Gastroenterology and Hepatology

Current Research in Hepatology

Hepatology is a medical specialty that focuses on the structure, function, pathology and disorders of the liver, gall bladder and bile ducts. Researchers examine every facet of the digestive system to find better and improved ways to treat illnesses and other related conditions that originate in the gastrointestinal system, liver and pancreas. The main goal is to identify molecular abnormalities that can improve the outcome of patients with pancreatic cancer and those at risk of developing this disease by focusing on translational research evaluating markers and marker technologies that can help screen patients with an increased risk of developing pancreatic cancer. Aspirin use has been associated with reduced risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). About 50,000 patients with chronic hepatitis B or C virus infection who were followed for a median of nearly eight years, use of low-dose aspirin was associated with reduced risk of HCC (4 versus 8 percent) and fewer liver-related deaths. The recommended duration for glecaprevir-pibrentasvir for treatment-naive patients with chronic HCV infection has been revised to eight weeks whereas the previous recommended duration was 12 weeks.