Standardising the Interpretation of Liver Biopsies in Non‐Alcoholic Fatty
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DR RISH K PAI (Orcid ID : 0000-0002-1788-475X) MRS CLAIRE PARKER (Orcid ID : 0000-0002-8587-5441) DR BRIAN G FEAGAN (Orcid ID : 0000-0002-6914-3822) DR ROHIT LOOMBA (Orcid ID : 0000-0002-4845-9991) DR VIPUL JAIRATH (Orcid ID : 0000-0002-1092-0033) Article type : Original Scientific Paper TITLE: Standardizing the interpretation of liver biopsies in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease clinical trials SHORT TITLE: Interpretation of liver biopsies in NAFLD trials AUTHORS: Rish K. Pai1, David E. Kleiner2, John Hart3, Oyedele A. Adeyi4, Andrew D. Clouston5, Cynthia A. Behling6, Dhanpat Jain7, Sanjay Kakar8, Mayur Brahmania9, Lawrence Burgart10, Kenneth P. Batts11, Mark A. Valasek12, Michael S. Torbenson13, Maha Guindi14, Hanlin L. Wang15, Veeral Ajmera16, Leon A. Adams17, Claire E. Parker18, Brian G. Feagan19, Rohit Loomba20, Vipul Jairath21 AUTHOR AFFILIATIONS: 1Scottsdale, AZ, USA; 2Bethesda, MD, USA; 3Chicago, IL, USA; 4Toronto, ON, Canada; 5Brisbane, QLD, Australia; 6San Diego, CA, USA; 7New Haven, CT, This is the author manuscript accepted for publication and has undergone full peer review but has not been through the copyediting, typesetting, pagination and proofreading process, which may Author Manuscript lead to differences between this version and the Version of Record. Please cite this article as doi: 10.1111/APT.15503 This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved 2 USA; 8San Francisco, CA, USA; 9London, ON, Canada; 10Minneapolis, MN, USA; 11Minneapolis, MN, USA; 12La Jolla, CA, USA; 13Rochester, MN, USA; 14Los Angeles, CA, USA; 15Los Angeles, CA, USA; 16La Jolla, CA, USA; 17Perth, WA, Australia; 18London, ON, Canada; 19London, ON, Canada; 20La Jolla, CA, USA; 21London, ON, Canada. WORD COUNT: 3634 CORRESPONDENCE: Dr. Rish K. Pai, Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, Mayo Clinic Arizona, 13400 E. Shea Blvd, Scottsdale, AZ, 85259; Phone: 480-301-4081; Fax: 480-301-9158; E-mail: [email protected] LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS: NASH-CRN, NASH Clinical Research Network; NAS, NAFLD activity score, NAS; SAF score, Steatosis, Activity, Fibrosis score. SUMMARY Background: There is substantial variation in how histologic definitions and scoring systems of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease are operationalized. Aims: Our objective was to develop a consensus-based framework for standardizing histologic assessment of liver biopsies in clinical trials of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Methods: An expert panel of 14 liver pathologists and 3 hepatologists was assembled. Using modified RAND/University of California Los Angeles appropriateness methodology, 130 items derived from literature review and expert opinion were rated by each panel member on a 1 to 9 scale. Disagreement was defined as > 5 ratings in the lowest (1-3) and highest (7-9) categories. Items were classified as inappropriate (median 1-3.5 without disagreement), uncertain (median 3.5-6.5 or any median with disagreement) or appropriate (median 6.5-9 without disagreement). Survey results were discussed as a group before voting. Results: Current measures of disease activity and fibrosis may not fully capture important features of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis. It was determined that alternative methods to evaluate Author Manuscript ballooning degeneration are needed, however panellists were uncertain whether portal inflammation, degree of steatosis, and Mallory-Denk bodies are important measures of disease activity. Furthermore, it was felt that current staging systems do not capture the full spectrum of This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved 3 fibrosis in non-alcoholic steatohepatitis. A consensus definition and sub-stages for bridging fibrosis are needed. The severity of perisinusoidal fibrosis should be captured at all stages. Lastly, a method to evaluate features of fibrosis regression should be developed. Conclusion: The operating properties of the modifications proposed should be evaluated prospectively to determine reliability and responsiveness. KEYWORDS: Steatohepatitis, fibrosis, steatosis, ballooning degeneration, histopathology SUMMARY WORD COUNT: 250 INTRODUCTION Defined as evidence of hepatic steatosis in the absence of secondary causes of fat accumulation in the liver, 1 non-alcoholic fatty liver disease affects approximately one-quarter of adults worldwide and it is estimated that disease-related complications are increasing.2-4 Non- alcoholic fatty liver disease describes a spectrum of liver disease ranging from steatosis without hepatocyte injury (non-alcoholic fatty liver) to non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, which is characterized by steatosis coupled with inflammation and hepatocellular ballooning.5,6 Patients with non-alcoholic steatohepatitis have an increased risk of