Thomas D. Boyer Liver Institute

03/27/2026

As March comes to an end, it is important to bring awareness to the impact of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) on women as factors such as metabolism, weight and size, and genetic makeup can influence women's liver health.

As NAFLD becomes more common, it is important to note the following risk factors:
- Family history of fatty liver disease or obesity.
- Insulin resistance.
- Metabolic syndrome.
- Obesity, especially when fat is centered in the waist.
- Polycystic o***y syndrome.
- Underactive thyroid, also called hypothyroidism.
- Underactive pituitary gland, or hypopituitarism.

Read more about causes and symptoms here:

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, often called NAFLD, is a liver problem that affects people who drink little to no alcohol. In NAFLD, too much fat…

03/25/2026

Hepatitis D is caused by the hepatitis D virus (HDV), which requires hepatitis B virus (HBV) for its replication. Hepatitis D infection cannot occur in the absence of HBV. HDV–HBV co-infection is considered the most severe form of chronic viral hepatitis due to more rapid progression towards hepatocellular carcinoma and liver-related death.

Yesterday, the JOURNAL OF HEPATOLOGY shared a study that demonstrates the efficacy of REP treatment for people with HDV. read more:

Safety and efficacy of REP 2139-Mg in patients with HDV-related advanced liver disease in an international compassionate access program

There is an urgent need for new therapeutic strategies for hepatitis D, the most severe form of viral hepatitis. More than a decade ago, the first pilot study of nucleic acid polymers (NAPs; REP 2139) was reported, followed by individual patient cases with sometimes striking responses presented at international meetings. What has been lacking, however, is a comprehensive evaluation of the overall compassionate-use experience with this mechanistically innovative but debated approach, particularly given previously reported safety concerns, including transaminase flares, especially when combined with interferon. In this issue, Stern and coworkers present the first consolidated analysis of a compassionate access program evaluating REP 2139-Mg in patients with advanced chronic liver disease due to hepatitis D. In a heavily pretreated cohort, including patients with decompensated cirrhosis, REP therapy resulted in marked declines in HDV RNA, frequent viral suppression at the end of treatment, and notable rates of HBsAg loss, with sustained responses during follow-up. Importantly, antiviral efficacy appeared largely independent of pegylated interferon co-administration. Clinical benefits, including stabilization or improvement of ascites, were observed, and treatment was feasible even in patients undergoing liver transplantation. While clinical development remains at an early stage and requires further rigorous evaluation, this report represents a major milestone and provides compelling proof of principle for NAP-based therapy in hepatitis D, within a rapidly evolving therapeutic landscape that includes monoclonal antibodies and HBV-targeting small-interfering RNAs.

Full text here: https://www.journal-of-hepatology.eu/article/S0168-8278(25)02612-1/fulltext

EASL - The Home of Hepatology

03/20/2026

People often ask if they should take an HCV test or if they are at risk for HCV. While transmission of HCV can happen at any point in someone's life, some common risk factors include the following:

- Participation in injected drug use, even once.
- Sharing materials that are contaminated with blood such as reusing needles, toothbrushes, razors, etc.
- Accidental needle injury, whether in a healthcare setting or not.
- Long-term hemodialysis.

03/18/2026

While liver disease can affect anyone, there are a few that impact women more than men. For example, autoimmune disorders such as autoimmune hepatitis and primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) affect women with 60 per-100,000 women affected by PBC compared to 15 per-100,000 men.

Source:

Primary biliary cholangitis causes chronic inflammation in your bile ducts. Damage to your bile ducts can eventually affect your liver.

03/15/2026

The Hepatitis C team had a great time interacting with the people at the Tucson Festival of Books.

Check us out again and get screened tomorrow at the University of Arizona Health Sciences booth from 1:30 to 3:30 pm.

03/11/2026

The Thomas D. Boyer Liver Institute had the privilege to be at the 2nd Latino Pride event on Saturday, March 7th. We are grateful for the support by the Latino Pride Alliance and for having us at the event.

Check us out this weekend at the Tucson Festival of Books with the University of Arizona Health Sciences on Saturday and Sunday from 1:30 to 3:30 PM.

03/04/2026

Check out the Thomas D. Boyer March Newsletter -

The Boyer Liver Institute, launched in 2000, is dedicated to research, education, diagnosis and treatment of all forms of liver disease. Stay updated with us to know about current studies, free Hep-C testing, and more! Care for patients suffering from liver disorders such as Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C...

02/27/2026

there are notable disparities in incidence and mortality of liver cancer amongst racial and ethnic populations? According to the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program, racial and ethnic groups have a higher burden of liver cancer with American Indian/Alaskan Native (AI/AN) persons having the highest incidence and mortality rates.

02/25/2026

The Difference between Fibrosis & Cirrhosis:

Chronic liver disease can be defined in 4 stages with 2 of them being fibrosis and cirrhosis. Fibrosis is the gradual stiffing of the liver where the beginning of liver scarring occurs whereas cirrhosis is the severe liver scarring is present. The key difference is that fibrosis is reversible whereas cirrhosis is permanent. Get screened to ensure that your liver is in good health and to prevent cirrhosis from occurring.

For more info:

Learn about the many causes and effects of liver disease, and what to do about it.

02/20/2026

With February being Cholangiocarcinoma Awareness Month, it is important to understand how it is treated to bring awareness and develop better treatments.

Depending on the cancer stage, there are 2 types of treatment for cholangiocarcinoma (bile duct cancer):
1) Resecable cancer: bile duct cancer may be completely removed by surgery.
2) Unresectable cancer: most cases of intrahepatic, distal, and perihilar bile duct cancer are unresectable and cannot be completely removed. Typically treated with various neoadjuvant therapies.

For more information:

Bile duct cancer (also called cholangiocarcinoma) can occur in the bile ducts in the liver (intrahepatic) or outside the liver (perihilar or distal ). Learn about the types of bile duct cancer, risk factors, clinical features, staging, and treatment for bile duct cancer in this expert-reviewed summa...

02/18/2026

there are 3 types of cholangiocarcinoma based on where the cancer occurs? They are known as the following:

Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma - the parts of the bile ducts within the liver and is sometimes classified as a type of liver cancer.

Hilar cholangiocarcinoma - occurs in the bile ducts just outside of the liver and also called perihilar cholangiocarcinoma.

Distal cholangiocarcinoma - occurs in the portion of the bile duct nearest the small intestine. This type is also called extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma.

Learn more about cholangiocarcinoma here:

Learn about symptoms, risk factors, diagnosis and treatment, including transplant, for this rare cancer that affects the bile ducts of older adults.

02/13/2026

The Relationship between Liver Disease and Heart Health:

With February being Heart health Month, let's discuss the relationship between liver disease and heart health. Both heart and liver disease share common risk factors that are associated to conditions such as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and cardiovascular disease (CVD).

Because of these associations, it is important that to check both your heart and your liver to ensure proper function of both organs and to make health lifestyle choices. To learn more about their impact, check out this study: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11374492/