope RB, Alper HJ, Talenfeld AD, Cohen EI, Lookstein RA. MR angiography for patient surveillance after endovascular repair of abdominal aortic aneurysms. AJR Am J Roentgenol 2007; 188(4): W334-340.

Xu R, Bu-Ghanim M, Fiel M, Schiano T, Cohen E, Thung S. Hepatocellular carcinoma associated with an atypical presentation of Wilson’s Disease. Semin Liver Dis 2007; 27(1): 124-127.

Levi G, Moueen B, Xu R, Cohen E, Abittan C, Roayaie S. 48 year-old obese man with a 3 cm liver lesion and a history of hemochromatosis and lymphoma. Semin Liver Dis 2004; 24(3): 327-332.

Cohen EI, Wilck E, Shapiro R. Hepatic imaging in the 21st Century. Semin Liver Dis 2006; 26: 363–372.

Dr. Gabriel Aballay Soteras Hospital Argerich, Buenos Aires, Argentina. Hepatologist – Liver transplantation

Dr. Angel Alsina is a Collaborative Professor of Surgery at the University of South Florida, Morsani College of Medicine and is the Director of the Liver Cancer Program at Tampa General Hospital, in Tampa Florida. A native of Puerto Rico, Dr. Alsina pursued undergraduate studies at Boston College, his medical degree at Ponce Health Sciences, and surgical residency at St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center in Boston. He remained there to complete an ASTS-approved fellowship in multi-organ transplantation and hepatobiliary surgery at the New England Deaconess Hospital/ Harvard Department of Surgery. With over 23 years in liver transplantation, Dr. Alsina has acquired broad expertise in transplantation, hepatic surgical disorders, hepatology, and hepato-oncology. He is a proven investigator in pivotal trials in liver transplantation, liver cancer, hepatitis C, and other hepatic disorders. He has published as primary author in topics of acute liver failure, liver malignancies, hepatocellular carcinoma, transplantation, cirrhosis and portal hypertension, ethnic and ethical aspects of transplantation, and liver oncology. He was instrumental in providing access to liver transplantation to undeserved patients from Puerto Rico. Dr. Alsina oversees a large liver cancer program and manages systemic chemotherapy and the clinical trials of liver cancer. He has speaking experience nationally and is a national CME teacher in various fields. He was granted Fellowship designation by the AASLD in 2019.
Mathur A, Franco ES, Leone JP, Osman-Mohamed H, Rojas H, Kemmer N, Neff GW, Rosemurgy AS, Alsina AE. Obesity portends increased morbidity and earlier recurrence following liver transplantation for hepatocellular carcinoma. HPB (Oxford) 2013 Jul;15(7):504-10
Naugler W, Alsina A, Frenette C, Rosssaro L, Sellers M. Building the Multidisciplinary Team for Management of Patients with Hepatocellular Carcinoma. Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol 2015 May;13(5):827-35
Alsina A, Makris A, Nenos V, Sucre E, Arrobas J, Franco E, Kemmer N. Can sorafenib extends survival of recurrent hepatocellular carcinoma following liver transplantation? Am Surg 2014;80:680-4.
Nakshabandi A, Franco E, Kemmer N, Alsina A. Successful liver transplantation for hyperammonemic fibrolamellar hepatocellular carcinoma: A case report. ACG Case Rep J 2016 Aug 17;3(4):e106
Leone P, Santos M, Finan J, Alsina A, Franco S. Liver transplantation recipient with malignant transformation of hepatic adenoma. Case Reports of Clin Pathol 2016;3:8-14.
Alsina AE, Athienitis A, Nakshabandi A, Claudio RE, Aslam S, Arroyo J, Hillenberg I, Mallorga A, Lahoti M, Kemmer N. Outcomes of abdominal surgeries in cirrhotic patients performed by liver transplant surgeons: Are these safe? Am J Surg 2018; 216(3):518-523
Alsina A, Apple R, Kemmer R., Orlowski D. The malleability of transplant criteria: At what costs? Narrat Inq Bioeth 2019;9(1):77-82
Alsina AE, Alsina AA, Athienitis A, Buggs J, Aslam S, Kemmer N. Is Fulminant Hepatic Failure the Nemesis for Liver Transplant Centers? A Two Decade Psycho-Social and Long Term Outcomes Study. Am Surg 2018;1;84(7):1197-1203.

Dr. Walid Ayoub has been engaged in the field of hepatology for the last 15 years. For the last two decades, he has treated patients with various forms of liver disease, including patients with liver cirrhosis and liver cancer. Dr. Ayoub has served as the interim Medical Director for Liver Transplantation at Cedars Sinai Medical Center. He has been a regular speaker at regional and national liver meetings in the USA educating current and future gastroenterologists and hepatologists about liver diseases and liver cancer. He is an active member of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD) and the American Society of Transplantation (AST). He also serves on the Medial Education Committee for the American Liver Foundation.
He has participated in multiple pharma sponsored clinical trials on the use of direct acting antiviral therapy in patients with hepatitis C, cholestatic liver disease, hepatitis B and liver cancer. He is currently co-principal investigator on two National Institute of Health sponsored trials on the use of statins as chemoprevention for the development of liver cancer.

Relevant publications
Ayoub W, Geller SA, Tran T, Martin P, Vierling JM, Poordad F. Imatinib (Gleevec) Hepatotoxicity: a Case Report. J Clin Gastroenterol 2005; 39, 1:75-77.
Ayoub WS, Keeffe EB. Management of Hepatitis B in Patients with HBe-Ag Negative Disease. Current Hepatitis Reports 2007;6,3: 91-95.
Ayoub WS, Keeffe EB. Current Management of Chronic Hepatitis B. US Gastroenterology and Hepatology Review 2008;4,2:28-31.
Ayoub, WS. Tenofovir – A New Option for the Treatment of Chronic Hepatitis B. Virus Adaptation and Treatment 2009;1:5-10.
De Luna W, Sze DY, Ahmed A, Ha BY, Ayoub W, Keeffe EB, Cooper A, Esquivel C, Nguyen MH. Transarterial chemoinfusion for hepatocellular carcinoma as down staging therapy and a bridge toward liver transplantation. Am J Transplant 2009;9,5:1158-68.
Ayoub WS, Esquivel CO, Martin P. Biliary complications following liver transplantation. Dig Dis Sci 2010; 55 ( 60): 1540-46.
Ayoub WS, Keeffe EB. Current Antiviral Therapy of Chronic HBV infection. Aliment Pharmacol Ther 2011;34,10: 1145-58.
Ho EY, Ha NB, Ahmed A, Ayoub W, Daugherty T, Garcia G, Cooper A, Keeffe EB, Nguyen MH. Prospective study of risk factors for hepatitis C virus acquisition by Caucasian, Hispanic, and Asian American patients. J Viral Hepat 2012; 19: 2: e105-11.

Ha NB, Ha NB, Ahmed A, Ayoub W, Daugherty TJ, Chang ET, Lutchman GA, Garcia G, Cooper AD, Keeffe EB, Nguyen MH. Risk factors for hepatocellular carcinoma in patients with chronic liver disease: a case-control study. Cancer Causes Control 2012;23(3):455-62.
Mair RD, Valenzuela A, Ha NB, Ayoub WS, Daugherty T, Lutchman GA, Garcia G, Ahmed A, Nguyen MH. Incidence of Hepatocellular Carcinoma Among US Patients With Cirrhosis of Viral or Nonviral Etiologies. Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol 2012;10,12:1412-17.
Wong RJ, Ayoub WS. Current Treatment Strategies for the Management of Chronic Hepatitis B. JCOM 2012;20,1:36-47.
Lin H, Ha NB, Ahmed A, Ayoub W, Daugherty TJ, Lutchman GA, Garcia G, Nguyen MH. Both HCV and HBV are Major Causes of Liver Cancer in Southeast Asians. J Immigr Minor Health 2013;15,6:1023-29.
Nguyen, LH, Chao D, Lim JK, Ayoub W, Nguyen MH. Histologic Changes in Liver Tissue From Patients With Chronic Hepatitis B and Minimal Increases in Levels of Alanine Aminotransferase: A Meta-analysis and Systematic Review. Incidence of Hepatocellular Carcinoma Among US Patients With Cirrhosis of Viral or Nonviral Etiologies. Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol 2014:12,8:1262-6.
Chao DT, Lim JK, Ayoub WS, Nguyen LH, Nguyen MH. Systematic review with meta-analysis: The proportion of Chronic Hepatitis B Patients with Normal ALT ≤ 40 IU/L and Significant Hepatic Fibrosis. Aliment Pharmacol Ther 2014:39,3:349-58.
Nguyen KD, Sundaram V, Ayoub WS. Atypical causes of cholestasis. World J Gastroenterol 2014 Jul 28;20(28):9418-26
Valenzuela A, Ha NB, Gallo A, Bonham C, Ahmed A, Melcher M, Kim LH, Esquivel C, Concepcion W, Ayoub WS, Lutchman GA, Daugherty T, Nguyen MN. Recurrent Hepatocellular Carcinoma and Poorer Overall Survival in Patients Undergoing Left-sided Compared With Right-sided Partial Hepatectomy. J Clin Gastroenterol 2015; 49(2):158-64.
Sundaram V, Choi G, Jeon C, Ayoub WS, Nissen NN, Klein AS, Tran T. Donation after cardiac death Liver transplantation in primary sclerosing cholangitis: Proceed with caution. Transplantation 2015:99,5:973-78.
Zhang B, Nguyen NH, Yee BE, Yip B, Ayoub WS, Lutchman GA, Nguyen MH. Treatment of Acute Hepatitis C Infection with Pegylated Interferon and Ribavirin in Patients Coinfected with Human Immunodeficiency Virus: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Intervirology 2015;58(4):242-9.
Annamalai A, Ayoub W, Sundaram V, Bresee B, Klein A. A first look: One year since inception of Regional Share 35 Policy. Transplant Proceedings 2015; 47(6):1585-90.
Ayoub WS, Cohen E. Hepatitis B Management in the Pregnant Patient: An Update. J Clin Transl Hepatol 2016;4(3):241-247.
Annamali A, Chen M, Reich H, Nourredin M, Nissen N, Ayoub WS. Advanced Imaging Modalities for Hepatocellular Carcinoma: Is MRI with EOVIST Really Better? Austin J Gastroenterol 2016;3(3):1-6.

Dr. Irene Bargellini completed her medical degree and post-graduate course in Radiology at the University of Pisa in Italy. Since then, she has been working in the Department of Interventional Radiology and has become Supervisor of the Interventional Oncology Program of Pisa University Hospital. She is specifically interested in diagnosis and management of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), particularly with regards to outcomes of transarterial therapies.

Relevant publications

Crocetti L, Bargellini I, Cioni R. Loco-regional treatment of HCC: current status. Clin Radiol 2017 Feb 28. pii: S0009-9260(17)30041-7. doi: 10.1016/j.crad.2017.01.013. [Epub ahead of print]

Bargellini I. How does selective internal radiation therapy compare with and/or complement other liver-directed therapies. Future Oncol 2014 Nov;10(15 Suppl):105-9. doi: 10.2217/fon.14.236.

Golfieri R, Giampalma E, Renzulli M, Cioni R, Bargellini I, Bartolozzi C, Breatta AD, Gandini G, Nani R, Gasparini D, Cucchetti A, Bolondi L, Trevisani F; PRECISION ITALIA STUDY GROUP. Randomised controlled trial of doxorubicin-eluting beads vs conventional chemoembolisation for hepatocellular carcinoma. Br J Cancer 2014 Jul 15;111(2):255-64. doi: 10.1038/bjc.2014.199.

Bargellini I, Scionti A, Mismas V, Masi G, Vivaldi C, Bartolozzi C, Sacco R. Identification of responders to sorafenib in hepatocellular carcinoma: is tumor volume measurement the way forward? Oncology 2014; 86(4):191-8. doi: 10.1159/000358599.

Dufour JF, Bargellini I, De Maria N, De Simone P, Goulis I, Marinho RT. Intermediate hepatocellular carcinoma: current treatments and future perspectives.
Ann Oncol 2013 Apr; 24 Suppl 2:ii24-9. doi: 10.1093/annonc/mdt054.

Bargellini I, Florio F, Golfieri R, Grosso M, Lauretti DL, Cioni R. Trends in utilization of transarterial treatments for hepatocellular carcinoma: results of a survey by the Italian Society of Interventional Radiology. Cardiovasc Intervent Radiol 2014 Apr; 37(2): 438-44. doi: 10.1007/s00270-013-0656-5.

Bargellini I, Bozzi E, Campani D, Carrai P, De Simone P, Pollina L, Cioni R, Filipponi F, Bartolozzi C. Modified RECIST to assess tumor response after transarterial chemoembolization of hepatocellular carcinoma: CT-pathologic correlation in 178 liver explants. Eur J Radiol 2013 May; 82(5): e212-8. doi: 10.1016/j.ejrad.2012.12.009.

Sacco R, Bargellini I, Bertini M, Bozzi E, Romano A, Petruzzi P, Tumino E, Ginanni B, Federici G, Cioni R, Metrangolo S, Bertoni M, Bresci G, Parisi G, Altomare E, Capria A, Bartolozzi C. Conventional versus doxorubicin-eluting bead transarterial chemoembolization for hepatocellular carcinoma. J Vasc Interv Radiol 2011 Nov; 22(11): 1545-52. doi: 10.1016/j.jvir.2011.07.002.

Bargellini I, Sacco R, Bozzi E, Bertini M, Ginanni B, Romano A, Cicorelli A, Tumino E, Federici G, Cioni R, Metrangolo S, Bertoni M, Bresci G, Parisi G, Altomare E, Capria A, Bartolozzi C. Transarterial chemoembolization in very early and early-stage hepatocellular carcinoma patients excluded from curative treatment: a prospective cohort study.
Eur J Radiol 2012 Jun; 81(6): 1173-8. doi: 10.1016/j.ejrad.2011.03.046.

Bargellini I, Vignali C, Cioni R, Petruzzi P, Cicorelli A, Campani D, De Simone P, Filipponi F, Bartolozzi C. Hepatocellular carcinoma: CT for tumor response after transarterial chemoembolization in patients exceeding Milan criteria–selection parameter for liver transplantation. Radiology 2010 Apr; 255(1): 289-300. doi: 10.1148/radiol.09090927.

