News Articles 11 - 20 of 160

21
Mar
The SHiNE-UK Study (Surveillance and Care for HCC: A National Evaluation) is now live
News Type: BASL News

The SHiNE-UK study (Surveillance and Care for HCC: A National Evaluation) is now live.

Further information and all study docs are available on REDCap dashboard here; www.REDCap.link/SHiNE-UKdashboard


Do you want to help to research an increasingly important clinical question in hepatology? Do you want to get involved in a large national collaborative project with PubMed-cited collaborative authorship?

SHiNE-UK (Surveillance and care for Hepatocellular carcInoma: a National Evaluation) is a multi-centre project aiming to understand HCC surveillance adherence and outcomes, routes to diagnosis and treatment utilisation across the UK.

SHiNE-UK is a trainee-led multicentre retrospective study that is led by the Trainee Collaborative for Research and Improvement for Hepatology (ToRcH-UK) and hosted by Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust. I

This project comprises of 3 threads:
• Survey of the current provision of HCC surveillance and care (site leads only)
• To assess HCC surveillance adherence and outcomes for patients active in surveillance (all sites – projected 20-60 cases per site)
• To assess routes to diagnosis and first line treatment utilisation for incident HCC (network HPB MDT sites only – projected 30-90 cases per site)

All clinicians, including specialist nurses and allied health professionals are encouraged to take part. Local project teams will gather retrospective data between February and July 2024. All data will be submitted anonymously on REDCap. Each site will have a site lead (registrar) with a supervising gastroenterology/hepatology consultant. The study can be registered via your local Audit Department and will not require R&D approval.

If you would like to take part, please access the SHiNE-UK study dashboard which provides the protocol and supporting materials www.REDCap.link/SHiNE-UKdashboard.

Key Dates
27-Nov-2023 - Site registration opens
19-Feb-2024 - REDCap data collection opens
30-Apr-2024 - Site registration closes
31-Jul-2024 - REDCap data collection closes

Download SHiNE-UK Promotional Poster v1.0 04-Feb-24.pdf

If you have any questions, please contact us via committee@torchuk.org. We look forward to working with you on this exciting project!

Best wishes
SHiNE-UK Project Management Group

X @SHiNEUK_study 

29
Jan
Closure of HCV Research UK
News Type: BASL News

As many in the hepatology community are aware, HCV Research UK has been operating for more than a decade, providing clinical data and biological samples from a national cohort to support research studies into HCV infection. In total, more than 100 applications for accessing data and samples have been approved, enabling unique insight into the characteristics of infection, pathogenesis and the mechanisms underlying treatment response.

With the advent of direct acting antivirals and the progress towards elimination, there are now few applications requesting access to the resources. In addition, the clinical database has not been updated for several years. As a consequence, the HCV Research UK Management Group has decided to close provision of data and samples by the end of this year. Therefore, we would urge anyone who may wish to use the clinical data and biological samples to lodge applications by the end of May 2024. The process for applying to access HCV Research UK resources can be found at www.hcvresearchuk.co.uk . We also suggest contacting either Will Irving (will.irving@nottingham.ac.uk) or John McLauchlan (john.mclauchlan@glasgow.ac.uk) in the first instance. This would allow sufficient time to process the applications, complete the necessary MTAs, prepare the clinical data and set aside any samples that would be needed for any research studies.

The Management Group wishes to express its gratitude to the clinical teams and HCV Research UK staff whose commitment and efforts enabled the creation of a national cohort. Finally, we will be forever grateful to the individuals living with the virus who generously provided their clinical data and samples to the benefit of studies that have deepened our knowledge of HCV infection.

HCV Research UK Management Group

Professor Will Irving (University of Nottingham)
Professor John McLauchlan (University of Glasgow)
Professor John Dillon (University of Dundee)
Professor Sharon Hutchinson (Glasgow Caledonian University

10
Jan
British Liver Trust Love Your Liver Awareness Month - January 2024
News Type: BASL News

January is Love Your Liver Awareness month a campaign ran by the British Liver Trust. The key aim of the month is to put a spotlight on liver disease risk factors and the steps we can take to keep our livers healthy.

