Volume 16 Issue 11, November 2019

Women physicians in gastroenterology and hepatology face unique challenges during their early careers, including implicit biases borne of ingrained gender stereotypes and the imposter syndrome. Addressing perceived biases and promoting leadership at the trainee level is crucial to improving female representation in gastroenterology and hepatology.

Living donor liver transplantation is a proven option for end-stage liver disease. In a new study, a pioneering multi-organ transplantation programme in Canada critically reviews the motivations and facilitators of anonymous adult living liver donors over a 12-year period, providing insights into how we can push forward ethical living organ donation for transplantation.

During the metastatic process, cancer cells spread from the primary tumour to distant organs. Although metastases are the primary cause of cancer mortality, the dynamics of the metastatic process remain largely unknown. A new study suggests that during colorectal cancer progression, metastatic seeding might occur before clinical detectability.

A new study involving integrative genomic and transcriptomic analysis of dual hepatocellular–intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma tumours has identified distinct subtypes that display different clinical and molecular features, and that could be used to guide therapeutic decisions.

In this Viewpoint article, we asked a selection of scientists and clinicians in the gut microbiota field to provide their opinions on the major advances in and future directions for research, and the challenges and solutions for translating gut microbiome research to the clinic.

Multiple therapeutic approaches are being developed to achieve sustained, off-treatment suppression of HBV. In this Review, the authors examine T cell and B cell responses to HBV and the potential for immunotherapies to restore or release endogenous adaptive immunity by direct or indirect approaches.

Pancreatic cystic neoplasms are a heterogeneous group of pancreatic cysts with different biological behaviours and variable risk of progression to malignancy. This Review summarizes the latest developments in the diagnosis and management of pancreatic cysts, including the quality of available evidence.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most common cancers worldwide. This Review describes the role of microorganisms in colorectal carcinogenesis, and the potential clinical translation of the gut microbiota as a biomarker for CRC diagnosis and prognosis, and as an approach for disease prevention and to improve therapy.