Grosso M, Vignali C, Quaretti P, Nicolini A, Melchiorre F, Gallarato G, Bargellini I, Petruzzi P, Massa Saluzzo C, Crespi S, Sarti I. Transarterial chemoembolization for hepatocellular carcinoma with drug-eluting microspheres: preliminary results from an Italian multicentre study. Cardiovasc Intervent Radiol 2008 Nov-Dec; 31(6):1141-9. doi: 10.1007/s00270-008-9409-2.

Lencioni R, Crocetti L, Petruzzi P, Vignali C, Bozzi E, Della Pina C, Bargellini I, Cioni D, Oliveri F, De Simone P, Bartolozzi C, Brunetto M, Filipponi F. Doxorubicin-eluting bead-enhanced radiofrequency ablation of hepatocellular carcinoma: a pilot clinical study.
J Hepatol 2008 Aug; 49(2): 217-22. doi: 10.1016/j.jhep.2008.03.021.

Vignali C, Bargellini I, Grosso M, Passalacqua G, Maglione F, Pedrazzini F, Filauri P, Niola R, Cioni R, Petruzzi P. TIPS with expanded polytetrafluoroethylene-covered stent: results of an Italian multicenter study. AJR Am J Roentgenol 2005 Aug; 185(2): 472-80.

Dr. Mohamed Bouattour is a physician in the Department of Digestive Oncology and Consultant in the Department of Hepatology at Beaujon University Hospital and has held this these positions since November 2007. He is board certified in Gastroenterology-Hepatology and Medical Oncology. He has expertise in the field of liver tumours, hepatocellular carcinoma, and pre-clinical and clinical research for liver disease. Dr. Bouattour works in close collaboration with a multidisciplinary team including, liver surgeons, radiologists, oncologists, hepatologists and pathologists, to improve the management of patients with liver cancers.
Dr. Bouattour has been involved in presenting several collaborative works in national and international scientific meetings. He has authored and co-authored scientific papers in the field of liver and cancer diseases. He is investigator and sub investigator for several phase 1, 2 and 3 clinical trials. Dr. Bouattour is member of several national and international societies such as the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD) and the European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL), the International Liver Cancer Association (ILCA) and the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO).

Relevant Publications
Coriat R, Faivre SJ, Mir O, Dreyer C, Ropert S, Bouattour M, Desjardins R,
Goldwasser F, Raymond E. Pharmacokinetics and safety of DTS-108, a human oligopeptide bound to SN-38 with an esterase-sensitive cross-linker in patients with advanced malignancies: a Phase I study. Int J Nanomedicine 2016; 21; 11: 6207-6216.

Bouattour M, Soubrane O, de Gramont A, Faivre S. Adjuvant therapies in
advanced hepatocellular carcinoma: moving forward from the STORM. Trials 2016;
25; 17(1): 563.

Bouattour M, Payancé A, Wassermann J. Evaluation of antiangiogenic efficacy in
advanced hepatocellular carcinoma: Biomarkers and functional imaging. World J Hepatol 2015; 7(20):2245-63.

Bouattour M, Rousseau B, Wassermann J, Payancé A, Huillard O. Negative Trials
for Foreseeable Safety Reasons in Advanced Hepatocellular Carcinoma: How Long Are
We Going to Take Lightly Pharmacokinetics of Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors? J Clin
Oncol 2015; 33(22): 2484-5.

Dreyer C, Sablin MP, Bouattour M, Neuzillet C, Ronot M, Dokmak S, Belghiti J,
Guedj N, Paradis V, Raymond E, Faivre S. Disease control with sunitinib in advanced intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma resistant to gemcitabine-oxaliplatin chemotherapy. World J Hepatol 2015; 7(6): 910-5.

Patrikidou A, Sinapi I, Regnault H, Fayard F, Bouattour M, Fartoux L, Faivre
S, Malka D, Ducreux M, Boige V. Gemcitabine and oxaliplatin chemotherapy for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma after failure of anti-angiogenic therapies. Invest New Drugs 2014; 32(5): 1028-35.

Ronot M, Bouattour M, Wassermann J, Bruno O, Dreyer C, Larroque B, Castera L,
Vilgrain V, Belghiti J, Raymond E, Faivre S. Alternative Response Criteria (Choi, European association for the study of the liver, and modified Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors [RECIST]) Versus RECIST 1.1 in patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma treated with sorafenib. Oncologist 2014; (4): 394-402.

Ozenne V, Bouattour M, Goutté N, Vullierme MP, Ripault MP, Castelnau C, Valla
DC, Degos F, Farges O. Prospective evaluation of the management of hepatocellular carcinoma in the elderly. Dig Liver Dis 2011; 43(12):1001-5.

Dr. Roniel Cabrera MD, MS is a gastroenterologist in Gainesville, FL specializing in Adult Gastroenterology. He graduated from Howard University College of Medicine in 2000 and has 21 years of experience. Dr. Roniel Cabrera MD, MS is affiliated with UF Health | null, UF Health Endoscopy Center, UF Health Shands Endoscopy Suite and UF Health Digestive Disease Specialists.

Leonardo da Fonseca achieved his medical degree at Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de Sao Paulo (FMUSP) in 2008. He obtained Internal Medicine certification at Hospital das Clínicas da FMUSP (2010–2012) and concluded the fellowship program in Medical Oncology at Instituto do Cancer do Estado de Sao Paulo (ICESP-FMUSP, 2012-2017) where he is part of the gastrointestinal cancer group. In 2018, he earned a Master degree in Clinical Research (with specialisation in liver diseases) from University of Barcelona and is currently a pre doctoral fellow in the Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer group.

Relevant Publications:
Díaz-González, Á; Sanduzzi-Zamparelli, M; Sapena, V; Torres, F; Llarch, N; Iserte, G; Forner, A; Da Fonseca, LG ; Ríos, J; Bruix, J; Reig, M. Systematic review with meta-analysis: the critical role of dermatological events in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma treated with sorafenib. Aliment Pharmacol Ther 2019;49(5):482-491.

Reig, M; Da Fonseca LG ; Faivre, S. New trials and results in systemic treatment of HCC. J Hepatol 2018;69(2):525-533.

Da Fonseca LG, Reig M, Bruix J. Systemic therapy for hepatocellular carcinoma: trial enrichment does not guarantee success. Oncotarget 2018;9(73):33741-33742.

Da Fonseca LG, Forner A. Carbon-ion radiotherapy for HCC-A potential tool to fulfil an unmet gap in the treatment algorithms? Liver Int 2018;38(12):2132-2133.

Da Fonseca LG, Marta GN, Braghiroli MIFM, Chagas AL, Carrilho FJ, Hoff PM, Sabbaga J. Safety and efficacy of cytotoxic chemotherapy in hepatocellular carcinoma after first-line treatment with sorafenib. BMC Cancer 2018;18(1):1250.

Silva ACB, Vicentini MFB, Mendoza EZ, Fujiki FK, da Fonseca LG, Braghiroli MIFM, Hoff PM. Young-age onset colorectal cancer in Brazil: Analysis of incidence, clinical features, and outcomes in a tertiary cancer center. Curr Probl Cancer 2019 [Epub ahead of print]

Landeiro LCG, Gagliato DM, Fêde AB, Fraile NM, Lopez RM, da Fonseca LG, Petry V, Testa L, Hoff PM, Mano MS. Return to work after breast cancer diagnosis: An observational prospective study in Brazil. Cancer 2018;124(24):4700-4710.

Da Fonseca LG, Barroso-Sousa R, Bento AD, Blanco BP, Valente GL, Pfiffer TE, Hoff PM, Sabbaga J. Safety and efficacy of sorafenib in patients with Child-Pugh B advanced hepatocellular carcinoma. Mol Clin Oncol 2015;3(4):793-796.

Da Fonseca LG, Barroso-Sousa R, Bento Ada S, Blanco BP, Valente GL, Pfiffer TE, Hoff PM, Sabbaga J. Pre-treatment neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio affects survival in patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma treated with sorafenib. Med Oncol 2014;31(11):264.

Ramos REO, Perez Mak M, Alves MFS, Piotto GHM, Takahashi TK, da Fonseca LG, Silvino MCM, Hoff PM, de Castro G Jr. Malignancy-Related Hypercalcemia in Advanced Solid Tumors: Survival Outcomes. J Glob Oncol 2017;3(6):728-733.

Mota JM, da Fonseca LG, Braghiroli MI, Hoff PM. Review on TAS-102 development and its use for metastatic colorectal cancer. Crit Rev Oncol Hematol 2016;104:91-7.

Barroso-Sousa R, da Fonseca LG, Souza KT, Chaves AC, Kann AG, de Castro G Jr, Dzik C. Metronomic oral cyclophosphamide plus prednisone in docetaxel-pretreated patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer. Med Oncol 2015;32(1):443.

Da Fonseca LG, Marques DF, Takahashi TK, Aguiar FN, Ravanini JN, Saragiotto DF. Malignant paratesticular mesothelioma. Autops Case Rep 2014;4(1):45-51.

Da Fonseca LG, de Melo Gagliato D, Takahashi TK, Mak MP, Barroso-Sousa R, Testa L, Helena VP, de Paula Costa R, Hoff PM, Mano MS. Cardiac safety of (neo)adjuvant trastuzumab in the community setting: a single-center experience. Breast Care (Basel) 2014;9(4):255-60.

Abreu AP, Milani C, Katayama ML, Barbosa KC, Da Fonseca LG, Goes JC,Brentani MM, Koike Folgueira MA. Expression of heterochromatin protein 1 in the primary tumor of breast cancer patients in the presence or absence of occult metastatic cells in the bone marrow. Int J Biol Markers 2008;23(4):219-24.

Catherine Frenette, MD underwent medical training at Rush Medical College in Chicago, IL. She then completed internal medicine training at Scripps Mercy Hospital in San Diego, CA, and subsequently underwent training in gastroenterology with a focus on transplant hepatology at Scripps Clinic in La Jolla, CA. Dr. Frenette currently works at the Scripps Clinic Center for Organ and Cell Transplantation where she is the Medical Director of Liver Transplantation. She is also the Medical Director of the Hepatocellular Carcinoma Program. Dr. Frenette has several active research trials as well as serving in a teaching capacity for the residents and fellows at Scripps Clinic. Dr. Frenette holds special clinical interest and expertise in liver transplantation to treat cirrhosis, hepatocellular carcinoma, autoimmune hepatitis, viral hepatitis, acute liver failure and end stage liver disease. She is a world-renowned expert in the treatment of all stages of hepatocellular carcinoma, and has done multiple national and international educational sessions on this topic. She has been awarded Fellow Status of the American Society of Transplantation, and has recently also been awarded Fellow of the American Gastroenterology Association.
Relevant publications

Abou-Alfa G, Yen C-J, Hsu C-H, O’Donoghue J, Beylergil V, Ruan S, Pandit-Taskar N, Gansukh B, Lyashchenko S, Ma J, Wan P, Shao Y-Y, Lin Z-Z, Frenette CT, O’Neil B, Schwartz L, Smith-Jones P, Ohtomo T, Tanaka T, Morikawa H, Maki Y, Ohishi N, Chen Y-C, Agajanov T, Boisserie F, De Laurenzio L, Lee R, Larson S, Cheng A, Carrasquilo J. Phase Ib study of codrituzumab in combination with sorafenib in patients with non-curable advanced hepatocellular carcinoma. Cancer Chemother Pharmacol 2017 Feb; 79(2): 421-429. doi: 10.1007/s00280-017-3241-9.

Nhu QM, Knowles HJ, Pockros PJ, Frenette CT. Pulmonary complications of transcatheter arterial chemoembolization for hepatocellular carcinoma. World J Respirol 2016 Nov; 6(3): 69-75. PMID 27035078

Yan M, Ha J, Aguilar M, Liu B, Frenette CT, Bhuket T, Wong RJ. Older patients with hepatocellular carcinoma more advanced disease, lower rates of treatment, and lower survival. J Clin Gastroenterol 2016; in press. PMID 27380460

Frenette CT. Surveillance for hepatocellular carcinoma. Gastroenterol Hepatol (N Y) 2016 Jun; 12(6): 394-6. PMID 27493599

Frenette CT. Surveillance for hepatocellular carcinoma. Clin Adv Hematol Oncol 2016 Jun; 14(6): 407-9. PMID 27379808

Ahn J, Bhuket T, Mosadeghi S, Frenette CT, Liu B, Wong RJ. End stage liver disease patients with MELD > 40 have higher waitlist mortality compared to status 1A patients. Hepatol Int Sep 2016; 10(5): 838-46. doi: 10.1007/s12072-016-9735-4.

Curry MP, O’Leary JG, Bzowej N, Muir AL, Korenblat KM, Fenkel JM, Reddy KR, Lawitz E, Flamm SL, Schiano T, Teperman L, Fontana R, Schiff E, Fried M, Doehle B, An D, McNally J, Osinusi A, Brainard DM, McHutchinson JG, Brown RS Jr, Charlton Ml, ASTRAL-4 Investigators. Sofosbuvir and velpatasvir for HCV in patients with decompensated cirrhosis. N Engl J Med 2015 Dec 31; 373(27): 2618-28. PMID 26569658

Nhu QM, Knowles HJ, Pockros PJ, Frenette CT. An unexpected pulmonary complication following transcatheter arterial chemoembolization of a small hepatocellular carcinoma. J Clin Gastroenterol 2016; 50(6): 524-5. PMID 27035078

Brown RS, O’Leary JG, Reddy KR, Kuo A, Morelli GJ, Burton JR, Stravitz RT, Durand C, Di Bisceglie AM, Kwo P, Frenette CT, Stewart TG, Nelson DR, Friend MW, Terrault NA, HCV-TARGET Study Group. Inteferon-free therapy for genotype 1 hepatitis C in liver transplant recipients: real world experience from HCV-TARGET. Liver Transpl 2016 Jan; 22(1): 24-33. PMID 26519873

Ha J, Yan M, Aguilar M, Tana M, Liu B, Frenette CT, Bhuket T, Wong R. Race/ethnicity-specific disparities in hepatocellular carcinoma stage at diagnosis and its impact on receipt of curative therapies. J Clin Gastroenterol 2016; 50 (5): 423-430. PMID 26583267

Bhangoo MS, Karnani DR, Hein PN, Giap H, Knowles H, Issa C, Steuterman S, Pockros P, Frenette CT. Radioembolization with Yttrium-90 microspheres for patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma. J Gastrointest Oncol 2015; 6(5): 469-478. PMID 26487939

Au J, Frenette CT. Management of hepatocellular carcinoma: current status and future directions. Gut Liver 2015; 9(4): 437-448. PMID 26087860

Chiao H, Frenette CT. Solid organ transplantation: little research, big need for patients with HCV. HCV Next 2014 May/June; 1(3): 15-20.