The liver is a vital organ with an amazing ability to regenerate. Performing over 500 jobs, including producing energy and fighting infection, it works hard and can tolerate a lot of abuse. But like an elastic band – it can only stretch so far before it breaks. Taking steps to look after your liver will give it the chance to replace damaged tissue with new cells.

One in three of us is at risk of liver disease. While there are over 100 types of liver disease, with some conditions caused by genetic and autoimmune factors, a staggering 90% of cases are linked to alcohol consumption, excess body weight, diet and viral hepatitis.

Pamela Healy, Chief Executive at the British Liver Trust, said: “Liver disease has been a growing public health concern in the last twenty years during which time deaths have more than doubled with more than 10,000 people dying from the disease every year. Ninety per cent of liver disease is avoidable and sadly, the numbers of people being diagnosed have been increasing at an alarming rate".

The British Liver Trust’s Love Your Liver campaign has three simple but effective steps to improve your liver health:

  • Drink less than 14 units of alcohol and have three consecutive days off alcohol every week.
  • Cut down on sugar, carbohydrates and fat, and take more exercise.
  • Know the risk factors for viral hepatitis and get tested or vaccinated if at risk. There are now highly effective cures for hepatitis.

(Blog supplied by the British Liver Trust)

08
Jan
Become a Trustee at the British Liver Trust
News Type: BASL News

The British Liver Trust is looking for new Trustees to join their Board.

Their Trustees play a pivotal role in providing governance and guidance to ensure they are delivering for people with liver disease and liver cancer. They are involved in setting the strategic direction of the organisation, as well as holding the senior management team to account. The trustees work closely as a team with the senior management team of the charity, playing an active role advising and mentoring as required.

The British Liver Trust is a small charity with big ambitions. They want liver disease to have the same profile and awareness as the other big killer diseases such as heart disease, stroke, and cancer.

They are looking to recruit trustees to help the charity grow and develop to meet this challenge. At this time, they would particularly like:

  • to recruit a clinician with specialist Hepatitis B knowledge, and
  • to broaden the diversity of their Board, particularly ethnic diversity which they recognise as limited currently

The British Liver Trust is committed to improving equality, diversity, and inclusion across the organisation and to building a Board with a variety of backgrounds, skills and views, so that their leadership reflects the population at large and the communities they serve. They also welcome applications from people who have personal experience of liver disease. Please tell us if there may be any barriers to your engagement with us and we will actively work with you to remove these.

They currently have 4 Board meetings a year, usually virtually, Trustees may be asked to sit on a Board sub-committee relevant to their skill set and are invited to get involved in other ways from time to time.

If you have the skills, knowledge and experience required, please ask for a pack from helen.westhead@britishlivertrust.org.uk .

If you would like an informal chat with the British Liver Trust Chief Executive, Pamela Healy, please email Helen with your availability so that she can arrange this.

Applications close midnight on 14 February 2024.

www.britishlivertrust 

04
Oct
Press Releases British Liver Trust - BASL Annual Meeting 2023
News Type: BASL News

New research reveals late detection of liver disease crisis with more than a third dying within a year of diagnosis:

Download New research_late detection of liver disease crisis with more than a third dying within a year of diagnosis.pdf

"Alright My Liver?" screening programme in the South West finds hundreds with liver damage, potentially saving lives:

Download Alright My Liver_screening programme in South West finds hundreds with liver damage potentially saving lives.pdf

 

04
Aug
New initiative in Scotland to improve the clinical pathway for patients at risk of HCC or with suspected pancreas cancer
News Type: BASL News

More information can be found in the Media Release here >  Download Pathway Improvement Project-Media Release-August 2nd 2023.pdf

20
Feb
OHA’s Health Inequalities Position Statement 2023
News Type: BASL News

Obesity Health Alliance (OHA) Publishes Health Inequalities Position Statement - February 2023. 

To read the Statement on the OHA website please click > Here .  

The document outlines the key evidence on the relationship between excess weight and inequalities in health outcomes for a range of different socio-economic groups. Furthermore, it explores the policy recommendations that represent the most viable first step to close these inequalities.

