Research findings on factors of premature death and cancer in patients with PSC

"Alimentary Pharmacology and Therapeutic"-one of the leading journals in the field of gastroenterology and hepatology (IF 7,515) published the results of a multicenter study investigating the role of anti-GP2 and PR3-ANCA autoantibodies as prognostic factors for premature death and biliary cancer in patients with primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC). The project leader was Professor Piotr Milkiewicz, Head of the Department of Hepatology and Internal Diseases at the UCC MUW and European Reference Network for Rare Liver Diseases (ERN- RARE LIVER)

Based on analyses, the researchers provided preliminary evidence of a correlation between the tested antibodies and a greater risk of aggressive disease progression, development of biliary tract cancer, and death. According to Prof. Piotr Milkiewicz "everything indicates that after many years of attempts the first immunological markers of prognostic significance in PSC have finally been found. The study may spur the development of new prognostic algorithms to assess the risk of adverse PSC. It may also help individualize oncologic surveillance for these patients." The importance of the conclusions drawn from the analyses was highlighted in the Editor's commentary(Tornai D, Papp M. Aliment. Pharmacol. Ther. 2021).

Ewa Wunsch, MD, PhD, Head of the Independent Laboratory of Translational Medicine at PUMS, was the principal investigator of the project. Centers from the United States and Germany participated in the study, including one of Europe's leading Hepatology Department from the University of Hamburg, led by renowned European hepatologist Professor Ansgar Lohse.

Rare diseases such as primary sclerosing cholangitis have recently attracted much attention, mainly due to the fact that progress in their diagnosis and treatment has been much slower than in more common diseases. PSC has an unpredictable course, often dramatically worsens patients' quality of life, and is additionally burdened with the risk of developing biliary tract cancer, a cancer with a very poor prognosis.

The study is the result of the cooperation between the Department of Hepatology and Internal Medicine at the UCC MUW and the laboratory in Szczecin led by Ewa Wunsch, MD, PhD. There are other projects in progress, concerning the diagnosis and treatment of rare liver diseases.