To Screen or Not to Screen: Prostate Cancer in Liver Transplant Candidates

Prostate cancer screening is a controversial topic in the general population and is even more contested among liver transplant candidates. Not only should transplant programs be concerned about the risk of false positive screening results but also the competing risks of death and the diagnostic and therapeutic effects of true prostate cancer, which often does not cause significant morbidity or mortality in organ transplant recipients. Our letter highlights a best-practices approach to prostate cancer screening in transplant candidates using available research and consensus guidelines

Cost-utility analysis of non-contrast abbreviated magnetic resonance imaging for hepatocellular carcinoma surveillance in cirrhosis

Background/Aims: Ultrasonography has a low sensitivity for detecting early-stage hepatocellu- lar carcinoma (HCC) in cirrhotic patients. Non-contrast abbreviated magnetic resonance imaging (aMRI) demonstrated a comparable performance to that of magnetic resonance imaging without the risk of contrast media exposure and at a lower cost than that of full diagnostic MRI. We aimed to investigate the cost-effectiveness of non-contrast aMRI for HCC surveillance in cirrhotic pa- tients, using ultrasonography with alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) as a reference. Methods: Cost-utility analysis was performed using a Markov model in Thailand and the United States. Incremental cost-effectiveness ratios were calculated using the total costs and quality- adjusted life years (QALYs) gained in each strategy. Surveillance protocols were considered cost-effective based on a willingness-to-pay value of USD 4,665 (160,000 Thai Baht) in Thailand and USD 50,000 in the United States. Results: aMRI was cost-effective in both countries with incremental cost-effectiveness ratios of USD 3,667/QALY in Thailand and USD 37,062/QALY in the United States. Patient-level microsimulations showed consistent findings that aMRI was cost-effective in both countries. By probabilistic sen- sitivity analysis, aMRI was found to be more cost-effective than combined ultrasonography and AFP with a probability of 0.77 in Thailand and 0.98 in the United States. By sensitivity analyses, annual HCC incidence was revealed as the most influential factor affecting cost-effectiveness. The cost-effectiveness of aMRI increased in settings with a higher HCC incidence. At a higher HCC incidence, aMRI would remain cost-effective at a higher aMRI-to-ultrasonography with AFP cost ratio. Conclusions: Compared to ultrasonography with AFP, non-contrast aMRI is a cost-effective strategy for HCC surveillance and may be useful for such surveillance in cirrhotic patients, espe- cially in those with high HCC risks

Alcohol Rehabilitation Within 30 Days of Hospital Discharge Is Associated With Reduced Readmission, Relapse, and Death in Patients With Alcoholic Hepatitis

Background & Aims Patients admitted to the hospital for alcoholic hepatitis (AH) are at increased risk of readmission and death. We aimed to identify factors associated with readmission, alcohol relapse, and mortality. Methods We performed a retrospective analysis of consecutive patients admitted with AH to a tertiary care hospital from 1999 through 2016 (test cohort, n = 135). We validated our findings in a prospective analysis of patients in a multi-center AH research consortium from 2013 through 2017 (validation cohort, n = 159). Alcohol relapse was defined as any amount of alcohol consumption within 30 days after hospital discharge. Early alcohol rehabilitation was defined as residential or outpatient addiction treatment or mutual support group participation within 30 days after hospital discharge. Results Thirty-day readmission rates were 30% in both cohorts. Alcohol relapse rates were 37% in the test and 34% in the validation cohort. Following hospital discharge, 27 patients (20%) in the test cohort and 19 patients (16%) in the validation cohort attended early alcohol rehabilitation. There were 53 deaths (39%) in a median follow-up time of 2.8 years and 42 deaths (26%) in a median follow-up time of 1.3 years, respectively. In the test cohort, early alcohol rehabilitation reduced odds for 30-day readmission (adjusted odds ratios [AOR] 0.16; 95% CI, 0.04–0.65; P = .01), 30-day alcohol relapse (AOR, 0.11; 95% CI, 0.02–0.53; P < .001), and death (adjusted hazard ratio [AHR], 0.20; 95% CI, 0.05–0.56; P = .001). In the validation cohort early alcohol rehabilitation reduced odds for 30-day readmission (AOR, 0.30; 95% CI, 0.09–0.98; P = .04), 30-day alcohol relapse (AOR 0.09; 95% CI, 0.01–0.73; P = .02), and death (AHR, 0.20; 95% CI, 0.01–0.94; P = .04). A model combining alcohol rehabilitation and bilirubin identified patients with readmission to the hospital within 30 days with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.73. Conclusions In an analysis from two cohorts of patients admitted with AH, early alcohol rehabilitation can reduce risk of hospital readmission, alcohol relapse, and death and should be considered as a quality indicator in AH hospitalization treatment

Artificial intelligence compared with human-derived patient educational materials on cirrhosis

Background:. The study compared the readability, grade level, understandability, actionability, and accuracy of standard patient educational material against artificial intelligence chatbot-derived patient educational material regarding cirrhosis. Methods:. An identical standardized phrase was used to generate patient educational materials on cirrhosis from 4 large language model-derived chatbots (ChatGPT, DocsGPT, Google Bard, and Bing Chat), and the outputs were compared against a pre-existing human-derived educational material (Epic). Objective scores for readability and grade level were determined using Flesch-Kincaid and Simple Measure of Gobbledygook scoring systems. 14 patients/caregivers and 8 transplant hepatologists were blinded and independently scored the materials on understandability and actionability and indicated whether they believed the material was human or artificial intelligence-generated. Understandability and actionability were determined using the Patient Education Materials Assessment Tool for Printable Materials. Transplant hepatologists also provided medical accuracy scores. Results:. Most educational materials scored similarly in readability and grade level but were above the desired sixth-grade reading level. All educational materials were deemed understandable by both groups, while only the human-derived educational material (Epic) was considered actionable by both groups. No significant difference in perceived actionability or understandability among the educational materials was identified. Both groups poorly identified which materials were human-derived versus artificial intelligence-derived. Conclusions:. Chatbot-derived patient educational materials have comparable readability, grade level, understandability, and accuracy to human-derived materials. Readability, grade level, and actionability may be appropriate targets for improvement across educational materials on cirrhosis. Chatbot-derived patient educational materials show promise, and further studies should assess their usefulness in clinical practice