The Columbia Liver Summit 2025, hosted by Columbia University Irving Medical Center, was recorded on January 30–31, 2025. This two-day educational program brought together multidisciplinary clinical perspectives on pediatric liver disease, liver transplantation, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), cholangiocarcinoma, and emerging approaches to diagnosis and treatment.

The program combines expert presentations, case-based learning, panel discussions, interactive Q&A sessions, and patient perspectives to provide healthcare professionals with practical insights into the evolving management of complex liver diseases.

Day 1: Sixth Annual Pediatric Liver Disease and Transplantation

The first day focuses on commonly encountered pediatric liver diseases, metabolic disorders, liver transplantation, and long-term patient management. The program examines the causes, clinical manifestations, risk factors, screening approaches, and evolving treatment strategies for children with liver disease.

Key Topics

• Current approaches to the management of pediatric liver disease
• Metabolic disorders in pediatric patients
• Metabolic disorders without liver injury
• Metabolic disorders associated with liver injury
• Emerging gene therapy approaches for pediatric liver disease
• Management of hyperammonemia
• Nutritional management of metabolic disorders
• Indications for liver transplantation in metabolic disorders
• State-of-the-art approaches to pediatric liver transplantation
• Psychosocial factors affecting pediatric liver transplant success
• Supporting children and families throughout the transplantation process
• Complex pediatric liver disease case presentations
• Patient and family perspectives on liver transplantation

Learning Objectives

By completing this program, participants will be able to:

• Identify current approaches to the management of pediatric liver disease.
• Describe metabolic disorders and their implications for pediatric liver transplantation.
• Discuss contemporary strategies for managing pediatric liver transplant patients.
• Recognize clinical considerations in the diagnosis and management of metabolic liver disorders.
• Understand nutritional and psychosocial factors that can influence transplantation outcomes.

Program Format

The Day 1 program features educational presentations, interactive panel discussions, clinical case presentations, audience Q&A, and patient testimonials. These formats provide opportunities to examine both clinical decision-making and the broader challenges associated with pediatric liver disease and transplantation.

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Day 2: Advances in the Management of Hepatocellular Carcinoma

The second day focuses on the multidisciplinary management of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and provides an overview of current and emerging approaches to screening, diagnosis, biomarkers, systemic therapy, interventional radiology, surgery, and liver transplantation.

The program also examines cholangiocarcinoma and the evolving therapeutic landscape for patients with primary liver cancers.

Session 1: HCC Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Screening

This session explores changes in the epidemiology of hepatocellular carcinoma and their implications for screening, surveillance, diagnosis, and patient outcomes.

Key Topics

• Updates in HCC screening and surveillance
• Novel biomarkers for hepatocellular carcinoma
• Evolving epidemiology of HCC
• Disparities in HCC outcomes
• Emerging mechanisms of HCC pathogenesis
• Diagnostic evaluation of solid liver lesions
• LI-RADS criteria and their role in liver lesion assessment
• Clinical case presentations
• Multidisciplinary panel discussion and Q&A

Session 2: Multidisciplinary and Multimodality Treatment for HCC

This session examines contemporary treatment strategies for HCC and emphasizes the importance of multidisciplinary care.

Key Topics

• Immunotherapy for HCC
• Current recommendations for systemic treatment
• Future directions in HCC immunotherapy
• Interventional radiology approaches to HCC treatment
• Transarterial chemoembolization (TACE)
• Y-90 radioembolization
• Ablation techniques
• Histotripsy and emerging liver-directed technologies
• Surgical resection for HCC
• Liver transplantation for HCC
• Systemic therapy and treatment selection
• Integrated interventional radiology and surgical approaches
• Multidisciplinary HCC case management

Session 3: Diagnosis and Management of Cholangiocarcinoma

The final session expands beyond HCC to address cholangiocarcinoma (CCA), including its biology, diagnosis, surgery, and systemic treatment.

Key Topics

• Epidemiology of cholangiocarcinoma
• Pathogenesis of CCA
• Surgical approaches to cholangiocarcinoma
• Systemic therapies for CCA
• Multidisciplinary treatment planning
• Complex clinical case presentations
• Expert panel discussion
• Current and emerging approaches to CCA management

Learning Objectives

By completing the HCC program, participants will be able to:

• Describe recent changes in the epidemiology of hepatocellular carcinoma.
• Apply current principles of HCC screening and surveillance.
• Recognize emerging biomarkers and diagnostic strategies for HCC.
• Evaluate solid liver lesions using contemporary diagnostic approaches, including LI-RADS criteria.
• Describe systemic treatment options for patients with HCC.
• Discuss non-transplant surgical treatment strategies.
• Explain current advances in HCC immunotherapy.
• Understand the role of interventional radiology in HCC treatment.
• Discuss the role of liver resection and transplantation in appropriate HCC patients.
• Evaluate multidisciplinary treatment strategies for complex HCC cases.
• Describe current approaches to the diagnosis and treatment of cholangiocarcinoma.

Who This Program Is For

The Columbia Liver Summit is designed for healthcare professionals involved in the diagnosis, treatment, and long-term management of liver disease and liver cancer, including:

• Primary care physicians
• Pediatric gastroenterologists
• Gastroenterologists and hepatologists
• Pediatric surgeons
• Transplant surgeons
• General surgeons
• Medical and surgical oncologists
• Interventional radiologists
• Radiologists
• Nurses and nurse practitioners
• Physician assistants
• Fellows and residents
• Dietitians
• Social workers
• Other clinicians involved in liver disease, transplantation, and oncology care

Recorded Conference Content

The Columbia Liver Summit 2025 includes two comprehensive continuous video recordings covering the educational sessions from both conference days:

• Day 1: Sixth Annual Pediatric Liver Disease and Transplantation
• Day 2: Third Annual Advances in the Management of Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Multidisciplinary Approach

The recordings include lectures, clinical case presentations, panel discussions, interactive Q&A sessions, and other educational content presented throughout the conference.

Program Highlights

The Columbia Liver Summit 2025 provides a comprehensive educational overview of pediatric liver disease, metabolic disorders, liver transplantation, hepatocellular carcinoma, cholangiocarcinoma, immunotherapy, biomarkers, screening, interventional radiology, surgery, and multidisciplinary liver cancer care.

By bringing these subjects together in one program, the summit offers healthcare professionals an opportunity to review current clinical approaches, understand emerging treatment strategies, and explore the complex decision-making involved in caring for patients with advanced and complex liver diseases.