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In recent years, immunotherapies with checkpoint inhibitors have significantly improved the therapeutic options for numerous tumor diseases. Even if phase III data are still outstanding for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), there are new data from smaller study cohorts.
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Phase-II study proves the efficacy of the dual PPARα/δ agonist elafibranor as additional therapy to ursodeoxycholic acid in the treatment of primary biliary cholangitis (PBC).
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One strategy that has proven promising in Phase II is the activation of the intracellular receptor RIG-I to improve the immune response to the virus and to eliminate HBsAg in combination with antiviral therapy.
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A new and currently experimental approach in the development of effective therapies for chronic hepatitis B is the inhibition of the HBV core protein. A study presented at ILC 2019 demonstrated the strong antiviral efficacy of this approach.
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While the cure of hepatitis C today is not a medical problem for almost all patients, but at most, a health policy problem, the elimination or at least drug-free control of the HB virus can still only be achieved in a minority of chronically infected patients.
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Even under a cutoff of less than 2000 IU/ml HBV DNA, infected patients have an increased risk of developing hepatocellular carcinoma. This is probably due to the integration of the hepatitis B virus (HBV) into the human genome.
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A study from Great Britain shows that in a population-based cohort, almost every fifth person examined had a fatty liver with an average age of 24 years. In addition, many patients had already developed liver fibrosis.
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Today, almost all HCV-infections can be successfully treated in clinical routine - even those patients who have not responded to pre-therapies or who have shown failure in therapy.
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The effect of a disturbed intestinal barrier on the liver was investigated in a pilot study by a Japanese research group, which presented its results at the International Liver Congress (ILC) 2019.
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Obeticholic acid (OCA) effectiveness in the treatment of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease NAFLD/NASH has been demonstrated for the first time in an interim analysis of the Phase-III REGENERATE study.
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Behind this word lies a new method that combines diagnostics and therapy. In prostate cancer, a PSMA ligand, such as that used in PET/CT, is linked to a radioisotope such as 177 lutetium. This achieves site-specific tumor therapy.
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With more than 200 known genotypes the human papillomaviruses are not only dermatologically relevant. HPV infection must be regarded as a systemic infection that can also be detected in the testicles or ejaculate of men. But does it also affect fertility?
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Focal Therapy (FT) for prostate cancer is considered as an organ-preserving surgical technique with few side effects. However, there is no extensive evidence-based data for its effectiveness and it is still regarded as an experimental procedure.
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The jumping breast phenomenon is well known in cosmetic surgery but there is hardly any literature about it. In oncological breast surgery, the problem has even been mostly ignored so far, although the deformation of the breast is sometimes serious and the patients suffer considerably from it.
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The kick-off day of the 10th International Charité Mayo Conference, staged a keynote lecture by Adrian Lee from Pittsburgh, USA, who has a key role in the design of precision medicine.
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Overuse, misuse and also the almost exponential use of antibiotics in animal production contribute to antibiotic resistance. Important medications may no longer be usable in the future. The search for antibiotics alternatives has therefore long ago begun.
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The placement of a stent is a routine task for urologists worldwide. The responsibility to remove this stent also rests on their shoulders. Statistically, however, about 13% of stents are forgotten - with far-reaching consequences for the patients and beyond.
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Testosterone administration is contraindicated in PCa patients even after radical prostatectomy. But more recent findings in hypogonadal men hint at a slow rehabilitation of testosterone substitution.
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Urogenital TB is often overlooked. In regions with high TB prevalence, it is "treated" as a classic UTI. UTIs may mask urogenital tuberculosis frequently, and doctors should be reminded of this scenario.
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Nephrolithiasis is a frequently treated disease in urology, assumed to have no further room for groundbreaking innovations. However, causal research and the vacuum-assisted mini-percutaneous nephrolithotomy (vmPCNL) hint at new developments.
