Editor’s Note:
From November 10th to 14th, 2023, the annual grand event in the field of hepatology, the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases Annual Meeting (AASLD2023), took place in Boston, USA. The on-site reporting team of “Hepatology Digest” had the privilege of inviting Dr. Wei Rao’s team from the Organ Transplant Center of Qingdao University Affiliated Hospital, to introduce the team’s achievements, share their experiences at the conference, and discuss future research directions. The interview content is shared below.
Respected colleagues and readers of “Hepatology Digest,” good evening to everyone!
I am Dr. Wei Rao from the Hepatology Department of the Organ Transplant Center at Qingdao University Affiliated Hospital. I am delighted to have received an invitation from “Hepatology Digest” to share with you the content of two posters presented by our team at this year’s AASLD in Boston, as well as my personal experiences at the conference.
Team Achievements
The first poster (first author: Youwei Zhao, corresponding author: Wei Rao) is a collaborative effort between our team and the Nuclear Medicine Department’s Professors Wang Zhenguang and Yang Guangjie, as well as the Pathology Department’s Professors Wei Zhimin and Wang Ye (No.1055). It explores the application value of 18F-FAPI PET/CT in assessing early liver fibrosis (S1-S2) in adult liver transplant recipients. The study found that compared to commonly used clinical methods for non-invasive liver fibrosis assessment, such as FIB-4, APRI, and Fibroscan, 18F-FAPI PET/CT demonstrated higher accuracy in evaluating early liver fibrosis (S1-S2) after adult liver transplantation (AUROC=0.92). Additionally, 18F-FAPI PET/CT showed advantages in assessing the overall status of the transplanted liver, including aspects like liver cancer recurrence and biliary complications. However, the study has limitations, such as a small sample size (17 cases) and a lack of data on mid-to-late-stage liver fibrosis. It is still in the preliminary exploration phase and requires further research to validate its conclusions.
The second poster (first author: Wei Rao, corresponding author: Man Xie) is a collaborative achievement between our team and Professor Xie Man’s team in the Gastroenterology Department of our institute (No.1063). It focuses on the clinical characteristics and screening strategies for newly developed gastric cancer after adult liver transplantation. The study included 274 adult liver transplant recipients, revealing that 10 cases developed new-onset gastric cancer, accounting for 3.6% of the cases. Among these, 70% were undifferentiated gastric cancer. The 3-year, 5-year, and 10-year cumulative survival rates in the new-onset gastric cancer group were significantly lower at 87.5%, 72.9%, and 72.9%, respectively, compared to the group without new-onset gastric cancer (98.8%, 97.4%, and 96.3%, respectively). Multifactorial analysis indicated that chronic atrophic gastritis of the gastric mucosa is a high-risk factor for the development of new-onset gastric cancer after adult liver transplantation. Therefore, we propose that, with the gradual improvement in the long-term prognosis of adult liver transplantation in our country, regular electronic gastroscopy screening should be conducted (annually for individuals with chronic atrophic gastritis) to facilitate early diagnosis and treatment of postoperative new-onset gastric cancer, thereby effectively improving overall prognosis.
Through this AASLD conference, I have gained several new insights into the current international advances in liver transplantation. Firstly, there are significant differences between the liver transplantation indications in Western countries and those in China. In Western countries, the majority of liver transplant patients suffer from metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) or end-stage diseases related to autoimmune liver diseases, with a much lower proportion of viral liver diseases compared to China. Consequently, there is a greater emphasis on research in these areas (No.37, 107, 1086). Secondly, in recent years, Western countries have made rapid progress in the application of machine learning or artificial intelligence in the field of liver transplantation (No.1006, 1038). Moreover, there is a heightened focus on preoperative assessments in the neuro-psychological and socio-psychological aspects and their impact on prognosis (No.1012, 1015, 1039, 1093). These are research areas that Chinese scholars should also pay attention to.
Looking to the Future of Research
As the number of long-term survivors of liver transplantation in our country continues to increase, our team’s future research will focus on the mid-to-long-term management of liver transplant recipients. This includes early diagnosis and intervention for fibrosis in transplanted livers, as well as the occurrence of new malignant tumors in long-term liver transplant survivors.
In conclusion, I would like to express my gratitude once again to the team at “Hepatology Digest” for their invitation and support. I also extend my best wishes for the continued success and development of “Hepatology Digest.” Thank you, everyone!
Expert Introduction:
Wei Rao is the Deputy Director of the Hepatology Department at the Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University. He holds the position of Associate Chief Physician, serves as a mentor for master’s students, and has experience as a visiting scholar at Mayo Clinic.
Expert Introduction:
Man Xie is the Deputy Chief Physician of the Gastroenterology Department at the Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University. She holds a Ph.D. degree and has experience as a visiting scholar at Mayo Clinic.
