Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40557335›Full record

ArticleTransplant international : official journal of the European Society for Organ Transplantation2025

Cytomegalovirus Reactivation Is Associated With Lower Rates of Hepatocellular Carcinoma Recurrence After Liver Transplantation.

Victoria Aguilera, Sarai Romero Moreno, Isabel Conde, Angel Rubín, Angela Carvalho-Gomes, Mario Romero, Javier Zamora-Olaya, Miguel Angel Gómez-Bravo, Esteban Fuentes-Valenzuela, Cristina Dopazo and 13 more

Abstract readMulticenter Study
In one paragraph

Article in Transplant international : official journal of the European Society for Organ Transplantation, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing 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

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Review
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

23 authors.

Victoria AguileraHepatology and Liver Transplant Unit, La Fe Universitary and Politécnic Hospital, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria (IIS) La Fe, Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Hepáticas y Digestivas (CIBEREHD), Faculty of Medicine, Valencia University, Valencia, Spain.
Sarai Romero Moreno *Hepatology and Liver Transplant Unit, La Fe Universitary and Politécnic Hospital, Valencia, Spain.
Isabel CondeHepatology and Liver Transplant Unit Trasplante Hepático, La Fe Universitary and Politécnic Hospital, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria (IIS) La Fe, Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Hepáticas y Digestivas (CIBEREHD), Valencia, Spain.
Angel RubínHepatology and Liver Transplant Unit Trasplante Hepático, La Fe Universitary and Politécnic Hospital, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria (IIS) La Fe, Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Hepáticas y Digestivas (CIBEREHD), Valencia, Spain.
Angela Carvalho-GomesLaboratorio de Hepatología, Cirugía HBP y Trasplantes, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria (IIS) La Fe, Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Hepáticas y Digestivas (CIBEREHD), Valencia, Spain.
Mario RomeroDepartment of Hepatology and Liver Transplantation, HUGregorio Marañón, Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Hepáticas y Digestivas (CIBEREHD), Madrid, Spain.
Javier Zamora-OlayaDepartment of Hepatology and Liver Transplantation, Hospital Universitario Reina Sofía, Instituto Maimonides de Investigación Biomédica de Córdoba (IMIBIC) and University of Córdoba, Córdoba, Spain.
Miguel Angel Gómez-BravoHospital Virgen del Rocio, Unidad de Cirugía Hepatobilipancreática, Sevilla, Spain.
Esteban Fuentes-ValenzuelaUnidad de Hepatología y Trasplante Hepático, HURio Hortega, Valladolid, Spain.
Cristina DopazoDepartment of HPB Surgery and Transplants, Vall d'Hebron Hospital Universitari, Vall d'Hebron Institut de Recerca (VHIR), Vall d'Hebron Barcelona Hospital Campus, Universitat Autónoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
Nikita BilbaoDepartment of HPB Surgery and Transplants, Vall d'Hebron Hospital Universitari, Vall d'Hebron Institut de Recerca (VHIR), Vall d'Hebron Barcelona Hospital Campus, Universitat Autónoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
Antonio GonzálezDepartment of Hepatology, Hospital Universitario Ntra. Sra. de la Candelaria, Tenerife, Spain.
Ana Sánchez-MartínezLiver Transplantation Unit, Hospital Universitario Virgen de la Arrixaca and IMIB, Murcia, Spain.
Sonia PascualUnidad de Hepatología y Trasplante Hepático, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria y Biomédica de Alicate (ISABIAL), Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Hepáticas y Digestivas (CIBEREHD), HGU Dr Balmes, Alicante, Spain.
Jesús Rivera-EstebanDepartment of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Hospital Universitario Puerta de Hierro, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Puerta de Hierro - Segovia de Arada (IDIPHISA), Majadahonda, Spain.
José Ignacio HerreroLiver Unit, Clínica Universidad de Navarra and IdiSNA, Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Hepáticas y Digestivas (CIBEREHD), Pamplona, Spain.
Sara LorenteDepartment of Hepatology and Liver Transplantation, Hospital Clínico Lozano Blesa, University of Zaragoza and ISS Aragón, Zaragoza, Spain.
Antonio Cuadrado-LavínGastroenterology and Hepatology Department, Clinical and Translational Research in Digestive Diseases, Valdecilla Research Institute (IDIVAL), Marqués de Valdecilla University Hospital, Cantabria University, Santander, Spain.
Flor NoguerasDepartment of Hepatology and Liver Transplantation, Hospital Virgen de las Nieves, Granada, Spain.
Laura Martínez-ArenasHepatology, Hepatobiliopancreatic Surgery and Transplant Laboratory, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria (IIS) La Fe Health Research Institute, Universitat Politècnica de València, Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Hepáticas y Digestivas (CIBEREHD), ISCIII, Valencia, Spain.
Rocío González-GrandeDepartment of Hepatology and Liver Transplantation, Hospital Regional Universitario de Málaga, Málaga, Spain.
Marina Berenguer *Hepatology and Liver Transplant Unit, La Fe Universitary and Politécnic Hospital, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria (IIS) La Fe, Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Hepáticas y Digestivas (CIBEREHD), Faculty of Medicine, Valencia University, Valencia, Spain.
Manuel Rodriguez-Perálvarez *Department of Hepatology and Liver Transplantation, Hospital Universitario Reina Sofía, University of Córdoba, Instituto Maimonides de Investigación Biomédica de Córdoba (IMIBIC), Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Hepáticas y Digestivas (CIBEREHD), Córdoba, Spain.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

In patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), undergoing liver transplantation (LT), cytomegalovirus reactivation (CMVr) may modulate the immune system to prevent tumor recurrence. In this multicenter retrospective study (2010-2015) involving 15 institutions, we assessed the effect of early CMVr in tumor recurrence rates among 771-LT HCC patients with tacrolimus-based immunosuppression (88% men, mean age 58 years). CMV prophylaxis was implemented for 19.7% of patients, while the rest were managed with preemptive therapy. The Milan criteria were met by 88% of patients. Microvascular invasion was present in 12.7% of explanted livers. The serum AFP level before transplantation was 5.1 (3-15) ng/mL. After a median follow-up of 7.4 years, 101 patients (13%) experienced HCC recurrence. CMVr occurred in 235 patients (30.5%) at a median of 41.5 days post-LT and 42 patients (5.6%) had CMV disease. Cumulative exposure to tacrolimus within the first 3 months after LT was similar among patients with and without CMVr. In a multivariate Cox regression analysis, factors associated with an increased rate of HCC recurrence included microvascular invasion [HR:2.82, CI95%:1.55-5.14; p 0.0001], donation after circulatory determination of death [HR:4.43,CI95%:1.52-12.9; p 0.006) and diameter of the main nodule at explant [HR:1.04, CI95%:1.02-1.06; p < 0.001]. Meanwhile CMVr [HR:0.46, CI95%:0.23-0.93, p 0.031] and MELD [HR:0.93, CI95%:0.87-0.99; p0.017] exhibited protective effects. In conclusion, early CMVr may protect against HCC recurrence. The underlying immune mechanisms warrant further investigation.

Indexed as

Carcinoma, HepatocellularCytomegalovirusCytomegalovirus InfectionsLiver NeoplasmsLiver TransplantationNeoplasm Recurrence, LocalVirus ActivationAdultAgedFemaleHumansImmunosuppressive AgentsMaleMiddle AgedRetrospective StudiesTacrolimusImmunosuppressive AgentsTacrolimuscytomegalovirusdonation after circulatory determination of deathhepatocellular carcinomaImmunosupressionliver transplantationsurvival

Identifiers

PMID40557335
PMCPMC12185357

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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.