liver-related mortality and developing cirrhosis compared to those with non-alcoholic fatty liver.7 In the absence of effective medical treatment, it is anticipated that cirrhosis due to non-alcoholic steatohepatitis will become the leading worldwide cause for liver transplantation in the next decade.8,9 At present, there are no therapies approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration or the European Medicines Agency for the treatment of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis. However, several drugs are in early- or late-stage evaluation. Efficient development of new treatments for non- alcoholic steatohepatitis requires the use of objective measures of disease activity that are valid, reliable and responsive.10 While exploratory blood-based and imaging pharmacodynamic biomarkers have been 11 proposed, liver Author Manuscript biopsy remains the current gold standard for assessment of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease activity and fibrosis in clinical trials. Although fibrosis is not required for a diagnosis of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, it is commonly present. Several histologic scoring systems for measuring microscopic disease activity and fibrosis exist. In 1999, Brunt et al. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved 4 developed a descriptive grading system for non-alcoholic steatohepatitis that separately grades necro-inflammatory activity and stages the extent of fibrosis.12 In 2003, Harrison et al. proposed a modification to the Brunt criteria to enable quantification of disease activity in a randomized controlled trial.13 The Non-Alcoholic Steatohepatitis Clinical Research Network (NASH-CRN) proposed a system for scoring the full spectrum of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease lesions in 2005.14 The non-alcoholic fatty liver disease activity score (NAS) is an unweighted index calculated by summing component scores for items considered potentially reversible in the short term, namely, steatosis, lobular inflammation, and hepatocyte ballooning. This system also separately evaluates fibrosis. The NAS is the most commonly used index in non-alcoholic steatohepatitis clinical trials although few studies have formally evaluated the operating properties of the NAS outside of the NASH-CRN.14-16 In 2011, Younossi et al. correlated various histologic features with liver-related mortality.17 While this comprehensive pathologic evaluation demonstrated strong correlation between fibrosis and liver-related mortality, its validity for use in clinical trials is unknown. Finally, in 2012, Bedossa et al. described the Steatosis, Activity, Fibrosis (SAF) scoring system to facilitate the classification of liver biopsies taken from morbidly obese patients.18 In this study, an algorithm based on the steatosis and activity scores was proposed to aid in distinguishing between non-alcoholic fatty liver and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis. In late 2018, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration published draft guidance for industry regarding the development of therapies in non-cirrhotic patients with non-alcoholic steatohepatitis.19 Histologic evaluation is regarded as essential for determining therapeutic efficacy and determining phase IIb and III trial eligibility. Specifically, a NAS score greater than or equal to 4 with ballooning and lobular inflammation subscores of at least 1, in addition to a NASH-CRN fibrosis stage score of 2 or 3, are the recommended inclusion criteria. Three histologic endpoints have been proposed, including 1) resolution of steatohepatitis (defined by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as a NAS lobular inflammation subscore ≤ 1, a ballooning subscore of 0, and any steatosis subscore), 2) improvement in liver fibrosis (defined as a reduction in NASH-CRNAuthor Manuscript fibrosis stage ≥ 1 and no worsening of steatohepatitis), and 3) resolution of steatohepatitis and improvement in fibrosis. Given the essential role of histopathology in determining the efficacy of new therapeutic agents for non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, we assembled a multidisciplinary panel of 17 liver This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved 5 pathologists and hepatologists and conducted a two-round consensus process regarding the histologic assessment of liver biopsies in clinical trials using modified RAND/University of California Los Angeles appropriateness methodology.20 Factors that may lead to suboptimal evaluation of key outcome measures, and false negative trial results, were identified by the group. Standardizing the histologic assessment of liver biopsies in an effort to reduce variability and improve responsiveness has important implications for the large and increasing number of patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease participating in clinical trials and being managed in clinical practice. MATERIALS AND METHODS Item generation