Scherschel A, Minteer WB, Frenette CT. An interesting case of inclusion body myositis after 48-week interferon treatment for hepatitis C. HCV Next 2014 Mar/Apr; 1(2): 8-10.

Crissien AM, Frenette CT. Current management of hepatocellular carcinoma. Gastroenterol Hepatol 2014 Mar; 10(3): 153-61. PMID 24829542.

Torres HA, Kaseb A, Mahale P, Miller E, Frenette CT. Telaprevir-containing regimen for treatment of hepatitis C virus infection in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma awaiting liver transplantation: a case series. J Hepatocell Carcinoma 2014; 1: 109-14.

Naugler WE, Alsina AE, Frenette CT, Rossaro L, Sellers MT. Building the multidisciplinary team for management of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma. Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol 2014; doi:10.1016/j.cgh.2014.03.038. PMID 24909910

Brose MS, Frenette CT, Keefe SM, Stein SM. Management of sorafenib-related adverse events: a clinician’s perspective. Semin Oncol 2014; 41(S2): S1-S16. PMID 24576654

Dr. James Harding is a board-certified medical oncologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York, USA. He specializes in caring for people with liver cancer, gallbladder cancer, and bile duct cancer. His primary goal is to provide the best possible treatment and individualized care for people with these diseases.  In his research, he is trying to find new, effective therapies for gastrointestinal cancer, particularly primary liver and bile duct tumors. For example, he is working on ways to use a patient’s own immune system to fight cancer (immunotherapy). In addition, Dr. Harding is investigating strategies to block specific cellular pathways that cancer uses to grow. He has helped develop and lead numerous national and international clinical trials of these new cancer therapies for patients with liver, bile duct cancers, and other solid tumors.  Dr. Harding’s research and training has been supported by the American Society of Clinical Oncology, the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, the National Institutes of Health, the American Association for Cancer Research, and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.  His work has been published in the New England Journal of Medicine, Nature, Nature Medicine, the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Cancer Discovery, Clinical Cancer Research, and Cancer.
Relevant publications
Harding  JJ, Nandakumar S, Armenia J, Khalil DN, Albano M, Ly M, Shia J, Hechtman JF, Kundra R, El Dika I, Do RK, Sun Y, Kingham TP, D’Angelica MI, Berger MF, Hyman DM, Jarnagin WR, Klimstra DS, Janjigian YY, Solit DB, Schultz N, Abou-Alfa  GK.  Prospective Genotyping of Hepatocellular Carcinoma: Clinical Implications of Next Generation Sequencing for Matching Patients to Targeted and Immune Therapies. Clinical Cancer Research 2018. OCT 29
 
Harding JJ, Lowery MA, Shih AH, Schvartzman JM, Hou S, Famulare C, Patel M, Roshal M, Do RK, Zehir A, You D, Selcuklu SD, Viale A, Tallman MS, Hyman DM, Reznik E, Finley LWS, Papaemmanuil E, Tosolini A, Frattini MG, MacBeth KJ, Liu G, Fan B, Choe S, Wu B, Janjigian YY, Mellinghoff IK, Diaz LA, Levine RL, Abou-Alfa GK, Stein E, Intlekofer AM.  Isoform switching as a mechanism of acquired resistance to mutant isocitrate dehydrogenase inhibition.  Cancer Discov 2018 Oct 24.
 
Harding JJ, Do RK, Dika IE, Hollywood E, Uhlitskykh K, Valentino E, Wan P, Hamilton C, Feng X, Johnston A, Bomalaski J, Li CF, O’Reilly EM, Abou-Alfa GK.  A phase 1 study of ADI-PEG 20 and modified FOLFOX6 in patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma and other gastrointestinal malignancies.  Cancer Chemother Pharmacol 2018 Sep;82(3):429-440
 
Harding JJ, Abu-Zeinah G, Chou JF, Owen DH, Ly M, Lowery MA, Capanu M, Do R, Kemeny NE, O’Reilly EM, Saltz LB, Abou-Alfa GK.  Frequency, Morbidity, and Mortality of Bone Metastases in Advanced Hepatocellular Carcinoma.  J Natl Compr Canc Netw 2018 Jan;16(1):50-58.
 
Harding JJ, El Dika I, Abou-Alfa GK.  Immunotherapy in hepatocellular carcinoma: Primed to make a difference?  Cancer 2016 Feb 1;122(3):367-77.

Dr. Sadahisa Ogasawara obtained his medical degree in 2004 and his PhD in 2012 from Chiba University (Japan). He is a hepatologist and works at Chiba University Hospital. He is currently an Assistant Professor of the cranial research center at Chiba University Hospital as well as on the staff of the Department of Gastroenterology, Chiba University, Graduate School of Medicine, where his research is focused on loco-regional treatments and systemic therapies of hepatocellular carcinoma.

Relevant Publications

Ogasawara S, Chiba T, Motoyama T, Kanogawa N, Saito T, Shinozaki Y, Suzuki E, Ooka Y, Tawada A, Kato H, Okabe S, Kanai F, Yoshikawa M, Yokosuka O. Prognostic significance of concurrent hypovascular and hypervascular nodules in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma. PLoS One 2016 Sep 20; 11(9): e0163119.

Ogasawara S, Chiba T, Ooka Y, Suzuki E, Inoue M, Wakamatsu T, Tawada A, Yokosuka O. Analysis of sorafenib outcome: focusing on the clinical course in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma. PLoS One 2016 Aug 18; 11(8): e0161303.

Ogasawara S, Chiba T, Ooka Y, Kanogawa N, Motoyama T, Suzuki E, Tawada A, Azemoto R, Shinozaki M, Yoshikawa M, Yokosuka O. A prognostic score for patients with intermediate-stage hepatocellular carcinoma treated with transarterial chemoembolization. PLoS One 2015 Apr 28; 10(4): e0125244.

Ogasawara S, Chiba T, Ooka Y, Kanogawa N, Saito T, Motoyama T, Suzuki E, Tawada A, Kanai F, Yokosuka O. Sorafenib treatment in Child-Pugh A and B patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma: safety, efficacy and prognostic factors. Invest New Drugs 2015 Jun; 33(3): 729-39.

Ogasawara S, Chiba T, Ooka Y, Kanogawa N, Motoyama T, Suzuki E, Tawada A, Kanai F, Yoshikawa M, Yokosuka O. Efficacy of sorafenib in intermediate-stage hepatocellular carcinoma patients refractory to transarterial chemoembolization. Oncology 2014; 87(6): 330-41.

Dr. Singal is an expert in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), particularly in early tumor detection and screening process failures, and serves as Medical Director of the Liver Tumor Program at UT Southwestern Medical Center, USA. He has research training in Patient Centered Outcomes Research, with a Masters in Health and Healthcare Research from the University of Michigan. He currently is leading several federal and state funded projects to evaluate interventions to improve the effectiveness of early tumor detection efforts among patients with cirrhosis in the USA. Dr. Singal has published over 100 scientific papers and has established collaborations with experts throughout the USA over the past several years. He has been active in many academic professional societies including American Association for Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD), International Liver Cancer Association (ILCA), American College of Gastroenterology (ACG), and American Gastroenterological Association (AGA). He was selected as Chair of the ICLA Surveillance and Biomarkers Special Interest Group and is a member of the AGA Liver Disease Measures workgroup. He has editorial experience including an Academic Editor for PLOS Medicine and an Associate Editor for Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology and Seminars in Liver Disease.

Selected Recent Publications:

Singal A, Volk ML, Waljee AK, Salgia R, Higgins P, Rogers M, Marrero JA. Meta-analysis: surveillance with ultrasound for early-stage hepatocellular carcinoma in patients with cirrhosis. Aliment Pharmacol Ther 2009; 30(1): 37-47.
Singal AG, Yopp A, Skinner CS, Packer M, Lee WM, Tiro JA. Utilization of hepatocellular carcinoma surveillance among American patients: a systematic review. J Gen Intern Med 2012; 27(7): 861-867.
Singal AG, Conjeevaram H, Fu S, Volk ML, Fontana RJ, Askari F, Su GL, Lok AS, Marrero JA. Effectiveness of hepatocellular carcinoma surveillance in patients with cirrhosis. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Preven 2012; 21(5): 793-9.
Singal AG, Nehra M, Adams-Huet B, Yopp AC, Tiro JA, Marrero JA, Lok AS, Lee WM. Detection of hepatocellular carcinoma at advanced stages among patients in the HALT-C trial: Where did surveillance fail? Am J Gastroenterol 2013; 108(3): 425-32.

Singal AG, Pillai A, Tiro JA. Early detection, curative treatment, and survival rates for HCC surveillance in patients with cirrhosis: a meta-analysis. PLOS Medicine 2014; 11(4): e1001624.
Singal AG, Li X, Tiro JA, Kandunoori P, Huet B, Nehra M, Yopp AC. Racial, social, and clinical determinants of hepatocellular carcinoma surveillance. Am J Med 2015; 128(1): 90e1 – 90e7.
Dalton-Fitzgerald E, Tiro J, Kandunoori P, Halm E, Yopp A, Singal AG. Practice patterns and attitudes of primary care providers and barriers to surveillance of hepatocellular carcinoma in patients with cirrhosis. Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol 2015;13(4):791-8.
Patel N, Yopp AC, Singal AG. Diagnostic delays are common among patients with hepatocellular carcinoma. J Natl Compr Canc Netw 2015; 13(5): 543-9.
Mokdad A, Zhu H, Marrero JA, Mansour JC, Yopp AC, Singal AG. Hospital volume and survival after hepatocellular carcinoma diagnosis. Am J Gastroenterol 2016; 111(7): 967-75.
Parikh ND, Marshall VD, Singal AG, Nathan H, Lok AS, Balkrishnan R, Shahinian V. Survival and cost-effectiveness of sorafenib therapy in advanced hepatocellular carcinoma: An analysis of the SEER-Medicare Database. Hepatology 2017; 56(1): 122-33.
Simmons O, Fetzer DT, Yokoo T, Marrero JA, Yopp A, Kono Y, Parikh N, Browning T, Singal AG. Predictors of adequate ultrasound quality for HCC surveillance in patients with cirrhosis. Aliment Pharmacol Ther 2017; 45(1): 169-77.
Farvardin S, Patel J, Khambaty M, Yerokun O, Mok H, Tiro JA, Yopp AC, Parikh ND, Marrero JA, Singal AG. Patient-reported barriers are associated with lower HCC surveillance rates in patients with cirrhosis. Hepatology 2017; 65(3): 875-84.
Singal AG, Tiro JA, Marrero JA, McCallister K, Mejias C, Sanders J, Bishop WP, Santini NO, Halm EA. Mailed outreach program increases ultrasound screening of patients with cirrhosis for hepatocellular carcinoma. Gastroenterology 2017; 152(3): 608-15.
Atiq O, Tiro J, Yopp AC, Muffler A, Marrero JA, Parikh ND, Murphy C, McCallister K, Singal AG. An assessment of benefits and harms of hepatocellular carcinoma surveillance in patients with cirrhosis. Hepatology 2017; 65(4): 1196-1205.
Singal AG, Mittal S, Yerokun OA, Ahn C, Marrero J, Yopp A, Parikh ND, Scaglione SJ. Hepatocellular carcinoma screening associated with early tumor detection and improved survival among patients with hepatocellular carcinoma in the United States. Am J Medicine (epub ahead of print)

Dr. Changhoon Yoo is a medical oncologist who specialises in the care of patients with gastrointestinal cancers including hepatocellular carcinoma. He is an Assistant Professor at Asan Medical Center in Seoul, South Korea. Dr. Yoo obtained his medical degree at the University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea and completed post graduate training at Asan Medical Center. He has participated in multiple clinical trials and translational research for the development of novel agents for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma. His research initiatives include the integration of novel targeted and immune-based therapy into the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma.

Relevant publications

Kim HD, Song GW, Park S, Jung MK, Kim MH, Kang HJ, Yoo C, Yi K, Kim KH, Eo S, Moon DB, Hong SM, Ju YS, Shin EC, Hwang S, Park SH. Association Between Expression Level of PD1 by Tumor-Infiltrating CD8+ T Cells and Features of Hepatocellular Carcinoma. Gastroenterology 2018 Aug 23; pii: S0016-5085(18)34897-2. doi: 10.1053/j.gastro.2018.08.030. [Epub ahead of print] PMID: 30145359

Yoo C, Kang J, Lim HY, Kim JH, Lee MA, Lee KH, Kim TY, Ryoo BY. Phase I Dose-Finding Study of OPB-111077, a Novel STAT3 Inhibitor, in Patients with Advanced Hepatocellular Carcinoma. Cancer Res Treat 2018 Jun 13. doi: 10.4143/crt.2018.226. [Epub ahead of print] PMID: 29898591

Chae H, Cho H, Yoo C, Kim KP, Jeong JH, Chang HM, Kang J, Lee HC, Lim YS, Kim KM, Shim JH, Lee SS, Park DH, Song TJ, Hwang S, Song GW, Moon DB, Lee YJ, Lee JH, Ryoo BY.
Prognostic implications of hepatitis B virus infection in intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma treated with first-line gemcitabine plus cisplatin. Int J Biol Markers 2018 Jun 1:1724600818777239. doi: 10.1177/1724600818777239. [Epub ahead of print] PMID: 29874985

Cho H, Yoo C, Kim KP, Jeong JH, Kang J, Chang HM, Lee SS, Park DH, Song TJ, Lee SK, Kim MH, Lee HC, Lim YS, Kim KM, Shim JH, Hwang S, Song GW, Moon DB, Lee JH, Lee YJ, Ryoo BY. Prognostic Implication of Inflammation-based Prognostic Scores in Patients with Intrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma Treated with First-line Gemcitabine plus Cisplatin.
Invest New Drugs 2018 Jun;36(3):496-502. doi: 10.1007/s10637-017-0548-7. Epub 2017 Dec 1. PMID: 29192354

Yoo C, Kang J, Kim D, Kim KP, Ryoo BY, Hong SM, Hwang JJ, Jeong SY, Hwang S, Kim KH, Lee YJ, Hoeflich KP, Schmidt-Kittler O, Miller S, Choi EK. Multiplexed gene expression profiling identifies the FGFR4 pathway as a novel biomarker in intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma.
Oncotarget 2017 Jun 13;8(24):38592-38601. doi: 10.18632/oncotarget.16951.