The document brings together a consensus on this issue from all of the members of the Obesity Health Alliance, representing over 50 of the leading health charities, campaign groups and medical royal colleges in the UK.

20
Dec
NCEPOD Remeasuring the Units released
News Type: BASL News

After the original NCEPOD Report into the care of patients dying with alcohol-related liver disease (ArLD) published in 2013, a survey conducted by NCEPOD has re-evaluated the problems highlighted in the initial Report. This focused on the detection and management of alcohol dependent patients as well as those admitted with alcohol-related liver disease.

The survey Report – ‘Remeasuring the Units’ was published by NCEPOD on 15th December 2022 and highlights where there is further work to be done. It shows that the majority of hospitals still do not have Alcohol Care Teams, that the use of the BASL/BSG Care Bundle needs to be in routine use more widely, and that in over a quarter of Trusts patients with decompensated cirrhosis are not routinely under the care of a gastroenterologist or hepatologist.

For the full Report please click on the link > Here

02
Dec
National recruitment process for Advanced Hepatology Training Posts 2023 - Open
News Type: BASL News

This article contains headline information about the recruitment process and timings for posts offering advanced hepatology training starting in 2023. These training opportunities are for 12 months and will form a major part of the hepatology training theme within the 2022 Gastroenterology Curriculum, including experience in a transplant unit. The recruitment process covers posts in England, Scotland and Wales and will enable successful applicants to take up a post in any region.

Eligibility

Only current gastroenterology NTN holders who meet the criteria below can be considered:
• Either at the start of and at least ST6 level of training at post commencement, with evidence of satisfactory progress via ARCP OR
• At the start of ST7 level of training at post commencement, and have completed 12 months of hepatology training, with evidence of satisfactory progress via ARCP. Any outstanding GIM commitment will need to be accommodated by the training centre during ST7.
• CCT date should not be before August 2024

Timeline
• Applications will open from 10am on 1 December until 4pm on 20 December; applications will be made on the Oriel system. Now live:  https://www.oriel.nhs.uk/Web/PermaLink/Vacancy/21EDC26D  
• Shortlisted candidates will be invited to interview in mid-January.
• Interviews take place online on 1 February.
• Offers will be made later in February

Information about the expected posts available and further details about the process are available on the BASL website > Here.

If you are considering applying, it is strongly recommended that you speak to your current training programme director to discuss your plans and the effect it will have on your training.

 

04
Nov
British Liver Trust: Launch of Liver Cancer UK as cases of the disease rise dramatically across the country
News Type: BASL News

On 27th October 2022 the British Liver Trust launched Liver Cancer UK in response to rising cases of liver cancer across the country.

Liver cancer is the fastest rising cause of cancer death in the UK. Over the past decade, liver cancer incidence rates have increased by almost half (45%) in the UK and the number of people dying from liver cancer has risen the fastest out of all the twenty most common types of cancer. There are now over 40% more deaths from liver cancer in both men and women than there were a decade ago (1&2).

The disease also has a high mortality rate. Every year over 6,000 people are diagnosed with liver cancer country-wide and just 13% of them will survive for five years or more. (3) Survival rates depend on several factors, including the stage of the disease when it is diagnosed.

Many patients with liver cancer will only be diagnosed after an emergency admission to hospital or an emergency GP referral after symptoms have become severe and the cancer is more advanced. (4) In England, 44.9% of liver cancers are diagnosed in an emergency setting, such as an A&E department (5).

Liver Cancer UK will provide much needed information and support for patients affected by this devastating cancer and provide a focus for action to address this escalating situation. It will aim to improve the lives and outcomes of people affected by liver cancer and, ultimately, reduce cases of the disease.

The British Liver Trust will continue to work towards a world free of all liver diseases in addition, and as part of, its commitment to tackle liver cancer. Liver cancer is most common in people who already have liver disease, especially if they have cirrhosis (damage and scarring) of the liver which is most often caused by viral hepatitis, alcohol or obesity (6).

