A new consensus framework for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) could transform surgical decision-making and patient outcomes.

• The BEACON-HCC system integrates clinical features like tumor burden and vascular invasion for more precise treatment options.
• In a pilot with 29 cases, expert decisions matched BEACON-HCC recommendations 96.6% of the time, compared to 72.4% for current standards.

This framework aligns treatment with tumor biology, paving the way for expanded therapeutic strategies in North America.

• It includes emerging modalities like external beam radiation therapy and transarterial radioembolization.

Liver stiffness measurement using Fibroscan® is an effective tool for risk stratification in primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC).

• Baseline liver stiffness shows strong correlation with transplant-free survival: 5-year survival rates were 93.9% (<10 kPa), 78.1% (10-15 kPa), and 46.0% (>15 kPa).
• Progressors (increasing stiffness) had worse outcomes: an adjusted hazard ratio of 3.12 for death or transplantation.

Monitoring liver stiffness can guide surgical decisions and patient selection for liver transplantation.

NCI-designated cancer centers lead to better surgical options and survival rates for patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC).

• Patients at NCI centers had 2.37 times higher odds of surgical resection compared to non-designated centers.
• One-year mortality was halved (hazard ratio 0.50) for those receiving care at NCI centers.

Access to NCI centers is crucial for delivering coordinated care, particularly in multimodality treatment plans.

• Multimodality treatment within 180 days post-surgery was significantly higher at NCI centers (56.2%) versus non-NCI (33.4%).