Towards Universal Screening for Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Liver Fibrosis in Primary Care: Evaluation of a Single-Step, Laboratory Informatión System-Driven Automated Case-Finding Strategy (LiverSeek)
试验速览
- 阶段
- 不适用
- 状态
- 招募中
- 发起方
- 入组人数
- 3,000
- 试验地点
- 1
- 主要终点
- Prevalence of hepatic fibrosis detected by the automated single-step case-finding strategy
研究概览
简要总结
LiverSeek is a fully automated, passive case-finding programme for advanced liver fibrosis associated with metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) in primary care. The programme operates through the Laboratory Information System (LIS; Modulab/Biwer Analytics) of the Clinical Biochemistry Laboratory at Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Marañón (HGUGM), covering approximately 350,000 inhabitants across 11 peri-urban primary care centres affiliated to SERMAS (Servicio Madrileño de Salud) in Madrid, Spain.
When a high-risk patient (age 50-75 years with ≥1 of: ALT above ULN + HbA1c ≥6.5%; ALT above ULN + BMI >30; BMI >30 + HbA1c ≥6.5%) undergoes a routine blood test in primary care, the LIS automatically calculates FIB-4. If FIB-4 >1.30, the system reflexively orders ELF and MASEF from the same serum sample, without any action required from the primary care clinician. Patients with a positive second-step NIT (ELF ≥9.8 or MASEF ≥0.33) receive an automatic alert directing them to the Hepatology Advanced Practice Nurse for VCTE (FibroScan) and clinical evaluation.
The primary objective is to evaluate the prevalence of hepatic fibrosis in the high-risk population using this single-step automated strategy. Secondary objectives include head-to-head diagnostic comparison of FIB-4+ELF vs FIB-4+MASEF vs FIB-4+FAST for histologically-confirmed endpoints (significant fibrosis ≥F2, advanced fibrosis ≥F3, at-risk MASH), evaluation of the Liver Risk Score, and a health-economic analysis. A sub-study evaluates a nurse-led structured lifestyle intervention in NIT-positive patients.
详细描述
LiverSeek addresses a well-recognised implementation gap: despite guideline recommendations to screen for liver fibrosis in high-risk metabolic patients, fewer than one-third of eligible patients are assessed in clinical practice. Encounter-triggered programmes (e.g., SOLID, PRELUDE1) require primary care clinicians to initiate the assessment process, creating a dependency on clinician awareness and workload capacity that limits scalability.
LiverSeek adopts a fundamentally different model: the screening process is initiated passively by the LIS infrastructure, triggered by existing routine blood test data, with zero additional burden on the primary care clinician. This passive architecture is the programme's principal conceptual innovation.
NIT pathway and pre-specified thresholds:
Step 1 (LIS-triggered): FIB-4 calculated automatically. Threshold: >1.30 (EASL 2024) Step 2 (reflex, same serum sample): ELF (threshold ≥9.8) and MASEF (threshold ≥0.33, Youden J-point) Step 2 alternative (VCTE-based): VCTE ≥8.0 kPa; FAST score ≥0.50 (Youden J-point) NIT-positive patients → Hepatology APN visit (VCTE, anthropometrics, clinical assessment, EQ-5D-5L, IEXPAC, MEDAS dietary questionnaire) NIT-positive patients with VCTE ≥8.0 kPa → Hepatology physician consultation ± liver biopsy per clinical criteria
Histological sub-study: Liver biopsy specimens are scored using the NAFLD Activity Score (Kleiner 2005). At-risk MASH is defined as NAS ≥4 + fibrosis stage ≥F2. A target of approximately 300 evaluable biopsies is projected.
研究设计
- 研究类型
- Observational
- 观察模型
- Cohort
- 时间视角
- Prospective
入排标准
- 年龄范围
- 50 Years 至 75 Years（Adult, Older Adult）
- 性别
- All
- 接受健康志愿者
- 否
入选标准
- •Age between 50 and 75 years (inclusive)
- •Routine blood test processed in the Clinical Biochemistry Laboratory of Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Marañón, ordered by a primary care physician in one of the 11 affiliated SERMAS primary care centres
- •Presence of at least one of the following metabolic risk factor combinations:
- •ALT above the upper limit of normal AND HbA1c ≥6.5%
- •ALT above the upper limit of normal AND BMI >30 kg/m²
- •BMI >30 kg/m² AND HbA1c ≥6.5%
排除标准
- •Age <50 years or >75 years
- •Known pre-existing liver disease (significant or advanced fibrosis, cirrhosis, hepatocellular carcinoma, prior liver transplantation)
- •Prior fibrosis assessment within the preceding 12 months.
研究组 & 干预措施
NIT-Negative Cohort
High-risk patients (age 50-75 years with ≥1 metabolic risk criterion) in whom FIB-4 was automatically calculated by the LIS and found to be ≤1.30. These patients do not undergo further NIT evaluation and are followed as the non-exposed reference cohort.
NIT-Positive Cohort
High-risk patients with FIB-4 >1.30 in whom ELF and MASEF were reflexively determined from the same serum sample. Patients with ELF ≥9.8 or MASEF ≥0.33 are referred to the Hepatology Advanced Practice Nurse for VCTE (FibroScan) and clinical assessment.
结局指标
主要结局
Prevalence of hepatic fibrosis detected by the automated single-step case-finding strategy
时间窗: Within 3 months of index blood test
Proportion of high-risk patients with a positive result on at least one confirmatory NIT (ELF ≥9.8, MASEF ≥0.33, or VCTE ≥8.0 kPa) among all patients in whom FIB-4 was automatically calculated by the LIS
次要结局
- Diagnostic accuracy of FIB-4+ELF versus FIB-4+MASEF for histologically-confirmed significant fibrosis (≥F2)(At time of liver biopsy)
- Diagnostic accuracy of sequential NIT algorithms for at-risk MASH(At time of liver biopsy)
- Cost-effectiveness of the automated single-step strategy versus standard of care(At study completion (September 2027))
研究者
Luis Ibañez
Luis Ibáñez-Samaniego MD, PhD - Senior Consultant in Hepatology
Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Marañon