Liver Tumors & Transplants

Question 0

J: The discovery of this drug drastically improved the rate of successful organ transplants.

Answer 0

What is cyclosporin?

Question 1

What are the most common diseases indicating a liver transplant?

Answer 1

(1) hepatitis C
(2) cholestatic liver disease
(3) alcoholic liver disease

Question 2

J: This refers to a system once used for assessing the severity of liver disease.

Answer 2

What is the Child-Pugh scoring system?

Question 3

J: This refers to a system now used for assessing the severity of liver disease.

Answer 3

What is the MELD scoring system?

Question 4

What is a notable indication for liver transplant that is not associated to liver failure?

Answer 4

Familial amyloid polyneuropathy. (The transplant is effectively gene therapy.)

Question 5

How can hepatocellular carcinoma be diagnosed?

Answer 5

Using CT or MRI to determine abnormal blood supply to areas of the liver. In HCC, the tumor is supplied exclusively by the hepatic artery.

Question 6

What non-viral organism is responsible for an increased risk of hepatocellular carcinoma?

Answer 6

Aspergillus, or more specifically, a mycotoxin, aflatoxin B1, of certain species. It can cause a p53 mutation.

Question 7

What are non-surgical therapies for HCC?

Answer 7

(1) radiofrequency ablation
(2) transarterial chemoembolization (TACE)
(3) radiotherapy
(4) sorafenib