Aline Chagas underwent medical training at Federal University of Bahia in Brazil and completed Medical Residences in Internal Medicine, Gastroenterology and Hepatology at the Hospital Santo Antônio in Bahia and the Faculty of Medicine at the Univeristy of São Paulo.
She is currently Head of Hepatology Team at the Faculty of Medicine at the Univeristy of São Paulo and also Assistant Physician and the São Paulo Cancer Institute. Her clinical research experience is in phase III trials for hepatocellular carcinoma.

Dr. Shubham Pant is a Hematologist-Oncologist and an Associate Professor of Medicine at University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. He previously served as the Director of Clinical Trials for the Section of Hematology-Oncology and Associate Director of the Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust (TSET) Phase 1 program, for the Stephenson Cancer Center in Oklahoma City. Furthermore Dr. Pant was the Oncology Lead of the Clinical Research Disease Site Group for Gastrointestinal Cancers and Clinical Research Disease Site Group Chair for Hepatocellular Cancers at the same institute. Dr. Pant completed his fellowship from the Ohio State University, where he was elected Chief Fellow. He previously served as an elected member at large to the Board of Directors for Cancer and Leukemia Group B (CALGB), was the Site Principal Investigator for CALGB and was a Member of the Board of Trustees for ACTION. Dr. Pant served on the Board of Oklahoma Society of Clinical Oncology. He is a participant in the ASCO Leadership Development Program, Class of 2015-16. His awards include the Golden Pillar Award for Outstanding Patient Service in 2012 and 2014, America’s Top Doctors by Castle Connolly and Oklahoma 40 Under 40 in the Oklahoma Magazine. In 2015, he anchored a health show on CNN-IBN India titled: ‘Let’s Talk Health’.

BMedSci, BMBS(Nottm), MRCP(UK), FAMS
Dr. Choo Su Pin is a medical oncologist at Curie Oncology who specializes in gastrointestinal cancers. She graduated from the University of Nottingham Medical School, UK before returning to Singapore. She has fellowships from the Royal College of Physicians, UK and the Academy Of Medicine, Singapore and was trained in medical oncology at the National Cancer Centre Singapore (NCCS) where she was Chief of Gastrointestinal Oncology. She also did a research fellowship at the University of California San Francisco. Her research areas of interest include pancreatico-hepatobiliary cancers and early phase trials.

Relevant publications:
Wong DJ, Lee J, Choo SP et al. Hyperprogressive disease in hepatocellular carcinoma with immune checkpoint inhibitor use: a case series. Immunotherapy 2019 Feb;11(3):167-175
Koh YX, Tan HL, Lye WK, Kam JH, Chiow AKH, Tan SS, Choo SP, Chung AYF, Goh BKP. Systematic review of the outcomes of surgical resection for intermediate and advanced Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer stage hepatocellular carcinoma: A critical appraisal of the evidence. World J Hepatol 2018 Jun 27;10(6):433-447
Lim HY, Merle P, Weiss KH, Yau T, Ross P, Mazzaferro V, Blanc JF, Ma YT, Yen CJ, Kocsis J, Choo SP et al. Phase II studies with refametinib or refametinib plus sorafenib in patient with RAS-mutated Hepatocellular Carcinoma. Clin Cancer Res 2018 Oct 1;24(19):4650-4661
Chow PKH, Gandhi M, Tan SB, Khin MW, Khasbazar A, Ong J, Choo SP et al; Asia-Pacific Hepatocellular Carcinoma Trials Group. SIRveNIB: Selective Internal Radiation Therapy Versus Sorafenib in Asia-Pacific Patients With Hepatocellular Carcinoma. J Clin Oncol 2018 Jul 1;36(19):1913-1921.
Teo JY, Allen JC, Ng DCE, Abdul Latiff JB, Choo SP et al. Prospective study to determine early hypertrophy of the contra-lateral liver lobe after unilobar, Yttrium-90, selective internal radiation therapy in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma. Surgery 2018 May;163(5):1008-1013
Javle M, Lowery M, Shroff RT, Weiss KH, Springfeld C, Borad MJ, Ramanathan RK, Goyal L, Sadeghi S, Macarulla T, El-Khoueiry A, Kelley RK, Borbath I, Choo SP et al. Phase II Study of BGJ398 in Patients With FGFR-Altered Advanced Cholangiocarcinoma. J Clin Oncol 2018 Jan 20;36(3):276-282
Jusakul A, Cutcutache I, Yong CH, Lim JQ, Huang MN, Padmanabhan N, Nellore V, Kongpetch S, Ng AWT, Ng LM, Choo SP et al. Whole-Genome and Epigenomic Landscapes of Etiologically Distinct Subtypes of Cholangiocarcinoma. Cancer Discov 2017 Oct;7(10):1116-1135

El-Khoueiry AB, Sangro B, Yau T, Crocenzi TS, Kudo M, Hsu C, Kim TY, Choo SP et al. Nivolumab in patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (CheckMate 040): an open-label, non-comparative, phase 1/2 dose escalation and expansion trial. Lancet 2017 Jun 24;389(10088):2492-2502
Zhai W, Lim TK, Zhang T, Phang ST, Tiang Z, Guan P, Ng MH, Lim JQ, Yao F, Li Z, Ng PY, Yan J, Goh BK, Chung AY, Choo SP et al. The spatial organization of intra-tumour heterogeneity and evolutionary trajectories of metastases in hepatocellular carcinoma. Nat Commun 2017 Feb 27;8:4565
Chay WY, Tham CK, Toh HC, Lim HY, Tan CK, Lim C, Wang WW, Choo SP. Coriolus versicolor (Yunzhi) Use as Therapy in Advanced Hepatocellular Carcinoma Patients with Poor Liver Function or Who Are Unfit for Standard Therapy. J Altern Complement Med 2017 Aug;23(8):648-652.
Tai WM, Yong WP, Lim C, Low LS, Tham CK, Koh TS, Ng QS, Wang WW, Wang LZ, Hartono S, Thng CH, Huynh H, Lim KT, Toh HC, Goh BC, Choo SP. A phase Ib study of selumetinib (AZD6244, ARRY-142886) in combination with sorafenib in advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Ann Oncol 2016 Dec;27(12):2210-2215
Choo SP, Tan WL, Goh BK, Tai WM, Zhu AX. Comparison of hepatocellular carcinoma in Eastern versus Western populations. Cancer 2016 Nov 15;122(22):3430-3446.
Chan-On W, Nairismägi ML, Ong CK, Lim WK, Dima S, Pairojkul C, Lim KH, McPherson JR, Cutcutache I, Heng HL, Ooi L, Chung A, Chow P, Cheow PC, Lee SY, Choo SP et al. Exome sequencing identifies distinct mutational patterns in liver fluke-related and non-infection-related bile duct cancers. Nat Genet 2013 Dec;45(12):1474-8

Aiwu Ruth He MD underwent medical training at Hunan Medical University in China. She then completed post graduate training at East Carolina University, USA. Dr. He completed a Fellowship at Georgetown University School of Medicine in 2006 and is currently Assistant Professor in the Division of Hematology / Oncology. Dr. He has received awards from the National Institute of Health, the American Association for Cancer Research and Digestive Disease Week. She has been an invited reviewer on a number of international journals and holds membership of several professional societies. Dr. He has been an investigator in various different research trials in the field of hepatocellular carcinoma.
Relevant publications

Kim K, Jha R, Prins PA, Wang H, Chacha M, Hartley ML, He AR. Regorafenib in advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC): considerations for treatment. Cancer Chemother Pharmacol 2017 Nov;80(5):945-954. doi: 10.1007/s00280-017-3431-5. Epub 2017 Sep 20.
Fu Y, Silverstein S, McCutcheon JN, Dyba M, Nath RG, Aggarwal M, Coia H, Bai A, Pan J, Jiang J, Kallakury B, Wang H, Zhang YW, Giaccone G, He AR, Chung FL. An endogenous DNA adduct as a prognostic biomarker for hepatocarcinogenesis and its prevention by Theaphenon E in mice. Hepatology 2018 Jan;67(1):159-170. doi: 10.1002/hep.29380. Epub 2017 Nov 13.
Shetty K, He AR. A STORM in a teacup?-the challenges of adjuvant therapy in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Transl Gastroenterol Hepatol 2016 Mar 16;1:2. doi: 10.21037/tgh.2016.03.10. eCollection 2016.
Sarantopoulos J, Mita AC, He A, Wade JL, Hsueh CT, Morris JC, Lockhart AC, Quinn DI, Hwang J, Mier J, Zhang W, Wack C, Yin J, Clot PF, Rixe O. Safety and pharmacokinetics of cabazitaxel in patients with hepatic impairment: a phase I dose-escalation study. Cancer Chemother Pharmacol 2017 Feb;79(2):339-351. doi: 10.1007/s00280-016-3210-8.
Gabrielson A, Tesfaye A, Choradia N, Marshall J, Pishvaian M, Smaglo B, Dorsch-Vogel K, Wang H, He AR. Phase II study of temozolomide and veliparib combination therapy for sorafenib-refractory advanced hepatocellular carcinoma. Cancer Chemotherapy and Pharmacology 2015 Nov;76(5):1073-9. doi: 10.1007/s00280-015-2852-2. Epub 2015 Oct 8.
Gabrielson A, Wu Y, Wang H, Jiang J, Kallakury B, Gatalica Z, Reddy S, Kleiner D, Fishbein T, Johnson L, Island E, Satoskar R, Banovac F, Jha R, Kachhela J, Feng P, Zhang T, Tesfaye A, Prins P, Loffredo C, Marshall J, Weiner L, Atkins M, He AR. Intratumoral CD3 and CD8 T-cell Densities Associated with Relapse-Free Survival in HCC. Cancer Immunol Res 2016 May;4(5):419-30. doi: 10.1158/2326-6066.CIR-15-0110. Epub 2016 Mar 11.
Tian X, Shivapurkar N, Wu Z, Hwang J, Pishvaian MJ, Weiner LM, Ley L, Zhou D, Zhi X, Wellstein A, Marshall JL, He AR. Circulating microRNA profile predicts disease progression in patients receiving second-line treatment of lapatinib and capecitabine for metastatic pancreatic cancer. Oncol Lett 2016 Mar;11(3):1645-1650. Epub 2016 Jan 13.
Gabrielson A, Miller A, Banovac F, Kim A, He AR, Unger K. Outcomes and Predictors of Toxicity after Selective Internal Radiation Therapy Using Yttrium-90 Resin Microspheres for Unresectable Hepatocellular Carcinoma. Front Oncol 2015 Dec 23;5:292. doi: 10.3389/fonc.2015.00292.
Gabrielson A, Tesfaye AA, Marshall JL, Pishvaian MJ, Smaglo B, Jha R, Dorsch-Vogel K, Wang H, He AR. Phase II study of temozolomide and veliparib combination therapy for sorafenib-refractory advanced hepatocellular carcinoma. Cancer Chemother Pharmacol 2015 Nov;76(5):1073-9. doi: 10.1007/s00280-015-2852-2. Epub 2015 Oct 8.
Wu Z, Gabrielson A, Hwang JJ, Pishvaian MJ, Weiner LM, Zhuang T, Ley L, Marshall JL, He AR. Phase II study of lapatinib and capecitabine in second-line treatment for metastatic pancreatic cancer. Cancer Chemother Pharmacol 2015 Dec;76(6):1309-14. doi: 10.1007/s00280-015-2855-z. Epub 2015 Oct 27.
Deeken JF, Wang H, Subramaniam D, He AR, Hwang J, Marshall JL, Urso CE, Wang Y, Ramos C, Steadman K, Pishvaian MJ. A phase 1 study of cetuximab and lapatinib in patients with advanced solid tumor malignancies. Cancer 2015 May 15;121(10):1645-53. doi: 10.1002/cncr.29224. Epub 2015 Jan 29.
Subramaniam D, He AR, Hwang J, Deeken J, Pishvaian M, Hartley ML, Marshall JL. Irreversible Multitargeted ErbB Family Inhibitors for Therapy of Lung and Breast Cancer. Curr Cancer Drug Targets 2015;14(9):775-93.
Cheng AL, Kang YK, He AR, Lim HY, Ryoo BY, Hung CH, Sheen IS, Izumi N, Austin T, Wang Q, Greenberg J, Shiratori S, Beckman RA, Kudo M; Investigators’ Study Group..Safety and efficacy of tigatuzumab plus sorafenib as first-line therapy in subjects with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma: A phase 2 randomized study. J Hepatol 2015 Oct;63(4):896-904. doi: 10.1016/j.jhep.2015.06.001.
Zhi X, Lin L, Yang S, Bhuvaneshwar K, Wang H, Gusev Y, Lee M, Kallakury B, Shivapurkar N, Cahn K, Tian X, Marshall J, Byers S, He AR. βII-spectrin (SPTBN1) suppresses progression of hepatocellular carcinoma and Wnt signaling via regulation of Wnt inhibitor Kallistatin. Hepatology 2014 Oct 12. doi: 10.1002/hep.27558.
Lin L, Yao Z, Bhuvaneshwar K, Gusev Y, Kallakury K, Yang X, Shetty K, and He AR. Transcriptional Regulation of STAT3 by SPTBN1 and SMAD3 in Hepatocellular Carcinoma Through cAMP-Response Element–Binding Proteins ATF3 and CREB2. Carcinogenesis 2014 Aug 5. pii: bgu163.
Rimassa L, Porta C, Borbath I, Daniele B, Finn R, Raoul J, Schwartz L, He AR, Trojan J, Peck-Radosavljevic M, Abbadessa G, Goldberg T, Santoro A, Bruix J. Tivantinib in MET-high hepatocellular carcinoma patients and the ongoing Phase III clinical trial. Hepatic Oncol 2014, doi:10.2217/HEP.14.3
Rana N., Ju A.W, Bazylewicz M, Kallakury B, He AR, Unger K, Lee J. Yttrium-90 radioembolization in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma who have previously received sorafenib. Front Oncol 2013 Dec 12; 3(323): 1-10.
Weinberg B, Wang H, Yang X, Wu C, Pishvaian M, He AR, Marshall J, Hwang J. Maintenance therapy with capecitabine in patients with resected pancreatic adenocarcinoma after adjuvant therapy, a retrospective cohort study. Gastrointest Cancer Res 2014 May;7(3-4):91-7.
Forero-Torres A, Infante J, Waterhouse D, Wong L, Arrowsmith V, He AR, Hart L,Trent D, Wade J, Jin X, Wang Q, Austin T, Rosen M, Beckman R, von Roemeling R, Greenberg J, Saleh M. Phase 2, multicenter, open-label study of tigatuzumab (CS-1008), a humanized monoclonal antibody targeting death receptor 5, in combination with gemcitabine in chemotherapy-naive patients with unresectable or metastatic pancreatic cancer. Cancer Med 2013 Dec;2(6):925-32. doi: 10.1002/cam4.137. Epub 2013 Oct 25.
Shivapurkar N, Mikhail S, Navarro R, Bai W, Marshall J, Hwang J, Pishvaian M, Wellstein A, He AR. Decrease in blood miR-296 predicts chemotherapy resistance and poor clinical outcome in patients receiving systemic chemotherapy for metastatic colon cancer. Int J Colorectal Dis 2013 Jun;28(6):887. doi: 10.1007/s00384-012-1560-1. Epub 2012 Aug 15.
Zhang JX, Li DQ, He AR, Motwani M, Vasiliou V, Eswaran J, Mishra L, Kumar R . Synergistic inhibition of hepatocellular carcinoma growth by cotargeting chromatin modifying enzymes and poly (ADP-ribose) polymerases. Hepatology 2012 Jun;55(6):1840-51.
Pishvaian MJ, Marshall JL, Wagner AJ, Hwang JJ, Malik S, Cotarla I, Deeken JF, He AR, Daniel H, Halim AB, Zahir H, Copigneaux C, Liu K, Beckman RA, Demetri GD. A phase 1 study of efatutazone, an oral peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma agonist, administered to patients with advanced malignancies. Cancer 2012 Nov 1;118(21):5403-13. doi: 10.1002/cncr.27526. Epub 2012 May 8.
Pishvaian MJ, Slack R, Koh EY, Beumer JH, Hartley ML, Cotarla I, Deeken J, He AR, Hwang J, Malik S, Firozvi K, Liu M, Elston B, Strychor S, Egorin MJ, Marshall JL. A Phase I clinical trial of the combination of imatinib and paclitaxel in patients with advanced or metastatic solid tumors refractory to standard therapy. Cancer Chemother Pharmacol 2012 Dec;70(6):843-53. doi: 10.1007/s00280-012-1969-9. Epub 2012 Sep 27.
Kunz PL, He AR, Colevas AD, Pishvaian MJ, Hwang JJ, Clemens PL, Messina M, Kaleta R, Abrahao F, Sikic BI, Marshall JL.2012. Phase I trial of ixabepilone administered as three oral doses each separated by 6 hours every 3 weeks in patients with advanced solid tumors. Invest New Drugs 2012 Dec; 30(6): 2364-2370.

