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Sample records for liver hepatocellular cancer

  1. Liver (Hepatocellular) Cancer Screening

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... Treatment Liver Cancer Prevention Liver Cancer Screening Research Liver (Hepatocellular) Cancer Screening (PDQ®)–Patient Version What is ... These are called diagnostic tests . General Information About Liver (Hepatocellular) Cancer Key Points Liver cancer is a ...

  2. Risks of Liver (Hepatocellular) Cancer Screening

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... cancer. Having hepatitis or cirrhosis can increase the risk of developing liver cancer. Anything that increases the ... clinical trials is available from the NCI website . Risks of Liver (Hepatocellular) Cancer Screening Key Points Screening ...

  3. Liver Transplantation for Alcoholic Liver Disease and Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Burra, Patrizia; Zanetto, Alberto; Germani, Giacomo

    2018-02-09

    Hepatocellular carcinoma is one of the main important causes of cancer-related death and its mortality is increasingly worldwide. In Europe, alcohol abuse accounts for approximately half of all liver cancer cases and it will become the leading cause of hepatocellular carcinoma in the next future with the sharp decline of chronic viral hepatitis. The pathophysiology of alcohol-induced carcinogenesis involves acetaldehyde catabolism, oxidative stress and chronic liver inflammation. Genetic background plays also a significant role and specific patterns of gene mutations in alcohol-related hepatocellular carcinoma have been characterized. Survival is higher in patients who undergo specific surveillance programmes than in patients who do not. However, patients with alcohol cirrhosis present a significantly greater risk of liver decompensation than those with cirrhosis due to other aetiologies. Furthermore, the adherence to screening program can be suboptimal. Liver transplant for patients with Milan-in hepatocellular carcinoma represents the best possible treatment in case of tumour recurrence/progression despite loco-regional or surgical treatments. Long-term result after liver transplantation for alcohol related liver disease is good. However, cardiovascular disease and de novo malignancies can significantly hamper patients' survival and should be carefully considered by transplant team. In this review, we have focused on the evolution of alcohol-related hepatocellular carcinoma epidemiology and risk factors as well as on liver transplantation in alcoholic patients with and without hepatocellular carcinoma.

  4. BIOCHEMICAL NUTRITIONAL PROFILE OF LIVER CIRRHOSIS PATIENTS WITH HEPATOCELLULAR CARCINOMA

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    Gabriela Zanatta PORT

    2014-03-01

    Full Text Available Context Liver cirrhosis patients with hepatocellular carcinoma present nutritional alterations and metabolic disorders that negatively impact the prognosis. Objective The objective is to identify alterations in the metabolism of macro and micronutrients among liver cirrhosis patients with and without hepatocellular carcinoma and their relation to the Child-Turcote-Pugh score and Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer staging. Methods Analytical transversal study, with 31 hepatocellular carcinoma patients and 48 liver cirrhosis patients. Laboratorial exams were carried out. The existence of an association between the biochemical parameters and the disease severity as well as the presence of hepatocellular carcinoma was assessed. Results The metabolic-nutritional profile of liver cirrhosis patients caused by the hepatitis C virus and hepatocellular carcinoma showed alterations, specifically the lipid (total cholesterol, HDL and triglycerides, protein (albumin, creatinine and uric acid, iron (transferrin, iron and ferritin saturation, hematocrit and hemoglobin, zinc and B12 vitamin profiles. There is a relation between nutritional biochemical markers and the Child-Turcote-Pugh, as well as Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer staging. Conclusions Considering the existence of alterations in the metabolism of nutrients in liver cirrhosis patients with and without hepatocellular carcinoma, and also that conventional nutritional assessment methods present limitations for this population, the biochemical laboratorial exams are valid to complement the diagnosis of the nutritional state in a quick and practical manner.

  5. Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α (PPARα mRNA expression in human hepatocellular carcinoma tissue and non-cancerous liver tissue

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    Kurokawa Tsuyoshi

    2011-12-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α (PPARα regulates lipid metabolism in the liver. It is unclear, however, how this receptor changes in liver cancer tissue. On the other hand, mouse carcinogenicity studies showed that PPARα is necessary for the development of liver cancer induced by peroxisome proliferators, and the relationship between PPARα and the development of liver cancer have been the focus of considerable attention. There have been no reports, however, demonstrating that PPARα is involved in the development of human liver cancer. Methods The subjects were 10 patients who underwent hepatectomy for hepatocellular carcinoma. We assessed the expression of PPARα mRNA in human hepatocellular carcinoma tissue and non-cancerous tissue, as well as the expression of target genes of PPARα, carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1A and cyclin D1 mRNAs. We also evaluated glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase, a key enzyme in the glycolytic system. Results The amounts of PPARα, carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1A and glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase mRNA in cancerous sections were significantly increased compared to those in non-cancerous sections. The level of cyclin D1 mRNA tends to be higher in cancerous than non-cancerous sections. Although there was a significant correlation between the levels of PPARα mRNA and cyclin D1 mRNA in both sections, however the correlation was higher in cancerous sections. Conclusion The present investigation indicated increased expression of PPARα mRNA and mRNAs for PPARα target genes in human hepatocellular carcinoma. These results might be associated with its carcinogenesis and characteristic features of energy production.

  6. Clinical study of liver cancer (Hepatocellular carcinoma) by 166 Ho-CHICO

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    Lee, J. T.; Yoo, H. S.; Lee, J. D.; Lee, D. Y.; Kim, E. K.; Yoo, N. C.; Shin, S. J.; Han, K. H. [Yonsei University, Seoul (Korea); Park, K. B. [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Taejeon (Korea)

    2000-04-01

    As having used Ho-166 Chitosan complex, this study was designed for the development of new therapeutic agent in the treatment of liver cancer (hepatocellular carcinoma). During the period of 3 years from April 1, 1997 to March 31, 2000, this project was successfully performed on the base of clinical experience with percutaneous Ho-166 CHICO injection in the treatment of liver cancer'. In order to evaluate the biodistribution and effect of Ho-166 CHICO was performed in 50 patients, who had the progressed liver cancer with range of 3-10cm in diameter. After the administration of the complex materials, we evaluated the therapeutic effect as well as complication by the follow-up study that included laboratory examination, radioactivity counting and various imaging modalities. 1) In animal experiment, radioactivity of target liver was ranged between 27-33% of total body one, urine excretion between 0.17-0.24 %. White blood cell and platelet counts start diminishing within 7 days and at maximum within 4 weeks after administration of complex materials. In tissue changes of target liver was revealed no significant change in the tumor dose of Ho-166, but periportal fibrosis and massive tissue necrosis in the high ones. 2) In clinical study, total necrosis of tumor is 66%, partial 10% and non-response 24% among 50 patients' liver cancer. The most important complication were leukopenia and thrombocytopenia (82%), the remained was abdominal pain(34%), skin reaction(12%), bile duct obstruction(10%), liver abscess(6%) etc. Conclusively intraarterial injection of Ho-166 CHICO was effective in the treatment of larger and progressed liver cancer. 19 refs., 14 figs., 8 tabs. (Author)

  7. Methyleugenol hepatocellular cancer initiating effects in rat liver.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Williams, Gary M; Iatropoulos, Michael J; Jeffrey, Alan M; Duan, Jian-Dong

