The Second Tianfu Academic Conference on Standardized Diagnosis and Treatment of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Diseases, jointly organized by the Sichuan Medical Science and Technology Innovation Research Association, Sichuan Anti-Cancer Association, and Sichuan Physicians Association, was recently held in Chengdu. Renowned experts and scholars from the field of liver, gallbladder, and pancreas at home and abroad gathered in Rongcheng to focus on the conference theme of "Innovative Collaboration and Joint Leadership" for multi-dimensional and all-round academic discussions.

At the standardized diagnosis and treatment sub forum for liver cancer, Professor Shi Yinghong, Deputy Director of the Liver Cancer Research Institute at Fudan University, delivered a keynote speech on "Liver Transplantation Treatment for Liver Cancer After Descending Phase". He introduced that imaging enhanced tissue cannot distinguish between tumor tissue and inflammatory response, and has certain limitations in predicting the degree of pathological remission of tumors. Combined with serological AFP, abnormal prothrombin, 7 miRNA combinations, and other tests, it is expected to further improve the accuracy of PCR prediction and can be used as a new prognostic marker for recurrence of liver cancer after liver transplantation. By using 7 miRNA combinations, it is possible to effectively compare the comprehensive changes in the expression levels of these 7 miRNA combinations before and after treatment in HCC patients, thereby assisting in determining disease progression or treatment effectiveness. He further introduced a literature published in J Cancer in 2021, which pointed out that after liver transplantation, 7 miRNA combinations can predict early postoperative recurrence. Before AFP and DCP increase or recurrence is detected on imaging, plasma miRNA7 status has been detected as positive. The median time from the first change of plasma miRNA7 to tumor recurrence after surgery is 2.4 months (0.5-10.0 months).

At the main forum of the conference, Professor Zhou Jian, Executive Vice President of Zhongshan Hospital affiliated with Fudan University, delivered a keynote speech on the “Key Updating Points of the Diagnosis and Treatment Guidelines for Primary Liver Cancer (2024 Edition)”. He pointed out that liver cancer is still the second leading cause of cancer death in China. If further control measures, including prevention and screening are not taken, it is expected that by 2040, the global incidence and mortality of liver cancer will increase by more than 55% compared to 2020, with half of them occurring in China. Both domestic and foreign studies have shown that regular screening for liver cancer can help with early diagnosis and treatment, bringing survival benefits to patients. As the world's first liver cancer molecular test kit, miRNA7™ can effectively improve the efficiency of early diagnosis of liver cancer and has been included in multiple authoritative guidelines and consensus such as the Diagnosis and Treatment Guidelines for Primary Liver Cancer (2024 Edition). It has been introduced and implemented in more than 20 provinces and cities across the country.

This conference has a positive promoting effect on strengthening the normalization, homogeneity, and standardization of the diagnosis and treatment of hepatobiliary and pancreatic diseases, promoting academic exchange of new technologies and concepts in hepatobiliary and pancreatic surgery, and promoting the high-quality development of standardized diagnosis and treatment of hepatobiliary and pancreatic diseases.

We hope that with wider implementation and more usage of miRNA7™ in clinical practice can improve the treatment effectiveness of more liver cancer patients, allowing more patients to benefit from it, and steadily promote the implementation of the “Healthy China” Action.