Dr Masafumi Ikeda underwent medical training at Kumamoto University in Japan. He then completed specialist post graduate training at the Kumamoto University School of Medicine, Minamata City General Hospital and the National Cancer Center Hospital. Since 2011 he has been Chief of the Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Oncology at the National Cancer Center Hospital East. Dr Ikeda is a board certified physician of the Japanese Society of Internal Medicine and a board certified Gastroenterologist of the Japanese Society of Gastroenterology. His main areas of clinical focus are medical oncology and hepatology.
Relevant publications

Ikeda M, Shimizu S, Sato T, Morimoto M, Kojima Y, Inaba Y, Hagihara A, Kudo M, Nakamori S, Kaneko S, Sugimoto R, Tahara T, Ohmura T, Yasui K, Sato K, Ishii H, Furuse J, Okusaka T. Sorafenib plus hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy with cisplatin versus sorafenib for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma: randomized phase II trial. Ann Oncol 2016;27:2090-2096.
Ikeda K, Kudo M, Kawazoe S, Osaki Y, Ikeda M, Okusaka T, Tamai T, Suzuki T, Hisai T, Hayato S, Okita K, Kumada H. Phase 2 study of lenvatinib in patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma. J Gastroenterol 2016 Oct 4. [Epub ahead of print]
Ikeda M, Sato A, Mochizuki N, Toyosaki K, Miyoshi C, Fujioka R, Mitsunaga S, Ohno I, Hashimoto Y, Takahashi H, Hasegawa H, Nomura S, Takahashi R, Yomoda S, Tsuchihara K, Kishino S, Esumi H. Phase I trial of GBS-01 for advanced pancreatic cancer refractory to gemcitabine. Cancer Sci 2016;107:1818-1824.
Okusaka T, Otsuka T, Ueno H, Mitsunaga S, Sugimoto R, Muro K, Saito I, Tadayasu Y, Inoue K, Loembé AB, Ikeda M. Phase I study of nintedanib in Japanese patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma and liver impairment. Cancer Sci 2016;107:1791-1799.
Kudo M, Hatano E, Ohkawa S, Fujii H, Masumoto A, Furuse J, Wada Y, Ishii H, Obi S, Kaneko S, Kawazoe S, Yokosuka O, Ikeda M, Ukai K, Morita S, Tsuji A, Kudo T, Shimada M, Osaki Y, Tateishi R, Sugiyama G, Abada PB, Yang L, Okusaka T, Zhu AX. Ramucirumab as second-line treatment in patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma: Japanese subgroup analysis of the REACH trial. J Gastroenterol 2016 Aug 22. [Epub ahead of print]
Sawada Y, Yoshikawa T, Ofuji K, Yoshimura M, Tsuchiya N, Takahashi M, Nobuoka D, Gotohda N, Takahashi S, Kato Y, Konishi M, Kinoshita T, Ikeda M, Nakachi K, Yamazaki N, Mizuno S, Takayama T, Yamao K, Uesaka K, Furuse J, Endo I, Nakatsura T. Phase II study of the GPC3-derived peptide vaccine as an adjuvant therapy for hepatocellular carcinoma patients. Oncoimmunology 2016;5:e1129483.
Ikeda M, Yamamoto H, Kaneko M, Oshima H, Takahashi H, Umemoto K, Watanabe K, Hashimoto Y, Ohno I, Mitsunaga S, Okusaka T. Screening rate for hepatitis B virus infection in patients undergoing chemotherapy in Japan. Int J Clin Oncol 2016;21:1162-1166.

Kudo M, Ikeda M, Takayama T, Numata K, Izumi N, Furuse J, Okusaka T, Kadoya M, Yamashita S, Ito Y, Kokudo N. Safety and efficacy of sorafenib in Japanese patients with hepatocellular carcinoma in clinical practice: a subgroup analysis of GIDEON. J Gastroenterol 2016;51:1150-1160.

Cheng AL, Thongprasert S, Lim HY, Sukeepaisarnjaroen W, Yang TS, Wu CC, Chao Y, Chan SL, Kudo M, Ikeda M, Kang YK, Pan H, Numata K, Han G, Balsara B, Zhang Y, Rodriguez AM, Zhang Y, Wang Y, Poon RT. Randomized, Open-Label Phase 2 Study Comparing Frontline Dovitinib vs Sorafenib in Patients With Advanced Hepatocellular Carcinoma. Hepatology 2016 2016;5:1454-63.

Doi T, Lee KH, Kim TM, Ohtsu A, Kim TY, Ikeda M, Yoh K, Gallo Stampino C, Hirohashi T, Suzuki A, Fujii Y, Andrew Williams J, Bang YJ. A phase I study of the human anti-activin receptor-like kinase 1 antibody PF-03446962 in Asian patients with advanced solid tumors. Cancer Med 2016 Apr 14. doi: 10.1002/cam4.724. [Epub ahead of print]

Ikeda M, Okusaka T, Mitsunaga S, Uneo H, Tamai T, Suzuki T, Hayato S, Kadowaki T, Okita K, Kumada H. Safety and pharmacokinetics of lenvatinib in patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma. Clin Cancer Res 2016;22:1385-94.

Murakami H, Ikeda M, Okusaka T, Inaba Y, Iguchi H, Yagawa K, Yamamoto N. A Phase I study of MEDI-575, a PDGFRα monoclonal antibody, in Japanese patients with advanced solid tumors. Cancer Chemother Pharmacol 2015;76:631-9.

Okusaka T, Aramaki T, Inaba Y, Nakamura S, Morimoto M, Moriguchi M, Sato T, Ikawa Y, Ikeda M, Furuse J. Phase I study of tivantinib in Japanese patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma; distinctive PK profiles from other solid tumors. Cancer Sci 2015 May;106(5):611-7.

Okusaka T, Ueno H, Ikeda M, Mitsunaga S, Ozaka M, Ishii H, Yokosuka O, Ooka Y, Yoshimoto R, Yanagihara Y, Okita K. Phase 1 and pharmacological trial of OPB-31121, a signal transducer and activator of transcription-3 inhibitor, in patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma. Hepatol Res 2015 Dec;45(13):1283-91.

Takahashi H, Ikeda M, Kumada T, Osaki Y, Kondo S, Kusumoto S, Ohkawa K, Nadano S, Furuse J, Kudo M, Ito K, Yokoyama M, Okusaka T, Shimoyama M, Mizokami M. Multicenter cooperative case survey of hepatitis B virus reactivation by chemotherapeutic agents. Hepatol Res 2015 Dec;45(12):1220-7.

Okuyama H, Ikeda M, Kuwahara A, Takahashi H, Ohno I, Shimizu S, Mitsunaga S, Senda S, Okusaka T. Prognostic Factors in Patients with Hepatocellular Carcinoma Refractory or Intolerant to Sorafenib. Oncology 2015;88(4):241-6.

Okita K, Izumi N, Ikeda K, Osaki Y, Numata K, Ikeda M, Kokudo N, Imanaka K, Nishiguchi S, Kondo S, Nishigaki Y, Shiomi S, Ueshima K, Isoda N, Karino Y, Kudo M, Tanaka K, Kaneko S, Moriwaki H, Makuuchi M, Okusaka T, Hayashi N, Ohashi Y, Kumada H; The Peretinoin Study Group. Survey of survival among patients with hepatitis C virus-related hepatocellular carcinoma treated with peretinoin, an acyclic retinoid, after the completion of a randomized, placebo-controlled trial. J Gastroenterol 2015 Jun;50(6):667-74.

Dr. Ari Isaacson completed his medical training at the University of Southern California, Keck School of Medicine in Los Angeles. Following this he completed a Transitional Internship at the Naval Medical Center in San Diego, and a Diagnostic Radiology Residency and Interventional Radiology Subspecialty Fellowship at the University of North Carolina. Dr. Isaacson was Lieutenant Commander in the United States Navy from 2001 to 2012. He has been Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine since 2013. His current research interests involve embolization and he has been principle investigator on several clinical trials in this area. Dr. Isaacson is a member of the Southeastern Angiographic Society, the Society of Interventional Radiology and the American College of Radiology.
Relevant publications
Yu H, Isaacson AJ, Burke CT. Reply to: ‘Embolization of Type II Endoleaks’. J Vasc Interv Radiol 2017; 28 (5): 773-774.
Burke CT, Isaacson AJ, Miller MJ. How to Succeed in Academic Radiology: A Primer for Young Faculty Members. J Am Coll Radiol 2017 Jun; 14(6): 808-810.
Commander CW, Altenburg MK, Burke LM, Isaacson AJ. Do Radiopaque Polyvinyl Alcohol Beads Cause Artifact on Postcontrast MR Imaging? J Vasc Interv Radiol 2017; 28 (4): 625-627.
Schwartz CJ, Isaacson AJ, Fordham LA, Ivanovic M, Taylor JB, Dixon RG. Radiation Dose Associated with CT-guided Drain Placement for Pediatric Patients. Pediatr Radiol 2017 May; 47(6): 718-723.
Burke LM, Conyers JM, Burke CT, Dixon R, Yu H, Kim J, Vallabhaneni R, Farber MA, Isaacson AJ. Incidence and Clinical Significance of Renal Infarct after Fenestrated Endovascular Aortic Repair; AJR Am J Roentgenol 2017; 208 (4): 885-890.
Kim JI, Brader R, Viprakasit DP, Isaacson AJ. Prostatic Artery Embolization for the Treatment of Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia in the Setting of Bladder Calculi. J Vasc Interv Radiol 2017; 28 (2): 306-308.
Yu H, Desai H, Isaacson AJ, Dixon RG, Farber MA, Burke CT. Comparison of Type II Endoleak Embolizations: Embolization of Endoleak Nidus Only versus Embolization of Endoleak Nidus and Branch Vessels. J Vasc Interv Radiol 2017; 28 (2): 176-184.
Cizman Z, Isaacson AJ, Burke CT. Short to Mid-term Safety and Efficacy of Prostatic Artery Embolization: a Systematic Review. J Vasc Interv Radiol 2016; 27 (10): 1487-1493.
Isaacson AJ, Burke LM, Farber MA, Vallabhaneni R. Ultra-Low Iodine Dose Transarterial Catheter Directed CT Angiography for Fenestrated Endovascular Aortic Repair. Ann Vasc Surg 2016; 35 (8): 234-237.
Isaacson AJ, Raynor MC, Yu H, Burke CT. Prostatic Artery Embolization Using Embosphere Microspheres for Prostates Measuring 80-150 cm3: Early Results from a US Trial. J Vasc Interv Radiol 2016; 27 (5): 1487-1493.
Hu Q, Sun W, Lu Y, Bomba HN, Ye Y, Jiang T, Isaacson AJ, Gu Z. Tumor Microenvironement-Mediated Construction and Deconstruction of Extracellular Drug-Delivery Depots. Nano Lett 2016; 16 (2), 1118-1126.
Isaacson AJ, Fischman AM, Burke CT. Technical Feasibility of Prostatic Artery Embolization from a Transradial Approach. Am J Roentgenol 2016; 206 (2), 442-444.
Byrne J, Stephens R, Isaacson A, Yu H, Burke C. Image-Guided Percutaneous Drainage for Treatment of Post-Surgical Anastomotic Leak in Patients with Crohn’s Disease. J Crohns Colitis 2016; 10 (1), 38-42.
Isaacson AJ, Bhalakia N, Burke CT. Coil Embolization to Redirect Embolic Flow During Prostatic Artery Embolization. J Vasc Interv Radiol 2015; 26 (5), 768-770
Wallace JA, Afonso E, Yu H, Birchard K, Isaacson A. Factors That Predict Increased Catheter Tip Movement in Left Internal Jugular Vein Implanted Venous Access Ports Upon Standing. J Vasc Access 2015; 16 (3), 223-226
Commander CW, Pabon-Ramos WN, Isaacson AJ, Yu H, Burke CT, Dixon RG. Assessing Medical Students’ Knowledge of IR at Two Medical Schools. J Vasc Interv Radiol 2014; 25 (11), 1801-1806.
Isaacson A, Ridge N, Yu H, Jackson M. ‘Lean’ System Improvement to Increase First-Case Efficiency and Decrease Overtime Expenditures in Interventional Radiology. J Am Coll Radiol 2014; 11 (10), 998-1001.
Khiatani V, Isaacson A, Yu H, Stavas J. Interventional Radiologic Placement of Denver Pleuroperitoneal Shunt for Refractory Chylothorax. J Vasc Interv Radiol 2013; 24 (7), 1073-1074.
Isaacson AJ, Stavas JM. Image Guided Drainage and Sclerodesis of a Morel-Lavallee Lesion. J Vasc Interv Radiol 2013; 24 (4), 605-606.
Baczuk R, Biascan A, Grossgold E, Isaacson A, Spencer J, Wisotzky E. Sex Ratio Shift in Offspring of Male Fixed-Wing Naval Aviation Officers. Mil Med 2009; 174 (5), 523-528.