    2013-03-01

    Methyleugenol (MEG), a constituent of plants used in the human diet, is hepatocarcinogenic in rodents. In an experiment to elucidate its mode of action in rat liver, male F344 rats were administered MEG intragastrically at 3 doses per week for up to 16 weeks in an initiation phase, after which half the rats were fed 500 ppm phenobarbital (PB) in the diet to promote liver neoplasia and the other half were maintained on control diet for 24 weeks. At 8 and 16 week interim terminations, (32)P-nucleotide postlabeling assay revealed 3 adducts in livers of all MEG groups. The hepatocellular replicating fractions, measured by proliferating cell nuclear antigen immunohistochemistry, were doubled or more in all MEG groups. Hepatocellular altered foci, detected by glutathione S-transferase-placental type (π) immunohistochemistry, were present beginning with the high dose group at 8 weeks and extending to all MEG groups at 16 weeks. At the end of maintenance/promotion phase, the incidences, multiplicity and size of foci was similar between control and low dose groups, while those of mid and high dose groups were increased. Hepatocellular adenomas occurred in the mid and high dose groups, attaining higher multiplicity and size with PB. Thus, MEG had rapid initiating activity, reflecting the formation of DNA adducts and possibly cell proliferation. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  8. [Epidemiology, risk factors and molecular pathogenesis of primary liver cancer].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hagymási, Krisztina; Tulassay, Zsolt

    2008-03-23

    Primary liver cancer is the fifth most common cancer worldwide. Hepatocellular carcinoma accounts for 85-90% of primary liver cancers. Distribution of hepatocellular carcinoma shows variations among geographic regions and ethnic groups. Males have higher liver cancer rates than females. Hepatocellular carcinoma occurs within an established background of chronic liver disease and cirrhosis (70-90%). Major causes (80%) of hepatocellular carcinoma are hepatitis B, C virus infection, and aflatoxin exposition. Its development is a multistep process. We have a growing understanding on the molecular pathogenesis. Genetic and epigenetic changes activate oncogenes, inhibit tumorsuppressor genes, which result in autonomous cell proliferation. The chromosomal instability caused by telomere dysfunction, the growth-retrained environment and the alterations of the micro- and macroenvironment help the expansion of the malignant cells. Understanding the molecular mechanisms could improve the screening of patients with chronic liver disease, or cirrhosis, and the prevention as well as treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma.

  9. 3-Tesla MRI Response to TACE in HCC (Liver Cancer)

    Science.gov (United States)

    2016-08-22

    Adult Primary Hepatocellular Carcinoma; Advanced Adult Primary Liver Cancer; Localized Resectable Adult Primary Liver Cancer; Localized Unresectable Adult Primary Liver Cancer; Stage A Adult Primary Liver Cancer (BCLC); Stage B Adult Primary Liver Cancer (BCLC)

  10. Cutaneous features seen in primary liver cell (Hepatocellular ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Primary liver cell carcinoma (PLCC), predominantly hepatocellular carcinoma is a killer. In the southwestern region of Nigeria it occupies the second position, behind prostate cancer in males. Females account for about a third of diagnosed cases. Children are not spared. Over 80 % of PLCC cases present to the hospital at ...

  11. Cancer Stem Cells in Primary Liver Cancers: Pathological Concepts and Imaging Findings

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    Joo, Ijin [Department of Radiology, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul 110-744 (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Haeryoung [Department of Pathology, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seongnam 463-707 (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Jeong Min [Department of Radiology, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul 110-744 (Korea, Republic of)

    2015-11-01

    There is accumulating evidence that cancer stem cells (CSCs) play an integral role in the initiation of hepatocarcinogenesis and the maintaining of tumor growth. Liver CSCs derived from hepatic stem/progenitor cells have the potential to differentiate into either hepatocytes or cholangiocytes. Primary liver cancers originating from CSCs constitute a heterogeneous histopathologic spectrum, including hepatocellular carcinoma, combined hepatocellular-cholangiocarcinoma, and intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma with various radiologic manifestations. In this article, we reviewed the recent concepts of CSCs in the development of primary liver cancers, focusing on their pathological and radiological findings. Awareness of the pathological concepts and imaging findings of primary liver cancers with features of CSCs is critical for accurate diagnosis, prediction of outcome, and appropriate treatment options for patients.

  12. Cancer Stem Cells in Primary Liver Cancers: Pathological Concepts and Imaging Findings

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Joo, Ijin; Kim, Haeryoung; Lee, Jeong Min

    2015-01-01

    There is accumulating evidence that cancer stem cells (CSCs) play an integral role in the initiation of hepatocarcinogenesis and the maintaining of tumor growth. Liver CSCs derived from hepatic stem/progenitor cells have the potential to differentiate into either hepatocytes or cholangiocytes. Primary liver cancers originating from CSCs constitute a heterogeneous histopathologic spectrum, including hepatocellular carcinoma, combined hepatocellular-cholangiocarcinoma, and intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma with various radiologic manifestations. In this article, we reviewed the recent concepts of CSCs in the development of primary liver cancers, focusing on their pathological and radiological findings. Awareness of the pathological concepts and imaging findings of primary liver cancers with features of CSCs is critical for accurate diagnosis, prediction of outcome, and appropriate treatment options for patients

  13. HCV-related liver cancer in people with haemophilia

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Meijer, K.; Haagsma, E. B.

    . The topic of this monograph is liver cancer associated with chronic HCV infection. We start with some background information on chronic HCV infection and its long-term sequelae, one of which is liver cancer. The rest of the article is concerned with liver cancer or hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

  14. Metastatic breast cancer to the liver with hepatoid features and Hep Par 1 antibody positive mimicking hepatocellular carcinoma.

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    Affleck, Authur; Lyman, William B; Jacobs, W Carl; Livasy, Chad A; Martinie, John B; Iannitti, David A; Vrochides, Dionisios

    2018-05-09

    The hepatocyte paraffin 1 antibody (Hep Par 1) has a high positive predictive value for differentiating hepatocellular carcinoma from cholangiocarcinoma and metastatic carcinoma. 1 We report a case of metastatic breast cancer to the liver with hepatoid histology and strong positive staining for Hep Par 1 mimicking hepatocellular carcinoma. To our knowledge, primary breast carcinoma staining Hep Par 1 positive has not been reported in the setting of hepatic metastasis. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

  15. Liver (Hepatocellular) Cancer Prevention (PDQ®)—Patient Version

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liver cancer risk factors include hepatitis B and C, cirrhosis, and aflatoxin (poison from certain foods). Learn about these and other risk factors for liver cancer and how to prevent liver cancer in this expert-reviewed and evidence-based summary.

