Evidence map›Paper›PMID 29034345›Full record

ReviewTranslational gastroenterology and hepatology2017

The growing impact of alpha-fetoprotein in the field of liver transplantation for hepatocellular cancer: time for a revolution.

Quirino Lai, Samuele Iesari, Fabio Melandro, Gianluca Mennini, Massimo Rossi, Jan Lerut

Abstract readReview
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Review in Translational gastroenterology and hepatology, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 16 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
16citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

16 citing papers in PubMed.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Quirino LaiHepato-Bilio-Pancreatic and Liver Transplant Unit, Department of Surgery, La Sapienza University, Rome, Italy.
Samuele IesariStarzl Abdominal Transplant Unit, University Hospitals Saint Luc, Université catholique Louvain (UCL), Brussels, Belgium.
Fabio MelandroHepato-Bilio-Pancreatic and Liver Transplant Unit, Department of Surgery, La Sapienza University, Rome, Italy.
Gianluca MenniniHepato-Bilio-Pancreatic and Liver Transplant Unit, Department of Surgery, La Sapienza University, Rome, Italy.
Massimo RossiHepato-Bilio-Pancreatic and Liver Transplant Unit, Department of Surgery, La Sapienza University, Rome, Italy.
Jan LerutStarzl Abdominal Transplant Unit, University Hospitals Saint Luc, Université catholique Louvain (UCL), Brussels, Belgium.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The role of alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) in the specific setting of the diagnosis and prognosis of patients with hepatocellular cancer (HCC) waiting for liver transplantation (LT) is still controversial. Recently, a marked interest for this marker has been reported, mainly related to its ability to predict the outcome of HCC patients after LT. The growing number of papers in PubMed indicates that AFP has begun a "second life" in the particular context of LT. Looking at the most recent International Guidelines on HCC, it looks obvious that time is ripe to reevaluate the value of AFP in relation to its prognostic ability to identify HCC patients at high-risk for drop-out before and recurrence after LT. Many discrepancies exist worldwide regarding the use of biomarkers in HCC. In contrast to the Western world, AFP is widely used in Asian countries, the reason why being unclear. Indeed, in the (merely Western-dominated) HCC treatment algorithms, the role of AFP as a prognostic tumor marker is still considered to be "under investigation". One should however realize that the underestimation of the value of AFP in the LT context will hamper further refinements of both the liver allograft allocation process and the selection of the best candidates for this procedure. Moreover, AFP has an important role to play in the monitoring of bridging and/or downstaging procedures bringing eventually the patient to transplantation. So, time has come to reconsider the role and value of AFP (dynamics) in the field of transplant oncology.

Indexed as

alpha-fetoprotein (AFP)des-gamma-carboxy-prothrombin (DCP)Hepatocellular cancer (HCC)liver allocationliver transplantation (LT)recurrence

Identifiers

PMID29034345
PMCPMC5639034

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.