Dr. Alexander Kim is the chief of vascular and interventional radiology at Medstar Georgetown University Hospital. After graduating medical school at Drexel University College of Medicine he completed his residency and fellowship at Georgetown University Hospital. Dr. Kim specializes in the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma and is the national PI for the QED trial, a multi-center randomized, controlled trial on TACE for HCC. He also leads several other clinical trials on liver-directed therapies for primary and secondary liver cancers.
Relevant publications
Janowski E, Timofeeva O, Chasovskikh S, Goldberg M, Kim A, Banovac F, Pang D, Dritschilo A, Unger K. Yttrium-90 radioembolization for colorectal cancer liver metastases in KRAS and wild-type and mutant patients: Clinical and ccfDNA studies. Oncol Rep Dec 2016; 37(1): 57-65 Doi: 10.3892/or.2016.5284 PMID: 28004119
Kim AY, Unger K, Wang HK, Pishvain MJ. Incorporating Yttrium-90 trans-arterial radioembolization (TARE) in the treatment of metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma: a single center experience. BMC Cancer 2016; 16 (1) :492. Doi: 10.1186/s12885-016-2552-2. PubMed PMID: 27430276
Kim AY, Miller A. Evaluation of Surefire’s precision direct-to-tumor embolization device to augment therapeutic response to intra-arterial liver-directed therapies for patients with primary and secondary liver cancers. Expert Rev Med Devices 2016 Mar 25:1-9. PubMed PMID: 26959530
Gabrielson A, Miller A, Banovac F, Kim A, He AR, Unger K. Outcomes and predictors of toxicity after selective internal radiation therapy using Yttrium-90 resin microspheres for unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma. Front Oncol 2015 Dec 23; 5:292. Doi: 10.2289/fonc.2015.00292. PubMed PMID: 26779437; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC4688348
Ertreo M, Caridi T, Buckley D, Lynskey G, Kim A. Long-term outcomes of Surefire Infusion System for DEB-TACE for HCC. JVIR 2017 Feb 28(2); S156-S157
Katrivesis J, Yoon J, Lynskey G, Buckley D, Caridi T, Kim A. Effect of tumor burden on contralateral lobar hypertrophy after portal vein embolization. JVIR 2017 Feb; 28(2): S18

Dr Neil Mehta underwent medical training at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). He was an Intern then a Resident at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania before becoming a Fellow in Gastroenterology and Transplant Hepatology at UCSF. He is Associate Professor in Medicine at UCSF and has held this position since 2013. He is specifically interested in issues related to the diagnosis and management of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) particularly with regards to outcomes in liver transplantation.

Dr. Matthias Pinter works at the Medical University of Vienna in Austria where he also received both his MD and PhD. He is board-certified for Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology and Hepatology. Since 2017, he has led the hepatocellular carcinoma programme and research group at the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at the Medical University of Vienna.

His main research interests include the systemic treatment of liver cancer, particularly the identification of prognostic markers and scores that may help to identify patients most likely to benefit from specific therapies. To broaden his knowledge and expertise in basic research and experimental oncology, he worked as a research fellow and postdoc at renowned institutions, including the University of Bern in Switzerland and the Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School in the United States. He has published numerous original papers and review articles on liver cancer in prestigious peer-reviewed journals covering the categories oncology, gastroenterology and hepatology, and radiology.

Jordi Rimola, MD PhD, is a consultant in the Radiology department at the Hospital Clinic of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain. He is also a member of the Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) Group. His main specialisation is in abdominal radiology, with a focus on liver cancer . In this setting, Dr. Rimola has a specific interest in the early diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) using non-invasive imaging techniques, characterisation of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma and its differentiation from HCC in patients with cirrhosis. In close collaboration with other members of the BCLC Group, Dr. Rimola has also actively participated in the optimisation of functional imaging techniques, specifically perfusion computed tomography and liver-specific contrast agents, and the investigation of the potential role of this technique in the evaluation of the therapeutic response in patients with advanced HCC and for early detection of HCC recurrence. Results of his research have recently been published in peer-reviewed indexed journals. Dr. Rimola is a member of the Spanish Society of Medical Radiology (SERAM), the European Society of Radiology (ESR) and the European Society of Abdominal and Gastroeintestinal Radiology (ESGAR). He is a reviewer for European Radiology, Journal of Hepatology and Gut, among others.

Relevant publications
Forner A, Ayuso C, Varela M, Rimola J, Hessheimer AJ, de Lope CR, Reig M, Bianchi L, Llovet JM, Bruix J. Evaluation of tumor response after locoregional therapies in hepatocellular carcinoma: are response evaluation criteria in solid tumors reliable?
Cancer 2009 Feb 1; 115(3): 616-23.

Rimola J, Forner A, Reig M, Vilana R, de Lope CR, Ayuso C, Bruix J.
Cholangiocarcinoma in cirrhosis: absence of contrast washout in delayed phases by magnetic resonance imaging avoids misdiagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma.
Hepatology 2009; 50(3): 791-8.

Vilana R, Forner A, Bianchi L, García-Criado A, Rimola J, de Lope CR, Reig M, Ayuso C, Brú C, Bruix J. Intrahepatic peripheral cholangiocarcinoma in cirrhosis patients may display a vascular pattern similar to hepatocellular carcinoma on contrast-enhanced ultrasound.
Hepatology 2010 Jun; 51(6):2020-9.

Tremosini S, Sole M, Forner A, Rodriguez de Lope, Rimola J, Reig M, Bianchi L, Vilana R, Ayuso C, Boix L, Bruix J. Prospective validation of the immunohistochemical panel (glypican 3, hea-shock protein 70 and glutamine synthetase) in liver biopsies for diagnosis of very early hepatocellular carcinoma. Gut 2012; 61(10):1481-7

Rimola J, Forner A, Tremosini S, Reig M, Bianchi L, Rodríguez-Lope C, Solé M, Ayuso C, Bruix J. Non-Invasive diagnosis of Hepatocellular Carcinoma in cirrhosis. Accuracy assessing fat, capsule, and signal intensity at dynamic Magnetic Resonance.
J Hepatol 2012;56(6):1317-23. Epub 2012 Feb 4.

De Cecco CN, Darnell A, Macías N, Ayuso JR, Rodríguez S, Rimola J, Pagés M, García-Criado A, Rengo M, Laghi A, Ayuso C. Virtual Unenhanced Images of the Abdomen With Second-Generation Dual-Source Dual-Energy Computed Tomography: Image Quality and Liver Lesion Detection. Invest Radiol 2013;48(1):1-9.

Reig M, Rimola J, Torres F, Darnell A, Lope CR, Forner A, Llarch N, Ríos J, Ayuso C, Bruix J.
Post-progression survival of patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma. Rationale for second line trial design. Hepatology 2013 Dec;58(6):2023-31

Reig M, Torres F, Rodriguez-Lope C, Forner A, LLarch N, Rimola J, Darnell A, Ríos J, Ayuso C, Bruix J. Early dermatologic adverse events predict better outcome in HCC patients treated with sorafenib. J Hepatol 2014;61(2):318-24

Forner A, Vilana R, Bianchi L, Rodríguez-Lope C, Reig M, García-Criado MA, Rimola J, Solé M, Ayuso C, Bru C, Bruix J. Lack of arterial hypervascularity at contrast-enhanced ultrasound should not define the priority for diagnostic work-up of nodules < 2 cm. J Hepatol 2015 Jan;62(1):150-5 Darnell A, Forner A, Rimola J, Reig M, García-Criado Á, Ayuso C, Bruix J. Liver Imaging Reporting and Data System with MR Imaging: Evaluation in Nodules 20 mm or Smaller Detected in Cirrhosis at Screening US. Radiology 2015;275(3):698-707. Rimola J, Díaz-González Á, Darnell A, Varela M, Pons F, Hernandez-Guerra M, Delgado M, Castroagudin J, Matilla A, Sangro B, de Lope CR, Sala M, Gonzalez C, Huertas C, Minguez B, Ayuso C, Bruix J, Reig M. Complete response under sorafenib in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma. Relationship with dermatologic adverse events. Hepatology 2017 Sep 12. doi: 10.1002/hep.29515. [Epub ahead of print] Llovet JM, Pavel M, Rimola J, Diaz MA, Colmenero J, Saavedra-Perez D, Fondevila C, Ayuso C, Fuster J, Ginès P, Bruix J, Garcia-Valdecasas JC. Pilot study of living donor liver transplantation for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma exceeding Milan Criteria (Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer extended criteria). Liver Transpl 2018 Mar;24(3):369-379. doi: 10.1002/lt.24977. Forner A, Rodríguez de Lope C, Reig M, Rimola J, Varela M. Early diagnosis of primary liver cancer – imaging versus genetics. Rev Esp Enfem Dig 2008, 100(7), 423-9. Real MI, Bianchi L, Vilana R, Burrel M, Rimola J. Percutaneous and Intra-arterial Treatment of Hepatocellular Carcinoma. Radiologia 2010;52(5):399-413 Ayuso C, Rimola J, Forner A. Imaging techniques in hepatocellular carcinoma: Diagnosis, extension and evaluation of therapeutic response. Gastroenterol Hepatol 2010;33(10):721-6 Ayuso C, Rimola J, García-Criado A. Imaging of Hepatocellular Carcinoma. Abdom Imaging 2012 Apr;37(2):215-30. Bruix J, Reig M, Rimola J, Forner A, Vilana R, Ayuso C. Clinical Decision Making and Research in Hepatocellular Carcinoma: Pivotal Role of Imaging Techniques. Hepatology 2011 Dec;54(6):2238-44. Forner A, Rimola J, Ayuso C. Conclusive HCC diagnosis with hepatocyte-specific contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging? Not yet. J Hepatol 2016 Jun 14. pii: S0168-8278(16)30265-3. doi: 10.1016/j.jhep.2016.05.047.

Sammy Saab, MD is a Professor in the Departments of Internal Medicine and Surgery at the David Geffen School of Medicine in Los Angeles, California, USA. He is also Head of Outcomes Research in Hepatology at the Pfleger Liver Institute. Dr. Saab received his BS, MD, and MPH from University of California Los Angeles (UCLA). He completed his residency in internal medicine at University of California at San Diego Medical Center and a fellowship in gastroenterology/hepatology at UCLA Center for Health Sciences. Dr. Saab is board certified in gastroenterology and transplant hepatology. He has received honorary fellowships from the American Gastroenterology Association (AGAF), American College of Gastroenterology (FACG) and the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (FAASLD).