  16. Immunization With AFP + GM CSF Plasmid Prime and AFP Adenoviral Vector Boost in Patients With Hepatocellular Carcinoma

    Science.gov (United States)

    2015-12-01

    Hepatocellular Carcinoma; Hepatoma; Liver Cancer, Adult; Liver Cell Carcinoma; Liver Cell Carcinoma, Adult; Cancer of Liver; Cancer of the Liver; Cancer, Hepatocellular; Hepatic Cancer; Hepatic Neoplasms; Hepatocellular Cancer; Liver Cancer; Neoplasms, Hepatic; Neoplasms, Liver

  17. Current status of liver diseases in Korea: hepatocellular carcinoma.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Song, Il Han; Kim, Kyung Sik

    2009-12-01

    Primary liver cancer, most of which is hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), is the third common leading cancer in Korea. During the last two decades, the incidence rate of primary liver cancer has shown a modest decrease, but its mortality rate has slightly increased. The incidence of HCC, according to age, peaks in the late sixth decade in men and in the early seventh decade in women. Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is the most important risk factor, which represents approximately 70% of all HCC, and hepatitis C virus (HCV) and alcohol are the next in order of major risk factors for the development of HCC in Korea. HBV-associated HCC occurs 10 years earlier than HCV-associated HCC due to a more prolonged exposure to HBV, which is vertically transmitted almost from HBsAg-positive mother in HBV-endemic area. National Cancer Control Institute, which was reorganized in 2005, is now working for several national projects such as National Cancer Registration Program, National R&D Program for Cancer Control and National Cancer Screening Program. International collaboration for the clinico-epidemiologic research would be needed to provide the specific measures for managing HCC in diverse etiologic situations. Finally, the mechanisms of hepatitis virus-associated hepatocellular carcinogenesis might be clarified to provide insights into the advanced therapeutic and preventive approaches for HCC in Korea, where the majority of HCC originate from chronic HBV and HCV infections.

  18. Various factors affecting /sup 67/Ga scintigraphy of liver cancer

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    Motoki, T; Morinari, H; Oono, K [Tokyo Univ. (Japan). Faculty of Medicine

    1980-10-01

    Various factors affecting /sup 67/Ga accumulation in liver cancer were studied in 38 patients with liver cancer (19 with hepatocellular carcinoma and 19 with metastatic liver cancer) who had received /sup 67/Ga-scintigraphy and liver scintigraphy. Besides histological types, the size, necrosis, vascularity and treatments of liver cancer, concentrations of transferrin (/sup 67/Ga binding protein) and iron in blood probably affected /sup 67/Ga accumulation in liver cancer.

  19. Adult Primary Liver Cancer Treatment (PDQ®)—Health Professional Version

    Science.gov (United States)

    Adult primary liver cancer includes hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and cholangiocarcinoma. Treatments include surveillance, surgery, liver transplant, ablation therapy, embolization therapy, targeted therapy, and radiation therapy. Get comprehensive information about liver cancer and treatment in this clinician summary.

  20. Adult Liver Cancer Symptoms, Tests, Prognosis, and Stages (PDQ®)—Patient Version

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hepatocellular carcinoma is the most common type of adult primary liver cancer. The Barcelona Clinical Liver Cancer (BCLC) Staging System is used to stage liver cancer. Learn more about risk factors, signs and symptoms, tests to diagnose, prognosis, and stages of adult primary liver cancer.

  1. Childhood Liver Cancer Treatment (PDQ®)—Health Professional Version

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    Childhood liver cancer has two major histologic subgroups: hepatoblastoma and hepatocellular carcinoma. Less common histologies are undifferentiated embryonal sarcoma of the liver, infantile choriocarcinoma, and vascular liver tumors. Get detailed information about newly diagnosed and recurrent childhood liver cancers including tumor biology, presentation, prognosis, staging, and treatment in this summary for clinicians.

  2. Behavior of HepG2 liver cancer cells using microfluidic-microscopy: a preliminary study

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    Karamahmutoglu, Hande; ćetin, Metin; Yaǧcı, Tamer; Elitaş, Meltem

    2018-02-01

    Hepatocellular carcinoma is one of the most common types of liver cancer causing death all over the world. Although early-stage liver cancer can sometimes be treated with partial hepatectomy, liver transplantation, ablation, and embolization, sorafenib treatment is the only approved systemic therapy for advanced HCC. The aim of this research is to develop tools and methods to understand the individuality of hepatocellular carcinoma. Microfluidic cell-culture platform has been developed to observe behavior of single-cells; fluorescence microscopy has been implemented to investigate phenotypic changes of cells. Our preliminary data proved high-level heterogeneity of hepatocellular carcinoma while verifying limited growth of liver cancer cell lines on the silicon wafer.

  3. Erlotinib in Treating Patients With Unresectable Liver, Bile Duct, or Gallbladder Cancer

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-06-03

    Adult Primary Cholangiocellular Carcinoma; Adult Primary Hepatocellular Carcinoma; Advanced Adult Primary Liver Cancer; Cholangiocarcinoma of the Extrahepatic Bile Duct; Cholangiocarcinoma of the Gallbladder; Localized Unresectable Adult Primary Liver Cancer; Recurrent Adult Primary Liver Cancer; Recurrent Extrahepatic Bile Duct Cancer; Recurrent Gallbladder Cancer; Unresectable Extrahepatic Bile Duct Cancer; Unresectable Gallbladder Cancer

  4. 2014 Korean Liver Cancer Study Group-National Cancer Center Korea Practice Guideline for the Management of Hepatocellular Carcinoma

    Science.gov (United States)

    2015-01-01

    The guideline for the management of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) was first developed in 2003 and revised in 2009 by the Korean Liver Cancer Study Group and the National Cancer Center, Korea. Since then, many studies on HCC have been carried out in Korea and other countries. In particular, a substantial body of knowledge has been accumulated on diagnosis, staging, and treatment specific to Asian characteristics, especially Koreans, prompting the proposal of new strategies. Accordingly, the new guideline presented herein was developed on the basis of recent evidence and expert opinions. The primary targets of this guideline are patients with suspicious or newly diagnosed HCC. This guideline provides recommendations for the initial treatment of patients with newly diagnosed HCC. PMID:25995680

  5. Giant ectopic liver, hepatocellular carcinoma and pachydermia-a rare genetic syndrome?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Miny Peter

    2011-08-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Ectopic liver is a very uncommon developmental anomaly that predisposes to the development of hepatocellular carcinoma. We describe the second documented case of a hepatocellular carcinoma developing in the primary liver of a patient with a rare and uncharacterized genetic symptom complex. Also present was the largest ectopic liver ever reported, measuring 12 cm in diameter which contained a solitary focus of metastatic hepatocellular carcinoma. The primary hepatocellular carcinoma is believed to have arisen in the native liver from a hepatic adenoma that was diagnosed 15 years earlier. The patient's uncharacterised condition featured prominent thick, yellow skin over the dorsum of the fingers, and was associated with follicular hyperkeratosis, abnormal plantar creases, digital clubbing, misshaped ears, a lingua plicata and an angioleiomyolipoma of the right kidney. This unique case of hepatocellular carcinoma arising from liver cell adenoma in a patient with an uncharacterised condition featuring a large ectopic liver invites discussion of the role of local factors in carcinogenesis in the parent liver but not the ectopic liver. It also underlines the imperative ongoing need for clinical autopsies.