Pamela Healy OBE, Chief Executive of British Liver Trust, said:
“Liver cancer patients have told us that they didn’t realise that the British Liver Trust was also here for liver cancer patients - they were often confused and worried and did not know where to turn for help. We’ve created new resources and a website with targeted information to make it easier for people to get the help they need. The new programme of activity is in response to the very worrying increase in cases across the UK. We’re also deeply concerned that survival rates for liver cancer remain so low. It’s a situation which needs to urgently change.

“Liver Cancer UK, as part of the British Liver Trust, will be dedicated to saving and improving the lives of people affected by liver cancer by raising awareness, providing support and campaigning for faster diagnosis and more research into treatments and cures.”

Fiona Bailey (age 48), a liver cancer patient from Hampshire, said:
“When I was diagnosed with liver cancer, aged 45, my husband and I weren’t sure where to turn for support. At the time, I didn’t know anybody who had gone through it apart from my father-in-law who was diagnosed ten years earlier. I was diagnosed in time for surgery although I do continue to live with the ‘worry’ that it could come back. It’s brilliant that the British Liver Trust is launching Liver Cancer UK to provide dedicated information and support to patients like me and to increase awareness of liver cancer to ensure more people are diagnosed earlier. When you’ve been through something like this you just want to help other people.”

As well as the rising cases, late diagnosis of liver cancer continues to be a problem. This is partly due to the population’s low awareness of the symptoms of the disease. In 2021, the Less Survivable Cancers Taskforce released data showing that only 5% of people in the UK were able to correctly identify all symptoms of liver cancer from a list presented to them.

Professor Stephen Ryder, Medical Advisor to the British Liver Trust and Consultant Hepatologist at NHS Nottingham University Hospital, added:

“Lack of awareness of primary liver cancer and its causes is a common problem in the UK.

“The causes of liver disease and HCC, the most common primary liver cancer, are similar and interlinked. The good news is that there are things you can do to reduce the risks. Maintaining a healthy weight, avoiding drinking alcohol excessively and protecting yourself against viral hepatitis are the best defences against both liver disease and liver cancer.

“People can also develop cancer of the liver and gallbladder without the associated risk factors and should be concerned if they have any symptoms that are persistent and not normal for them. If you’re experiencing symptoms such as loss of appetite, nausea, a swollen stomach or yellowing of your skin and/or eyes, please don’t ignore them - make an appointment with your doctor to get them checked out.”

Symptoms of liver cancer include unintentional weight loss, loss of appetite, feeling very full after eating, feeling and being sick, pain or swelling in your abdomen, jaundice (yellowing of your skin and the whites of your eyes), itchy skin, feeling very tired and weak, fever with shivers, vomiting blood, dark black tarry poo or dark urine. However, the majority of these symptoms do not occur until liver cancer is at an advanced stage, so the British Liver Trust is calling for all people who are diagnosed with cirrhosis and who are most at risk to be regularly screened for liver cancer.

Visit Liver Cancer UK to find out more.


1.Over the last decade, liver cancer incidence rates have increased by almost half (45%) in the UK. Rates in females have increased by almost two-fifths (38%), and rates in males have increased by almost half (46%) (2016-2018): https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/health-professional/cancer-statistics/statistics-by-cancer-type/liver-cancer#heading-Zero 
2.Liver cancer has shown the fastest increase in mortality (within the current 20 most common UK causes of cancer death) over the past decade in the UK for both females and males. Liver cancer mortality rates have increased by 45% in females and 42% in males over the past decade in the UK. Reference: Cancer Research UK (2019). Cancer mortality for common cancers. [online]. Available at: https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/health-professional/cancer-statistics/mortality/common-cancers-compared (last accessed October 2022).
3.https://britishlivertrust.org.uk/liver-cancer-awareness-month/ 
4.The Emergency Presentation Route comprises different emergency pathways into secondary care, including A&E attendance, emergency GP referrals to an inpatient setting (non–two week wait referrals) and emergency admissions to either an inpatient or outpatient setting.
5. https://www.cancerdata.nhs.uk/emergencypresentations . Data compared for 2020 Q3. Percentages differ slightly when compared to the National Cancer Registration Dataset due to diagnostic coding - this data is only currently available for 2006-2016.
6.https://britishlivertrust.org.uk/information-and-support/living-with-a-liver-condition/liver-conditions/liver-cancer-hcc/