Relevant publications
Saab S, Hunt D, Stone MA, McClune A, Tong MJ. Timing of Hepatitis C Antiviral Therapy Pre and Post Liver Transplantation: A Decision Analysis Model. Liver Transpl 2010: 16: 748-59. With accompanying editorial.
Duffy JP, Kao K, Ko CY, Farmer DG, McDiarmid SV, Hong JC, Venick RS, Feist S, Goldstein L, Saab S, Hiatt JR, Busuttil RW. Long-term patient outcome and quality of life after liver transplantation: analysis of 20-year survivors. Ann Surg. 2010; 252: 652-61
Saab S, McTigue M, Finn R, Busuttil RW. Sorafenib as adjuvant therapy for high risk Hepatocellular Carcinoma in Liver Transplant Recipients: Feasibility and Efficacy. Exp Clinl Transplant 2010; 8: 307-13.
Saab S, Bownick H, Ayoub N, Younossi Z, Durazo F, Han SH, Farmer D, Hong J, Busuttil RW. Differences in Health Related Quality of Life Scores after Orthotopic Liver Transplant with Respect to Selected Socioeconomic Factors. Liver Transpl 2011;17:580-90.
Chak E, Talal AH, Sherman KE, Schiff ER, Saab S. Hepatitis C Virus Infection in the United States: An Estimated of the True Prevalence. Liv Intern 2011; 31: 1090-101.
Wertheim J, Kupiec-Weglinski J, Petrowsky H, Saab S, Busuttil, RW. Major challenges limiting liver transplantation in the United States. Am J Transplant 2011; 11: 1773-84.
Hong JC, Jones CM, Duffy JP, Petrowsky H, Farmer DG, French S, Finn R, Durazo FA, Saab S, Tong MJ, Hiatt JR, Busuttil RW. Comparative analysis of resection and liver transplantation for intrahepatic and hilar cholangiocarcinoma: a 24-year experience in a single center. Arch Surg 2011; 146: 683-9.
Everson GT, Terrault NA, Lok AS, Rodrigo DR, Brown RS Jr, Saab S, Shiffman ML, Al-Osaimi AM, Kulik LM, Gillespie BW, Everhart JE; and the A2ALL Study Group. A Randomized Controlled Trial of Pretransplant Antiviral Therapy to Prevent Recurrence of Hepatitis C after Liver Transplantation. Hepatology 2013; 57: 1752-62.
Rubin J, Ayoub N, Kaldas F, Saab S. Management of Recurrent Hepatocellular Carcinoma in Liver Transplant Recipients: A Systematic Review. Exp Clinl Transplant 2012; 10(6):531-43.
Sood A, Cox GA, McWilliams JP, Wang HL, Saab S. Patients with Nodular Regenerative Hyperplasia Should be Considered for Hepatocellular Carcinoma Screening. Hepatology Research 2014; 44: 689-93.
Matsuda T, Tonnu-Mihara I, Yuan Y, Hines P, Saab S, Italien GJ, McCombs J. External validation of the risk-prediction model for hepatocellular carcinoma [hcc] from the reveal HCV study. Value in Health. 2013; 16: A12.
Campsen J, Zimmerman M, Trotter J, Hong J, Freise C, Brown R, Cameron A, Ghobrial M, Kam I, Busuttil R, Saab S, Holt C, Emond J, Stiles J, Lukose T, Chang M, Klintmalm G. Liver transplantation for hepatitis B liver disease and concomitant hepatocellular carcinoma in the United States with hepatitis B immunoglobulin and nucleoside/nucleotide analogues. Liver Transpl 2013; 19: 1020-9.
Agopian VG, Petrowsky H, Kaldas FM, Zarrinpar A, Farmer DG, Yersiz H, Holt Cm Harlander-Locke M, Hon JC, Rana AR, Venick R, McDiarmid SV, Goldstein LI, Durazo F, Saab S, Han S, Xia V, Hiatt JR, Busuttil RW. The Evolution of Liver Transplantation During 3 Decades. Analysis of 5347 Consecutive Liver Transplants at a Single Center. Annals of Surgery 2013; 258: 409-21.
Saab S, Manne V Akhtar E. Cirrhosis Regression in Hepatitis C Patients with Sustained Virologic Response after Anti-Viral therapy: A Meta-analysis. Liver International 2015; 35: 30-36.
Saab S, Manne V, Bui V, Sundaram. Cumulative Radiation Exposure in Liver Transplant Candidates and Patients Transplanted with Hepatocellular Carcinoma. J Liv Dis Transplant 2014; 3 (1).
Stepanova M, Wai H, Saab S, Mishra A, Venkatesan C, Younossi ZM. The Portrait of an Adult Liver Transplant Recipient in the United States From 1987 to 2013. JAMA Intern Med 2014; 174: 1407-9.
Stepanova M, Wai H, Saab S, Mishra A, Venkatesan C, Younossi Z. The outcomes of adult liver transplants in the united states from 1987 to 2013. Liver Int 2015; 358: 2036-41.
Al-hamoudi W, Elsiesy H, Bendahmash A, Al-masri N, Ali S, Allam N, Al Sofayan M, Al Bahili H, Al Sebayel, Dieter Broering M, Saab S, Abaalkhail F. Liver transplantation for hepatitis B virus: Decreasing indication and changing trends. W J Gastroenterol 2015; 21: 8140-7.
Saab S, Jimenez M, Fong T, Wu C, El Kabany M, Tong MJ. Timing of Antiviral Therapy in Liver Transplant Candidates listed for Hepatitis C and Hepatocellular Carcinoma. Exp Clin Transpl 2016; 14: 66-71.
Al-Hamoudi W, Elsiesy H, Bendahmash A, Al-Masri N, Ali S, Allam N, Al Sofayan M, Al Bahili H, Al Sebayel M, Broering D, Saab S, Abaalkhail F. Liver transplantation for hepatitis B virus: Decreasing indication and changing trends. World J Gastroenterol. 2015; 21:8140-7
Kuei A, Saab S, Cho SK, Kee ST, Lee EW. Effects of Yttrium-90 selective internal radiation therapy on non-conventional liver tumors. World J Gastroenterol. 2015;21:8271-83.
Nguyen K, Jimenez M, Moghadam N, Wu C, Farid A, Grotts J, Elashoff D, Choi G, Durazo FA, El-Kabany MM, Han SHB, Saab S. Decrease of Alpha-Fetoprotein in Patients with Cirrhosis Treated with Direct Acting Agents. J Clin Transl Hepatol 2017; 5(1): 43-49.
Ahmed A, Gonzalez SA, Cholankeril G, Perumpail RB, McGinnis J, Saab S, Beckerman R, Younossi ZM. Treatment of Patients Waitlisted for Liver Transplant with an All-Oral DAAs is a Cost-Effective Treatment Strategy in the United States. Hepatology 2017; 66(1): 46-56.

Dr. Matteo Cescon completed his medical degree in 1996 and in 2004 completed a post graduate course on the medicine of organ transplantation at Bicocca University in Milan, Italy. He has been at Bologna University since 2004 and is currently Associate Professor of Surgery at the Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences. In 2012 he was also appointed Supervisor of the post-transplant phase of the institutional program of liver transplantation at Saint’Orsola-Malpighi University Hospital in Bologna. Dr. Cescon has performed more than 1000 procedures as first operator, including more than 300 liver transplantations and more than 400 liver resections. He is a reviewer on many international journals and has been an investigator on several research programs.
Relevant publications
Ballarin R, Cucchetti A, Russo FP, Magistri P, Cescon M, Cillo U, Burra P,Pinna AD, Di Benedetto F. Long term follow-up and outcome of liver transplantation from hepatitis B surface antigen positive donors. World J Gastroenterol 2017 Mar 28; 23(12): 2095-2105. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v23.i12.2095. PubMed PMID: 28405138; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC5374122
Giovannini C, Baglioni M, Baron Toaldo M, Cescon M, Bolondi L, Gramantieri L. Venom from Cuban Blue Scorpion has tumor activating effect in hepatocellular carcinoma. Sci Rep 2017 Mar 21; 7: 44685. doi: 10.1038/srep44685. PubMed PMID: 28322221; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC5359575
Cucchetti A, Sposito C, Pinna AD, Citterio D, Cescon M, Bongini M, Ercolani G, Cotsoglou C, Maroni L, Mazzaferro V. Competing risk analysis on outcome after hepatic resection of hepatocellular carcinoma in cirrhotic patients. World J Gastroenterol 2017 Feb 28; 23(8): 1469-1476. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v23.i8.1469. PubMed PMID: 28293094; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC5330832.
Cucchetti A, Cappelli A, Mosconi C, Zhong JH, Cescon M, Pinna AD, Golfieri R. Improving patient selection for selective internal radiation therapy of intra-hepatic cholangiocarcinoma: A meta-regression study. Liver Int 2017 Feb 8. doi: 10.1111/liv.13382. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 28177190.
Bertuzzo VR, Giannella M, Cucchetti A, Pinna AD, Grossi A, Ravaioli M, Del Gaudio M, Cristini F, Viale P, Cescon M. Impact of preoperative infection on outcome after liver transplantation. Br J Surg 2017 Jan; 104(2): e172-e181. doi: 10.1002/bjs.10449. PubMed PMID: 28121031.
Fornari F, Pollutri D, Patrizi C, La Bella T, Marinelli S, Casadei Gardini A, Marisi G, Baron Toaldo M, Baglioni M, Salvatore V, Callegari E, Baldassarre M, Galassi M, Giovannini C, Cescon M, Ravaioli M, Negrini M, Bolondi L, Gramantieri L. In Hepatocellular Carcinoma miR-221 Modulates Sorafenib Resistance through Inhibition of Caspase-3-Mediated Apoptosis. Clin Cancer Res 2017 Jan 17. doi: 10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-16-1464. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 28096271.
Bertuzzo VR, Cescon M, Odaldi F, Di Laudo M, Cucchetti A, Ravaioli M, Del Gaudio M, Ercolani G, D’Errico A, Pinna AD. Actual risk of using very aged donors for unselected liver transplant candidates: a European single-center experience in the MELD Era. Ann Surg 2017 Feb; 265(2):388-396. doi: 10.1097/SLA.0000000000001681. PubMed PMID: 28059967.
Capri M, Olivieri F, Lanzarini C, Remondini D, Borelli V, Lazzarini R, Graciotti L, Albertini MC, Bellavista E, Santoro A, Biondi F, Tagliafico E, Tenedini E, Morsiani C, Pizza G, Vasuri F, D’Errico A, Dazzi A, Pellegrini S, Magenta A, D’Agostino M, Capogrossi MC, Cescon M, Rippo MR, Procopio AD, Franceschi C, Grazi GL. Identification of miR-31-5p, miR-141-3p, miR-200c-3p, and GLT1 as human liver aging markers sensitive to donor-recipient age-mismatch in transplants. Aging Cell 2017 Apr; 16(2): 262-272. doi: 10.1111/acel.12549. Epub 2016 Dec 20. PubMed PMID: 27995756; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC5334540.
Di Laudo M, Ravaioli M, La Manna G, Comai G, Cescon M, Del Gaudio M, Bertuzzo V, Zanfi C, Cucchetti A, Pinna AD. Reply. Liver Transpl 2017 Feb;23(2): 268-269. doi: 10.1002/lt.24685. PubMed PMID: 27884044.
Cucchetti A, Ercolani G, Pezzilli R, Cescon M, Frascaroli G, Pinna AD. The health gain obtainable from pancreatic resection for adenocarcinoma in the elderly. World J Surg 2017 Apr;41(4): 1063-1072. doi: 10.1007/s00268-016-3793-6. PubMed PMID: 27826771.
Brandi G, Deserti M, Vasuri F, Farioli A, Degiovanni A, Palloni A, Frega G, Barbera MA, de Lorenzo S, Garajova I, Di Marco M, Pinna AD, Cescon M, Cucchetti A, Ercolani G, D’Errico-Grigioni A, Pantaleo MA, Biasco G, Tavolari S. In Reply. Oncologist 2016 Dec; 21(12): e5-e6. Epub 2016 Nov 2. PubMed PMID: 27807301; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC5153345.
Cucchetti A, Cappelli A, Ercolani G, Mosconi C, Cescon M, Golfieri R, Pinna AD. Selective Internal Radiation Therapy (SIRT) as conversion therapy for unresectable primary liver malignancies. Liver Cancer 2016 Oct; 5(4): 303-311. Epub 2016 Sep 14. Review. PubMed PMID: 27781202; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC5075901.
Ravaioli M, Grande G, Di Gioia P, Cucchetti A, Cescon M, Ercolani G, Del Gaudio M, Morelli C, Pinna AD. Risk avoidance and liver transplantation: a single-center experience in a national network. Ann Surg 2016 Nov; 264(5): 778-786. PubMed PMID: 27429038.
Lauterio A, Di Sandro S, Gruttadauria S, Spada M, Di Benedetto F, Baccarani U, Regalia E, Melada E, Giacomoni A, Cescon M, Cintorino D, Ercolani G, Rota M, Rossi G, Mazzaferro V, Risaliti A, Pinna AD, Gridelli B, De Carlis L. Donor safety in living donor liver donation: An Italian multicenter survey. Liver Transpl 2017 Feb; 23(2): 184-193. doi: 10.1002/lt.24651. Epub 2016 Dec 30. PubMed PMID: 27712040.
De Simone P, Fagiuoli S, Cescon M, De Carlis L, Tisone G, Volpes R, Cillo U; Consensus Panel.. Use of everolimus in liver transplantation: recommendations from a working group. Transplantation 2017 Feb; 101(2): 239-251. doi: 10.1097/TP.0000000000001438. PubMed PMID: 27495768; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC5265697.
Ravaioli M, Serenari M, Cescon M, Savini C, Cucchetti A, Ercolani G, Del Gaudio M, Casati A, Pinna AD. Liver and vena cava en bloc resection for an invasive leiomyosarcoma causing Budd-Chiari syndrome, under veno-venous bypass and liver hypothermic perfusion : liver hypothermic perfusion and veno-venous bypass for inferior vena cava leiomyosarcoma. Ann Surg Oncol 2017 Feb; 24(2): 556-557. doi: 10.1245/s10434-016-5285-1. Epub 2016 Jul 18. PubMed PMID: 27431416.
Cucchetti A, Cescon M, Pinna AD. Comment on: ‘Long-term impact of liver function on curative therapy for hepatocellular carcinoma: application of the ALBI grade’. Br J Cancer 2016 Aug 23; 115(5): e5. doi: 10.1038/bjc.2016.196. Epub 2016 Jun 23. PubMed PMID: 27336607; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC4997540.
Cucchetti A, Cescon M, Colecchia A, Neri F, Cappelli A, Ravaioli M, Mazzotti F, Ercolani G, Festi D, Pinna AD. Adding liver stiffness measurement to the routine evaluation of hepatocellular carcinoma resectability can optimize clinical outcome. Ultraschall Med 2016 May 3. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 27139376.
Di Laudo M, Ravaioli M, La Manna G, Comai G, Cescon M, Del Gaudio M, Zanfi C, Cucchetti A, Ercolani G, Pinna AD. Combined liver-dual kidney transplant: Role in expanded donors. Liver Transpl 2017 Jan;23(1): 28-34. doi: 10.1002/lt.24472. Epub 2016 Nov 28. PubMed PMID: 27113672.
Brandi G, Deserti M, Vasuri F, Farioli A, Degiovanni A, Palloni A, Frega G, Barbera MA, de Lorenzo S, Garajova I, Di Marco M, Pinna AD, Cescon M, Cucchetti A, Ercolani G, D’Errico-Grigioni A, Pantaleo MA, Biasco G, Tavolari S; G.I.CO. (Gruppo Italiano Colangiocarcinoma).. Membrane localization of human equilibrative nucleoside transporter 1 in tumor cells may predict response to adjuvant gemcitabine in resected cholangiocarcinoma patients. Oncologist 2016 May; 21(5): 600-7. doi: 10.1634/theoncologist.2015-0356. Epub 2016 Mar 31. PubMed PMID: 27032872; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC4861359.
Cucchetti A, Cescon M, Pinna AD. Reply to “Hepatic venous pressure gradient for preoperative assessment of patients with resectable hepatocellular carcinoma: A comment for moving forward”. J Hepatol 2016 Jul; 65(1): 231-2. doi:10.1016/j.jhep.2016.03.014. Epub 2016 Mar 26. PubMed PMID: 27025687.
Qiao G, Cucchetti A, Li J, Cescon M, Ercolani G, Liu G, Pinna AD, Li L, Shen F, Ren J. Applying of pretreatment extent of disease system in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma after curative partial hepatectomy. Oncotarget 2016 May 24; 7(21): 30408-19. doi: 10.18632/oncotarget.8149. PubMed PMID: 27007152; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC5058689.
Bertuzzo VR, Cescon M, Odaldi F, Di Laudo M, Cucchetti A, Ravaioli M, Del Gaudio M, Ercolani G, D’Errico A, Pinna AD. Actual risk of using very aged donors for unselected liver transplant candidates: a European single-center experience in the MELD Era. Ann Surg 2016 Mar 7. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 26954895.
Cucchetti A, Ercolani G, Taffurelli G, Serenari M, Maroni L, Pezzilli R, Del Gaudio M, Ravaioli M, Cescon M, Pinna AD. A comprehensive analysis on expected years of life lost due to pancreatic cancer. Pancreatology 2016 May-Jun; 16(3): 449-53. doi: 10.1016/j.pan.2016.02.005. Epub 2016 Feb 18. PubMed PMID: 26951889.
Cucchetti A, Sposito C, Pinna AD, Citterio D, Ercolani G, Flores M, Cescon M, Mazzaferro V. Effect of age on survival in patients undergoing resection of hepatocellular carcinoma. Br J Surg 2016 Jan;103(2):e93-9. doi: 10.1002/bjs.10056. Epub 2015 Dec 10. PubMed PMID: 26662121.
Cucchetti A, Ercolani G, Cescon M, Brandi G, Taffurelli G, Maroni L, Ravaioli M, Pezzilli R, Pinna AD. Estimation of the survival benefit obtainable from screening for the early detection of pancreatic cancer. Pancreas 2016 May-Jun; 45(5): 714-9. doi: 10.1097/MPA.0000000000000523. PubMed PMID: 26646274.