  6. Spontaneous development of hepatocellular carcinoma with cancer stem cell properties in PR-SET7-deficient livers

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    Nikolaou, Kostas C; Moulos, Panagiotis; Chalepakis, George; Hatzis, Pantelis; Oda, Hisanobu; Reinberg, Danny; Talianidis, Iannis

    2015-01-01

    PR-SET7-mediated histone 4 lysine 20 methylation has been implicated in mitotic condensation, DNA damage response and replication licensing. Here, we show that PR-SET7 function in the liver is pivotal for maintaining genome integrity. Hepatocyte-specific deletion of PR-SET7 in mouse embryos resulted in G2 phase arrest followed by massive cell death and defect in liver organogenesis. Inactivation at postnatal stages caused cell duplication-dependent hepatocyte necrosis, accompanied by inflammation, fibrosis and compensatory growth induction of neighboring hepatocytes and resident ductal progenitor cells. Prolonged necrotic regenerative cycles coupled with oncogenic STAT3 activation led to the spontaneous development of hepatic tumors composed of cells with cancer stem cell characteristics. These include a capacity to self-renew in culture or in xenografts and the ability to differentiate to phenotypically distinct hepatic cells. Hepatocellular carcinoma in PR-SET7-deficient mice displays a cancer stem cell gene signature specified by the co-expression of ductal progenitor markers and oncofetal genes. PMID:25515659

  7. Hepatocellular carcinoma arising from hepatocellular adenoma in a hepatitis B virus-associated cirrhotic liver

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Seo, J.M.; Lee, S.J.; Kim, S.H.; Park, C.K.; Ha, S.Y.

    2012-01-01

    Hepatocellular adenoma (HCA) is a rare, benign proliferation of hepatocytes that occurs mostly in a normal liver and in extreme rare cases, occurs in a cirrhotic liver. Hepatocellular carcinomas (HCC) arising within HCA through malignant transformation is rare. The specific incidence and mechanism of malignant transformation has not been established, but the long term use of oral contraceptives is considered a causative agent. We report a case of HCC arising from HCA detected in a hepatitis B-related cirrhotic liver with serial radiologic images.

  8. Hepatocellular carcinoma arising from hepatocellular adenoma in a hepatitis B virus-associated cirrhotic liver

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    Seo, J.M. [Department of Radiology and Center for Imaging Science, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Lee, S.J., E-mail: lucia@skku.edu [Department of Radiology and Center for Imaging Science, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Kim, S.H. [Department of Radiology and Center for Imaging Science, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Park, C.K.; Ha, S.Y. [Department of Pathology, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

    2012-04-15

    Hepatocellular adenoma (HCA) is a rare, benign proliferation of hepatocytes that occurs mostly in a normal liver and in extreme rare cases, occurs in a cirrhotic liver. Hepatocellular carcinomas (HCC) arising within HCA through malignant transformation is rare. The specific incidence and mechanism of malignant transformation has not been established, but the long term use of oral contraceptives is considered a causative agent. We report a case of HCC arising from HCA detected in a hepatitis B-related cirrhotic liver with serial radiologic images.

  9. Novel Antibody Targets Glypican-3 in Liver Cancer | Center for Cancer Research

    Science.gov (United States)

    New treatments for patients with liver cancer, the third most common cause of cancer-related death, are desperately needed. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common type of liver cancer, and HCC tumors are particularly insensitive to chemotherapy. Surgery is the standard treatment for HCCs caught early, but only about a third of cases are identified at this stage. Antibody therapy offers a potential alternative for treating later-stage tumors.

  10. Selective CD4+ T Cell Loss Promotes Liver Cancer Development | Center for Cancer Research

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the second leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide, commonly develops in patients with underlying chronic liver disease, such as hepatitis B or C virus infection or non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).

  11. Liver cancer: expression features of hepatitis B antigens

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    V. A. Tumanskiy

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available Introduction. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC is currently the fifth most common malignancy in men and the eighth in women worldwide. According to the latest European Union countries’ statistics the incidence of HC cancer is about 8,29 per 100000 accidents, cholangiocellular (CC cancer – 0,9-1,3 per 100 thousand of population per year[10,14]. Hepatitis B virus (HBV is the major etiologic factor for the development of HCC [18]. People chronically infected with HBV are 20 times more likely to develop liver cancer than uninfected people [1,22,28]. Many studies have shown the association between Hepatitis B virus (HBV and hepatitis C virus (HCV infections and the development of cholangiocarcinoma (CCA [4,6,9,11,12]. At the same time, the expression features of HBsAg, HBcAg in HCC and CCA have not been studied clearly yet. Aim of investigation: to study the expression features of hepatitis B antigens in tumor tissue from patients with hepatocellular carcinoma and cholangiocarcinoma. Materials and methods. The complex pathomorphological research was performed using liver biopsies of 87 patients aged from 33 up to 83 years, where 50 (57,47% of them had HCC carcinoma and 37 (42,53% had cholangiocellular cancer. 15 patients among examined 87 ones were ill with chronic viral hepatitis (11 were ill with HCV, 3 – HBV B, 1 – HBV + HCV before, 72 cancer patients, corresponding to the clinical data, never had this one in their past medical history. The localization of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg and core antigen (HBcAg was investigated by an indirect immunoperoxidase method in formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded liver specimens obtained from 50 (57,47% patients with hepatocellular carcinoma and 37 (42,53% patients with cholangiocarcinoma. using antibodies Rb a-Hu Primary Hepatitis B Virus Core Antigen (HBcAg and Mo a-Hu Primary Hepatitis B Virus Surface Antigen (HBsAg, Сlone 3E7, and visualization system DAKO EnVision+ with diaminobenzidine. Liver

  12. Dopamine-induced SULT1A3/4 promotes EMT and cancer stemness in hepatocellular carcinoma.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zou, Juan; Li, Hong; Huang, Qianling; Liu, Xiaomin; Qi, Xiaoxiao; Wang, Ying; Lu, Linlin; Liu, Zhongqiu

    2017-10-01

    Hepatocellular carcinoma has the second highest incidence rate among malignant cancers in China. Hepatocellular carcinoma development is complex because of the metabolism disequilibrium involving SULT1A3/4, a predominant sulfotransferase that metabolizes sulfonic xenobiotics and endogenous catecholamines. However, the correlation between SULT1A3/4 and hepatocellular carcinoma progression is unclear. By utilizing immunofluorescence and immunohistochemical analysis, we found that in nine hepatocellular carcinoma clinical specimens, SULT1A3/4 was abundantly expressed in tumor tissues compared to that in the adjacent tissues. Moreover, liver cancer cells (HepG2, MHCC97-L, and MHCC97-H) had higher basal expression of SULT1A3/4 than immortalized liver cells (L02 and Chang liver). Ultra-high-pressure liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry assay results further revealed that the concentration of dopamine (a substrate of SULT1A3/4) was negatively correlated with SULT1A3/4 protein expression. As a transcriptional regulator of SULT1A3/4 in turn, dopamine was used to induce SULT1A3/4 in vitro. Interestingly, dopamine significantly induced SULT1A3/4 expression in liver cancer HepG2 cells, while decreased that in L02 cells. More importantly, the expression levels of epithelial-mesenchymal transition biomarkers (N-cadherin and vimentin) and cell stemness biomarkers (nanog, sox2, and oct3/4) considerably increased in HepG2 with dopamine-induced SULT1A3/4, whereas in L02, epithelial-mesenchymal transition and cancer stem cell-associated proteins were contrarily decreased. Furthermore, invasion and migration assays further revealed that dopamine-induced SULT1A3/4 dramatically stimulated the metastatic capacity of HepG2 cells. Our results implied that SULT1A3/4 exhibited bidirectional effect on tumor and normal hepatocytes and may thus provide a novel strategy for hepatocellular carcinoma clinical targeting. In addition, SULT1A3/4 re-expression could serve as a biomarker for

  13. A middle-aged man with a troubled liver: Combination therapy in advanced (BCLC Stage C hepatocellular carcinoma

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    Zamri Zuhdi

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available Advanced hepatocellular carcinoma carries a bad prognosis with a survival of only few months. Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC Guidelines recommended sorafenib monotherapy as the treatment modality for advanced BCLC Stage C disease, citing a two-month increase in survival rates. Here, we highlight a case with advanced HCC (BCLC Stage C treated with combination therapy of liver resection and Sorafenib therapy. The patient’s current survival rate was beyond 10 months. We also discuss the current evidence on liver resection with Sorafenib therapy in hepatocellular carcinoma. The description of the case may benefit in future diagnosis and treatment. [Arch Clin Exp Surg 2018; 7(1.000: 29-32

  14. Linkage specific fucosylation of alpha-1-antitrypsin in liver cirrhosis and cancer patients: implications for a biomarker of hepatocellular carcinoma.

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    Mary Ann Comunale

    2010-08-01

    Full Text Available We previously reported increased levels of protein-linked fucosylation with the development of liver cancer and identified many of the proteins containing the altered glycan structures. One such protein is alpha-1-antitrypsin (A1AT. To advance these studies, we performed N-linked glycan analysis on the five major isoforms of A1AT and completed a comprehensive study of the glycosylation of A1AT found in healthy controls, patients with hepatitis C- (HCV induced liver cirrhosis, and in patients infected with HCV with a diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC.Patients with liver cirrhosis and liver cancer had increased levels of triantennary glycan-containing outer arm (alpha-1,3 fucosylation. Increases in core (alpha-1,6 fucosylation were observed only on A1AT from patients with cancer. We performed a lectin fluorophore-linked immunosorbent assay using Aleuria Aurantia lectin (AAL, specific for core and outer arm fucosylation in over 400 patients with liver disease. AAL-reactive A1AT was able to detect HCC with a sensitivity of 70% and a specificity of 86%, which was greater than that observed with the current marker of HCC, alpha-fetoprotein. Glycosylation analysis of the false positives was performed; results indicated that these patients had increases in outer arm fucosylation but not in core fucosylation, suggesting that core fucosylation is cancer specific.This report details the stepwise change in the glycosylation of A1AT with the progression from liver cirrhosis to cancer and identifies core fucosylation on A1AT as an HCC specific modification.

  15. Liver transplantation in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Polak, Wojciech G.; Soyama, Akihiko; Slooff, Maarten J. H.

    2008-01-01

    Liver transplantation has a definitive place in the treatment of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in a cirrhotic liver. Patients with a tumor load within the Milan criteria have excellent survival comparable to survival in patients with benign indications. When tumor load exceeds the

  16. Management consensus guideline for hepatocellular carcinoma: 2016 updated by the Taiwan Liver Cancer Association and the Gastroenterological Society of Taiwan

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sheng-Nan Lu

    2018-05-01

    Full Text Available Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC is one of the leading causes of cancer-related mortality in Taiwan. To help clinical physicians to manage patients with HCC, the Taiwan Liver Cancer Association and the Gastroenterological Society of Taiwan produced the management consensus guideline for HCC. Methods: The recommendations focus on nine important issues on management of HCC, including surveillance, diagnosis, staging, surgery, local ablation, transarterial chemoembolization/transarterial radioembolization/hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy, systemic therapy, radiotherapy, and prevention. Results: The consensus statements were discussed, debated and got consensus in each expert team. And then the statements were sent to all of the experts for further discussion and refinement. Finally, all of the experts were invited to vote for the statements, including the level of evidence and recommendation. Conclusion: With the development of the management consensus guideline, HCC patients could benefit from the optimal therapeutic modality. Keywords: Diagnosis, Hepatocellular carcinoma, Staging, Surveillance, Treatment

  17. Liver transplantation for unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma in patients without liver cirrhosis

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Mergental, Hynek; Porte, Robert J.

    P>Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) arising in noncirrhotic and nonfibrotic liver (NC-HCC) is a rare type of malignancy frequently found in healthy young individuals. Partial liver resection is the treatment of choice with expected 5-year survival rates between 40% and 70%. As a result of absence of

  18. Percutaneous laser ablation of hepatocellular carcinoma in patients with liver cirrhosis awaiting liver transplantation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pompili, Maurizio; Pacella, Claudio Maurizio; Francica, Giampiero; Angelico, Mario; Tisone, Giuseppe; Craboledda, Paolo; Nicolardi, Erica; Rapaccini, Gian Ludovico; Gasbarrini, Giovanni

    2010-01-01

    Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the effectiveness and safety of percutaneous laser ablation for the treatment of cirrhotic patients with hepatocellular carcinoma awaiting liver transplantation. Materials and methods: The data of 9 male cirrhotic patients (mean age 50 years, range 45-60 years) with 12 biopsy proven nodules of hepatocellular carcinoma (mean diameter 2.0 cm, range 1.0-3.0 cm) treated by laser ablation before liver transplantation between June 2000 and January 2006 were retrospectively reviewed. Laser ablation was carried out by inserting 300 nm optical fibers through 21-Gauge needles (from two to four) positioned under ultrasound guidance into the target lesions. A continuous wave Neodymium:Yttrium Aluminium Garnet laser was used. Transarterial chemoembolization prior to liver transplantation was performed in two incompletely ablated tumors. Results: No procedure-related major complications were recorded. During the waiting time to liver transplantation local tumor progression after ablation occurred in 3 nodules (25%). At histological examination of the explanted livers complete necrosis was found in 8 nodules (66.7%, all treated exclusively with laser ablation), partial necrosis >50% in 3 nodules (25%), and partial necrosis <50% in 1 nodule. Conclusion: In patients with cirrhotic livers awaiting liver transplantation, percutaneous laser ablation is safe and effective for the management of small hepatocellular carcinoma.

  19. Gender Differences in Adipocyte Metabolism and Liver Cancer Progression

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Otto Ka-Wing Cheung

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available Liver cancer is the third most common cancer type and the second leading cause of deaths in men. Large population studies have demonstrated remarkable gender disparities in the incidence and the cumulative risk of liver cancer. A number of emerging risk factors regarding metabolic alterations associated with obesity, diabetes and dyslipidemia have been ascribed to the progression of non-alcoholic fatty liver diseases (NAFLD and ultimately liver cancer. The deregulation of fat metabolism derived from excessive insulin, glucose and lipid promotes cancer-causing inflammatory signaling and oxidative stress, which eventually triggers the uncontrolled hepatocellular proliferation. This review presents the current standing on the gender differences in body fat compositions and their mechanistic linkage with the development of NAFLD-related liver cancer, with an emphasis on genetic, epigenetic and microRNA control. The potential roles of sex hormones in instructing adipocyte metabolic programs may help unravel the mechanisms underlying gender dimorphism in liver cancer and identify the metabolic targets for disease management.