Jean-Charles Nault received his MD and PhD from Paris Descartes University. He is currently working in the liver unit of the Jean Verdier Hospital in Bondy, France with a high priority on early detection of primary liver tumors and on therapeutic innovation. He is also an active member of the Laboratory of Functional Genomics of Solid Tumours at the INSERM UMR 1162 headed by Professor Jessica-Zucman Rossi. His research is dedicated to translational research in particular the identification of new driver genes in hepatocellular adenoma and hepatocellular carcinoma, of new therapeutic targets and of the molecular determinants of hepatocellular carcinoma’s prognosis.
Relevant publications
Nault JC, Couchy G, Balabaud C, Morcrette G, Caruso S, Blanc JF, Bacq Y, Calderaro J, Paradis V, Ramos J, Scoazec JY, Gnemmi V, Sturm N, Guettier C, Fabre M, Savier E, Chiche L, Labrune P, Selves J, Wendum D, Pilati C, Laurent A, De Muret A, Le Bail B, Rebouissou S, Imbeaud S; GENTHEP investigators., Bioulac-Sage P, Letouzé E, Zucman-Rossi J. Molecular classification of hepatocellular adenoma associates with risk factors, bleeding, and malignant transformation. Gastroenterology 2016 Dec 7.

Nault JC. The end of almost 10 years of negative RCTs in advanced hepatocellular carcinoma.
Lancet 2017 Jan 7; 389(10064): 4-6.

Nault JC, Datta S, Imbeaud S, Franconi A, Mallet M, Couchy G, Letouzé E, Pilati C, Verret B, Blanc JF, Balabaud C, Calderaro J, Laurent A, Letexier M, Bioulac-Sage P, Calvo F, Zucman-Rossi J. Recurrent AAV2-related insertional mutagenesis in human hepatocellular carcinomas. Nat Genet 2015 Oct; 47(10): 1187-93.

Nault JC, Calderaro J, Di Tommaso L, Balabaud C, Zafrani ES, Bioulac-Sage P, Roncalli M, Zucman-Rossi J. Telomerase reverse transcriptase promoter mutation is an early somatic genetic alteration in the transformation of premalignant nodules in hepatocellular carcinoma on cirrhosis. Hepatology 2014 Dec; 60(6): 1983-92.

Nault JC, Mallet M, Pilati C, Calderaro J, Bioulac-Sage P, Laurent C, Laurent A, Balabaud C, Zucman-Rossi J. High frequency of TERT promoter mutations in hepatocellular carcinoma and pre-neoplastic lesions. Nat Commun 2013; 4: 2218. doi: 10.1038/ncomms3218.

Nault JC, de Reyniès A, Villanueva A, Calderaro J, Rebouissou S, Couchy G, Decaens T, Franco D, Imbeaud S, Rousseau F, Azoulay D, Saric J, Blanc JF, Balabaud C, Bioulac-Sage P, Laurent A, Laurent-Puig P, Llovet JM, Zucman-Rossi J. A hepatocellular carcinoma 5-gene score associated with survival of patients following liver resection. Gastroenterology 2013 Jul; 145(1): 176-87. doi: 10.1053/j.gastro.2013.03.051.

Nault JC, Bioulac-Sage P, Zucman-Rossi J. Hepatocellular benign tumors-from molecular classification to personalized clinical care. Gastroenterology 2013 Feb; 144(5): 888-902. doi: 10.1053/j.gastro.2013.02.032.

Nault JC, Fabre M, Couchy G, Pilati C, Jeannot E, Tran Van Nhieu J, Saint-Paul MC, De Muret A, Redon MJ, Buffet C, Salenave S, Balabaud C, Prevot S, Labrune P, Bioulac-Sage P, Scoazec JY, Chanson P, Zucman-Rossi J. GNAS-activating mutations define a rare subgroup of inflammatory liver tumors characterized by STAT3 activation. J Hepatol 2012 Jan; 56(1): 184-91.

Dr. El-Khoueiry completed his medical degree, residency in internal medicine and fellowship in hematology and oncology at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California. He is currently associate professor of clinical medicine in the Division of Medical Oncology, a member of the Gastrointestinal Cancers Program and director of the phase I drug development clinical program. He has been the medical director of the Clinical Investigations Support Office at the USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center since 2007.
His primary research interests include the development of novel drugs for the treatment of solid tumors, especially gastrointestinal malignancies, the design and conduct of phase I and II clinical trials to test these drugs, and translational research focused on developing prognostic and predictive markers in patients with GI malignancies. Dr. El-Khoueiry has established a national reputation in the area of hepatobiliary cancers clinical research; he is the co-chair of the hepatobiliary cancers committee of the Southwest Oncology Group (SWOG) and a member of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) hepatobiliary cancers task force. He is the principal investigator on several clinical trials that are evaluating the role of novel drugs for the treatment of biliary and hepatocellular cancers.
As the phase I program director, Dr. El-Khoueiry has formed an experienced and highly skilled phase I clinical research team and established an efficient infrastructure for the conduct of high quality and innovative phase I studies. He has also worked with basic scientists at the USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center to design phase I studies to test novel compounds or novel combinations that had undergone pre-clinical testing at USC.
Dr. El-Khoueiry is frequently invited to give lectures nationally about gastrointestinal malignancies, particularly hepatobiliary cancers, and has a large number of peer-reviewed publications in his areas of research.

Dr. Federico Piñero specialises in internal medicine, hepatology and liver transplantation. He currently works at the Hospital Universitario Austral, Buenos Aires. Argentina. From 2008 to 2009 he participated in basic research on colorectal cancer immunology. Dr. Piñero’s current clinical research focuses on hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). He obtained a Masters Science in Clinical Epidemiology and Research for Public Health from the University of Buenos Aires (MSCE) and is now finishing his PhD on liver transplantation and HCC in Latin America. Dr. Piñero has presented his clinical research at various national and international liver meetingm and he has won several national and international awards. He also won two national grants from the Argentine Institute of Cancer focusing on microbiome and liver cancer (ongoing cohort study evaluating dynamic changes of gut microbiome as a risk factor of HCC development). He is part of the Editorial Board and has reviewed different research from several indexed Journals. He is a regional coordinator of HCC in ALEH (Latin American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases).

Relevant publications
Piñero F, Marciano S, Villamil A, et al. Sicker patients for liver transplantation: Meld, Meld sodium, and integrated Meld’s prognostic accuracy in the assessment of post transplantation events at a single center from Argentina. J Transplantation 2013; Article ID 102590.
Piñero F, Campaña AG, Mendizabal M, et al. Domino liver graft with hepatocellular carcinoma used as bridge therapy for a patient with acute liver failure: a case report. Liver Transpl 2014; vol 20 (3):386-87.
Piñero F, Mendizabal M, Casciato P, et al. Is recurrence rate of incidental hepatocellular carcinoma after liver transplantation similar to previously known HCC? towards a predictive recurrence score. Ann Hepatol 2014; vol 13 (2): 211-18.
Piñero F, Mendizabal M, Quiros R, et al. Neurological events after liver transplantation: a single-center experience. Transpl Int 2014; 27 (2): 1244 -52.
Piñero F, Marciano S, Gadano AC. A Case of Granulomatous Hepatitis and Pancytopenia Secondary to Bacillus Chalmette Guerin Immunotherapy (BCG). Medicinal Chemistry 2014, vol 4 (7): 531-532.
Piñero F, Bandi J, Tisi Baña M, et al. Early predictors of renal dysfunction in cirrhotic patients after liver transplantation. Acta Gastroenterol Latinoam 2014; 44: 284-87.
Piñero F, Marciano S, Anders M, et al. Screening for liver cancer during transplant waiting list: a multicenter study from South America. Eur J Gastroenterol Hepatol 2015; 27 (3): 355-60.
Piñero F, Fauda M, Quiros R et al. Predicting early discharge from hospital after liver transplantation (ERDALT) at a single center: a new model. Ann Hepatol 2015; 6(14):845-855.
Piñero F, Marciano S, Anders M, et al. Identifying patients at higher risk of hepatocellular carcinoma recurrence after liver transplantation in a multicenter cohort study from Argentina. Eur J Gastroenterol Hepatol 2016; 28 (4): 421-427.
Piñero F, Marciano S, Anders M, et al. Sorafenib for recurrent hepatocellular carcinoma after liver transplantation: a South American experience. Acta Gastroenterológica Latinoamericana (Epub).
Piñero F, Tisi Baña M, de Ataide EC, et al. Liver transplantation for hepatocellular carcinoma: evaluation of the alpha-fetoprotein model in a multicenter cohort from Latin America. Liver Int 2016; 36:1657-1667. EDITORIAL comment: C Toso, et al. Liv Int 2016; 36:1580-81.
Piñero F, Carrihlo FJ, Silva MO. Predictive models for recurrence risk of hepatocellular carcinoma after liver transplantation: Still an unmet need. Liver Int 2017 May;37(5):648-650. doi: 10.1111/liv.13417.
Piñero F, Costa P, Boteon YL, et al. Results of Liver Transplantation for Hepatocellular Carcinoma in a Multicenter Latin American Cohort Study. Annals Hepatol 2018, 17(2):256-267.
Piñero F, Marciano S, Fernandez N, et al. Adherence to Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer therapeutic algorithm for hepatocellular carcinoma in the daily practice: a multicenter cohort study from Argentina. Eur J Gastroenterol Hepatol 2018, 30(4):376-383.
Piñero F and Silva M. Dropout rate from the liver transplant waiting list because of hepatocellular carcinoma progression in hepatitis C virus-infected patients treated with direct-acting antivirals. Liver Transpl 2017, vol 23, issue 12: 1628-1629. doi: 10.1002/lt.24962.
Piñero F, Pages J, Marciano S, et al. Fatty liver disease, an emerging etiology of hepatocellular carcinoma in Argentina. World J Hepatol 2018, vol 10, issue 1: 41-50. doi: 10.4254/wjh.v10.i1.41
Piñero F, Cheang Y, Mendizabal M, et al. Incidence, risk factors, and outcomes related with neurological events after liver transplantation in adult and pediatric recipients. Pediatr Transplant 2018, 2(3):e13159. doi: 10.1111/petr.13159.
Piñero F, Costa P, Boteon YL, et al. A changing etiologic scenario in liver transplantation for hepatocellular carcinoma in a multicenter cohort study from Latin America. Clin Res Hepatol Gastroenterol 2018; 42 (5):443-452.
Piñero F, Poniachik J, Ridruejo E, et al. Hepatocellular carcinoma in Latin America: Diagnosis and treatment challenges. World J Gastroenterol 2018; October 7;24 (37):4224-4229.
Piñero F, et al. A different gut microbiome linked to inflammation found in cirrhotic patients with and without hepatocellular carcinoma. Annals Hepatol 2018; Epub ahead of print.
Piñero F, Poniachik J, Ridruejo E, Silva M. Hepatocellular carcinoma in Latin America: Diagnosis and treatment challenges. World J Gastroenterol 2018; October 7;24 (37):4224-4229.
Piñero F, Rubinstein F, Silva M, et al. Surveillance for Hepatocellular Carcinoma: Does the Place Where Ultrasound Is Performed Impact Its Effectiveness? Dig Dis Sci. 2019 Mar;64(3):718-728
Piñero F, Mendizabal M, Ridruejo E, et al. Treatment with direct-acting antivirals for HCV decreases but does not eliminate the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma. Liver Int 2019, Epub ahead of print.
Malvicini M, Rizzo M, Alaniz L, Piñero F, et al. A novel synergistic combination of cyclophosphamide and gene transfer of interleukin-12 eradicates colorectal carcinoma in mice. Clin Cancer Res 2009 Dec 1;15(23):7256-65.

Prof. Dr. Jeroen Dekervel is a GI oncologist working at the Digestive Oncology Unit of UZ Leuven, Belgium. In daily clinical practice, he treats all kinds of gastrointestinal malignancies at one of the largest clinics of its kind in Europe. He is an associate professor at the KU Leuven, where his research focuses on unraveling the reasons for success and failure of immunotherapies in hepatocellular carcinoma, using a variety of single cell techniques. He is a member of ESMO and ASCO, as well as part of the ESMO upper GI faculty as a mentee.