  20. Suppression of Human Liver Cancer Cell Migration and Invasion via the GABAA Receptor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chen, Zhi-ao; Bao, Mei-yan; Xu, Yong-fen; Zha, Ruo-peng; Shi, Hai-bing; Chen, Tao-yang; He, Xiang-huo

    2012-01-01

    To investigate the roles of the γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) in the metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and to explore the potential of a novel therapeutic approach for the treatment of HCC. The expression levels of GABA receptor subunit genes in various HCC cell lines and patients‘ tissues were detected by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction and Western blot analysis. Transwell cell migration and invasion assays were carried out for functional analysis. The effects of GABA on liver cancer cell cytoskeletal were determined by immunofluorescence staining. And the effects of GABA on HCC metastasis in nude mice were evaluated using an in vivo orthotopic model of liver cancer. The mRNA level of GABA receptor subunits varied between the primary hepatocellular carcinoma tissue and the adjacent non-tumor liver tissue. GABA inhibited human liver cancer cell migration and invasion via the ionotropic GABA A receptor as a result of the induction of liver cancer cell cytoskeletal reorganization. Pretreatment with GABA also significantly reduced intrahepatic liver metastasis and primary tumor formation in vivo. These findings introduce a potential and novel therapeutic approach for the treatment of cancer patients based on the modulation of the GABAergic system

  1. PROTECTIVE EFFECTS OF HYPOTHALAMIC BETA-ENDORPHIN NEURONS AGAINST ALCOHOL-INDUCED LIVER INJURIES AND LIVER CANCERS IN RAT ANIMAL MODELS

    Science.gov (United States)

    Murugan, Sengottuvelan; Boyadjieva, Nadka; Sarkar, Dipak K.

    2014-01-01

    Background Recently, retrograde tracing has provided evidence for an influence of hypothalamic β-endorphin (BEP) neurons on the liver, but functions of these neurons are not known. We evaluated the effect of BEP neuronal activation on alcohol-induced liver injury and hepatocellular cancer. Methods Male rats received either BEP neuron transplants or control transplants in the hypothalamus and randomly assigned to feeding alcohol-containing liquid diet or control liquid diet for 8 weeks or to treatment of a carcinogen diethylnitrosamine (DEN). Liver tissues of these animals were analyzed histochemically and biochemically for tissue injuries or cancer. Results Alcohol-feeding increased liver weight and induced several histopathological changes such as prominent microvesicular steatosis and hepatic fibrosis. Alcohol feeding also increased protein levels of triglyceride, hepatic stellate cell activation factors and catecholamines in the liver and endotoxin levels in the plasma. However, these effects of alcohol on the liver were reduced in animals with BEP neuron transplants. BEP neuron transplants also suppressed carcinogen-induced liver histopathologies such as extensive fibrosis, large focus of inflammatory infiltration, hepatocelluar carcinoma, collagen deposition, numbers of preneoplastic foci, levels of hepatic stellate cell activation factors and catecholamines, as well as inflammatory milieu and the levels of NK cell cytotoxic factors in the liver. Conclusion These findings are the first evidence for a role of hypothalamic BEP neurons in influencing liver functions. Additionally, the data identify that BEP neuron transplantation prevents hepatocellular injury and hepatocellular carcinoma formation possibly via influencing the immune function. PMID:25581653

  2. Relationship between hepatocellular carcinoma, metabolic syndrome and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: which clinical arguments?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rosmorduc, Olivier

    2013-05-01

    Obesity and the metabolic syndrome are growing epidemics associated with an increased risk for many types of cancer. In the liver, inflammatory and angiogenic changes due to insulin resistance and fatty liver disease are associated with an increased incidence of liver cancer. Regardless of underlying liver disease, cirrhosis remains the most important risk factor for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) although are cases of HCC arising without cirrhosis raise the possibility of a direct carcinogenesis secondary to Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD). Moreover, metabolic syndrome and its different features may also increase the risk of HCC in the setting of chronic liver diseases of other causes such as viral hepatitis or alcohol abuse. Taking into account all these data, it is necessary to better determine the risk of developing HCC in patients with metabolic syndrome to improve the screening guidelines and develop prophylactic treatments in this setting. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

  3. Hepatocellular carcinoma: illustrated guide to systematic radiologic diagnosis and staging according to guidelines of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases.

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    McEvoy, Sinead H

    2013-10-01

    Hepatocellular carcinoma is a malignancy that predominantly occurs in the setting of cirrhosis. Its incidence is rising worldwide. Hepatocellular carcinoma differs from most malignancies because it is commonly diagnosed on the basis of imaging features alone, without histologic confirmation. The guidelines from the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD) are a leading statement for the diagnosis and staging of hepatocellular carcinoma, and they have recently been updated, incorporating several important changes. AASLD advocates the use of the Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) staging system, which combines validated imaging and clinical predictors of survival to determine stage and which links staging with treatment options. Each stage of the BCLC system is outlined clearly, with emphasis on case examples. Focal liver lesions identified at ultrasonographic surveillance in patients with cirrhosis require further investigation. Lesions larger than 1 cm should be assessed with multiphasic computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging. Use of proper equipment and protocols is essential. Lesions larger than 1 cm can be diagnosed as hepatocellular carcinoma from a single study if the characteristic dynamic perfusion pattern of arterial hyperenhancement and venous or delayed phase washout is demonstrated. If the imaging characteristics of hepatocellular carcinoma are not met, the alternate modality should be performed. Biopsy should be used if neither modality is diagnostic of hepatocellular carcinoma. Once the diagnosis has been made, the cancer should be assigned a BCLC stage, which will help determine suitable treatment options. Radiologists require a systematic approach to diagnose and stage hepatocellular carcinoma with appropriate accuracy and precision.

  4. The Impact of Liver Graft Injury on Cancer Recurrence Posttransplantation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Chang-Xian; Man, Kwan; Lo, Chung-Mau

    2017-11-01

    Liver transplantation is the most effective treatment for selected patients with hepatocellular carcinoma. However, cancer recurrence, posttransplantation, remains to be the critical issue that affects the long-term outcome of hepatocellular carcinoma recipients. In addition to tumor biology itself, increasing evidence demonstrates that acute-phase liver graft injury is a result of hepatic ischemia reperfusion injury (which is an inevitable consequence during liver transplantation) and may promote cancer recurrence at late phase posttransplantation. The liver grafts from living donors, donors after cardiac death, and steatotic donors have been considered as promising sources of organs for liver transplantation and are associated with high incidence of liver graft injury. The acute-phase liver graft injury will trigger a series of inflammatory cascades, which may not only activate the cell signaling pathways regulating the tumor cell invasion and migration but also mobilize the circulating progenitor and immune cells to facilitate tumor recurrence and metastasis. The injured liver graft may also provide the favorable microenvironment for tumor cell growth, migration, and invasion through the disturbance of microcirculatory barrier function, induction of hypoxia and angiogenesis. This review aims to summarize the latest findings about the role and mechanisms of liver graft injury resulted from hepatic ischemia reperfusion injury on tumor recurrence posttransplantation, both in clinical and animal cohorts.

  5. Targeting cancer stem cells in hepatocellular carcinoma

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    He AR

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available Aiwu Ruth He,1 Daniel C Smith,1 Lopa Mishra2 1Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Georgetown University, Washington, DC, 2Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA Abstract: The poor outcome of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC is attributed to recurrence of the disease after curative treatment and the resistance of HCC cells to conventional chemotherapy, which may be explained partly by the function of liver cancer stem cells (CSCs. Liver CSCs have emerged as an important therapeutic target against HCC. Numerous surface markers for liver CSCs have been identified, and include CD133, CD90, CD44, CD13, and epithelial cell adhesion molecules. These surface markers serve not only as tools for identifying and isolating liver CSCs but also as therapeutic targets for eradicating these cells. In studies of animal models and large-scale genomic analyses of human HCC samples, many signaling pathways observed in normal stem cells have been found to be altered in liver CSCs, which accounts for the stemness and aggressive behavior of these cells. Antibodies and small molecule inhibitors targeting the signaling pathways have been evaluated at different levels of preclinical and clinical development. Another strategy is to promote the differentiation of liver CSCs to less aggressive HCC that is sensitive to conventional chemotherapy. Disruption of the tumor niche essential for liver CSC homeostasis has become a novel strategy in cancer treatment. To overcome the challenges in developing treatment for liver CSCs, more research into the genetic makeup of patient tumors that respond to treatment may lead to more effective therapy. Standardization of HCC CSC tumor markers would be helpful for measuring the CSC response to these agents. Herein, we review the current strategies for developing treatment to eradicate liver CSCs and to improve the outcome for patients with

  6. CD151 supports VCAM-1-mediated lymphocyte adhesion to liver endothelium and is upregulated in chronic liver disease and hepatocellular carcinoma.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wadkin, James C R; Patten, Daniel A; Kamarajah, Sivesh K; Shepherd, Emma L; Novitskaya, Vera; Berditchevski, Fedor; Adams, David H; Weston, Chris J; Shetty, Shishir

    2017-08-01

    CD151, a member of the tetraspanin family of receptors, is a lateral organizer and modulator of activity of several families of transmembrane proteins. It has been implicated in the development and progression of several cancers, but its role in chronic inflammatory disease is less well understood. Here we show that CD151 is upregulated by distinct microenvironmental signals in a range of chronic inflammatory liver diseases and in primary liver cancer, in which it supports lymphocyte recruitment. CD151 was highly expressed in endothelial cells of the hepatic sinusoids and neovessels developing in fibrotic septa and tumor margins. Primary cultures of human hepatic sinusoidal endothelial cells (HSECs) expressed CD151 at the cell membrane and in intracellular vesicles. CD151 was upregulated by VEGF and HepG2 conditioned media but not by proinflammatory cytokines. Confocal microscopy confirmed that CD151 colocalized with the endothelial adhesion molecule/immunoglobulin superfamily member, VCAM-1. Functional flow-based adhesion assays with primary human lymphocytes and HSECs demonstrated a 40% reduction of lymphocyte adhesion with CD151 blockade. Inhibition of lymphocyte adhesion was similar between VCAM-1 blockade and a combination of CD151/VCAM-1 blockade, suggesting a collaborative role between the two receptors. These studies demonstrate that CD151 is upregulated within the liver during chronic inflammation, where it supports lymphocyte recruitment via liver endothelium. We propose that CD151 regulates the activity of VCAM-1 during lymphocyte recruitment to the human liver and could be a novel anti-inflammatory target in chronic liver disease and hepatocellular cancer prevention. NEW & NOTEWORTHY Chronic hepatitis is characterized by lymphocyte accumulation in liver tissue, which drives fibrosis and carcinogenesis. Here, we demonstrate for the first time that the tetraspanin CD151 supports lymphocyte adhesion to liver endothelium. We show that CD151 is upregulated

  7. Ultrasonographic detection of hepatocellular carcinoma: correlation of preoperative ultrasonography and resected liver pathology

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lim, J.H.; Kim, S.H.; Lee, W.J.; Choi, D.; Kim, S.H.; Lim, H.K.

    2006-01-01

    AIM: The aim of this study was to determine the sensitivity of ultrasonography for detecting hepatocellular carcinoma in patients who underwent surgical liver resection. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The preoperative ultrasonography reports of 103 patients who underwent hepatic resection surgery were retrospectively reviewed. The patients had chronic liver disease with good liver function and a relatively normal liver echotexture. The presence of a mass or masses in the resected part of the liver segments on preoperative ultrasonography was regarded as possible hepatocellular carcinoma, and these results were compared with the surgically resected hepatic lobes or segments. Accuracy for detection was assessed on a lesion-by-lesion basis, on a segment-by-segment basis, and on a patient basis. RESULTS: One hundred and fifty-seven hepatocellular carcinomas were found in 244 hepatic segments of 103 patients. One hundred and one of 157 hepatocellular carcinomas were detected using ultrasonography in 97 patients resulting in a sensitivity of 64%. In six patients, a solitary hepatocellular carcinoma was missed in each patient, a patient sensitivity being 94%. Using ultrasonography, 87 of 100 (87%) hepatocellular carcinomas larger than 2 cm in diameter, and 14 of 57 (25%) hepatocellular carcinomas 2 cm or smaller in diameter were revealed. On the basis of segment-by-segment analysis, the sensitivity was 78% (99 of 127 segments), specificity was 97% (114 of 117 segments), accuracy was 87% (213 of 244 segments), positive predictive value was 97% (99 of 102 segments), and negative predictive value was 80% (114 of 142 segments). CONCLUSION: In patients with chronic liver disease and good hepatic function, ultrasonography has a sensitivity of 94% in the identification of affected patients, but for individual lesions, the sensitivity is only 64%

  8. Montelukast induced acute hepatocellular liver injury

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Harugeri A

    2009-01-01

    Full Text Available A 46-year-old male with uncontrolled asthma on inhaled albuterol and formoterol with budesonide was commenced on montelukast. He developed abdominal pain and jaundice 48 days after initiating montelukast therapy. His liver tests showed an increase in serum total bilirubin, conjugated bilirubin, aspartate aminotranferase, alanine aminotranferase, and alkaline phosphatase. The patient was evaluated for possible non-drug related liver injury. Montelukast was discontinued suspecting montelukast induced hepatocellular liver injury. Liver tests began to improve and returned to normal 55 days after drug cessation. Causality of this adverse drug reaction by the Council for International Organizations of Medical Sciences or Roussel Uclaf Causality Assessment Method (CIOMS or RUCAM and Naranjo′s algorithm was ′probable′. Liver tests should be monitored in patients receiving montelukast and any early signs of liver injury should be investigated with a high index of suspicion for drug induced liver injury.

  9. An Ecological Study of the Association between Air Pollution and Hepatocellular Carcinoma Incidence in Texas.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cicalese, Luca; Raun, Loren; Shirafkan, Ali; Campos, Laura; Zorzi, Daria; Montalbano, Mauro; Rhoads, Colin; Gazis, Valia; Ensor, Katherine; Rastellini, Cristiana

    2017-11-01

    Primary liver cancer is a significant cause of cancer-related death in both the United States and the world at large. Hepatocellular carcinoma comprises 90% of these primary liver cancers and has numerous known etiologies. Evaluation of these identified etiologies and other traditional risk factors cannot explain the high incidence rates of hepatocellular carcinoma in Texas. Texas is home to the second largest petrochemical industry and agricultural industry in the nation; industrial activity and exposure to pathogenic chemicals have never been assessed as potential links to the state's increased incidence rate of hepatocellular carcinoma. The association between the county-level concentrations of 4 air pollutants known to be linked to liver cancer, vinyl chloride, arsenic, benzene, and 1,3-butadiene, and hepatocellular carcinoma rates was evaluated using nonparametric generalized additive logistic regression and gamma regression models. Hepatocellular carcinoma incidence rates for 2000-2013 were evaluated in comparison to 1996 and 1999 pollution concentrations and hepatocellular carcinoma rates for the subset of 2006-2013 were evaluated in comparison to 2002 and 2005 pollution concentrations, respectively. The analysis indicates that the relationship between the incidence of liver cancer and air pollution and risk factors is nonlinear. There is a consistent significant positive association between the incidence of liver cancer and hepatitis C prevalence rates (gamma all years, p < 0.05) and vinyl chloride concentrations (logistic 2002 and 2005, p < 0.0001; gamma 2002 and 2005, p < 0.05). This study suggests that vinyl chloride is a significant contributor to the incidence of liver cancer in Texas. The relationship is notably nonlinear. Further, the study supports the association between incidence of liver cancer and prevalence of hepatitis B.

  10. Dosimetry boron neutron capture therapy in liver cancer (hepatocellular carcinoma) by means of MCNP-code with neutron source from thermal column

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Irhas; Andang Widi Harto; Yohannes Sardjono

    2014-01-01

    Boron Neutron Capture Therapy (BNCT) using physics principle when B 10 (Boron-10) irradiated by low energy neutron (thermal neutron). Boron and thermal neutron reaction produced B 11m (Boron-11m) (t 1/2 =10 -2 s). B 11m decay emitted alpha, Li 7 (Lithium-7) particle and gamma ray. Irradiated time needed to ensure cancer dose enough. Liver cancer was primary malignant who located in liver (Hepatocellular carcinoma). Malignant in liver were different to metastatic from Breast, Colon Cancer, and the other. This condition was Metastatic Liver Cancer. Monte Carlo method used by Monte Carlo N-Particle (MCNP) Software. Probabilistic approach used for probability of interaction occurred and record refers to characteristic of particle and material. In this case, thermal neutron produced by model of Collimated Thermal Column Kartini Research Nuclear Reactor, Yogyakarta. Modelling organ and source used liver organ that contain of cancer tissue and research reactor. Variation of boron concentration was 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, and 47 µg/g cancers. Output of MCNP calculation were neutron scattering dose, gamma ray dose and neutron flux from reactor. Neutron flux used to calculate alpha, proton and gamma ray dose from interaction of tissue material and thermal neutron. Variation of boron concentration result dose rate to every variation were 0,059; 0,072; 0,084; 0,098; 0.108; 0,12; 0,125 Gy/sec. Irradiation time who need to every concentration were 841,5 see (14 min 1 sec); 696,07 sec(11 min 36 sec); 593.11 sec (9 min 53 sec); 461,35 sec (8 min 30 sec); 461,238 sec (7 min 41 sec); 414,23 sec (6 min 54 sec); 398,38 sec (6 min 38 sec). Irradiating time could shortly when boron concentration more high. (author)

  11. Liver resection for non-cirrhotic hepatocellular carcinoma in south ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Background. We describe the clinicopathologic features and outcome of South African patients who have undergone hepatic resection for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) arising in a non-cirrhotic liver. Methods. We utilised the prospective liver resection database in the Surgical Gastroenterology Unit at Groote Schuur ...

  12. Lipid Biomarkers Identified for Liver Cancer | Center for Cancer Research

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is an aggressive cancer of the liver with poor prognosis and growing incidence in developed countries. Pathology and genetic profiles of HCC are heterogeneous, suggesting that it can begin growing in different cell types. Although human tumors such as HCC have been profiled in-depth by genomics-based studies, not much is known about their overall

  13. Downstaging therapy followed by liver transplantation for hepatocellular carcinoma beyond Milan criteria.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Young; Stahl, Christopher C; Makramalla, Abouelmagd; Olowokure, Olugbenga O; Ristagno, Ross L; Dhar, Vikrom K; Schoech, Michael R; Chadalavada, Seetharam; Latif, Tahir; Kharofa, Jordan; Bari, Khurram; Shah, Shimul A

    2017-12-01

    Orthotopic liver transplantation is a curative treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma within Milan criteria, but these criteria preclude many patients from transplant candidacy. Recent studies have demonstrated that downstaging therapy can reduce tumor burden to meet conventional criteria. The present study reports a single-center experience with tumor downstaging and its effects on post-orthotopic liver transplantation outcomes. All patients with hepatocellular carcinoma who were evaluated by our multidisciplinary liver services team from 2012 to 2016 were identified (N = 214). Orthotopic liver transplantation candidates presenting outside of Milan criteria at initial radiographic diagnosis and/or an initial alpha-fetoprotein >400 ng/mL were categorized as at high risk for tumor recurrence and post-transplant mortality. Of the 214 patients newly diagnosed with hepatocellular carcinoma, 73 (34.1%) eventually underwent orthotopic liver transplantation. The majority of patients who did not undergo orthotopic liver transplantation were deceased or lost to follow-up (47.5%), with 14 of 141 (9.9%) currently listed for transplantation. Among transplanted patients, 21 of 73 (28.8%) were considered high-risk candidates. All 21 patients were downstaged to within Milan criteria with an alpha-fetoprotein hepatocellular carcinoma was higher but acceptable between downstaged high-risk and traditional candidates (9.5% vs 1.9%; P > .05) at a median follow-up period of 17 months. Downstaged high-risk candidates had a similar overall survival compared with those transplanted within Milan criteria (log-rank P > .05). In highly selected cases, patients with hepatocellular carcinoma outside of traditional criteria for orthotopic liver transplantation may undergo downstaging therapy in a multidisciplinary fashion with excellent post-transplant outcomes. These data support an aggressive downstaging approach for selected patients who would otherwise be deemed ineligible for

  14. Metabolic reprogramming by PCK1 promotes TCA cataplerosis, oxidative stress and apoptosis in liver cancer cells and suppresses hepatocellular carcinoma.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Meng-Xi; Jin, Lei; Sun, Si-Jia; Liu, Peng; Feng, Xu; Cheng, Zhou-Li; Liu, Wei-Ren; Guan, Kun-Liang; Shi, Ying-Hong; Yuan, Hai-Xin; Xiong, Yue

    2018-03-01

    Phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK or PCK) catalyzes the first rate-limiting step in hepatic gluconeogenesis pathway to maintain blood glucose levels. Mammalian cells express two PCK genes, encoding for a cytoplasmic (PCPEK-C or PCK1) and a mitochondrial (PEPCK-M or PCK2) isoforms, respectively. Increased expressions of both PCK genes are found in cancer of several organs, including colon, lung, and skin, and linked to increased anabolic metabolism and cell proliferation. Here, we report that the expressions of both PCK1 and PCK2 genes are downregulated in primary hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and low PCK expression was associated with poor prognosis in patients with HCC. Forced expression of either PCK1 or PCK2 in liver cancer cell lines results in severe apoptosis under the condition of glucose deprivation and suppressed liver tumorigenesis in mice. Mechanistically, we show that the pro-apoptotic effect of PCK1 requires its catalytic activity. We demonstrate that forced PCK1 expression in glucose-starved liver cancer cells induced TCA cataplerosis, leading to energy crisis and oxidative stress. Replenishing TCA intermediate α-ketoglutarate or inhibition of reactive oxygen species production blocked the cell death caused by PCK expression. Taken together, our data reveal that PCK1 is detrimental to malignant hepatocytes and suggest activating PCK1 expression as a potential treatment strategy for patients with HCC.

  15. Using Nanoparticles in Medicine for Liver Cancer Imaging

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Farideh Farokhi Moghadam

    2017-07-01

    Full Text Available One of the most important types of liver cancer is hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC. HCC is the fifth most common cancer, and its correct diagnosis is very important. For the quick diagnosis of HCC, the use of nanoparticles is helpful. The major applications of nanoparticles are in medicine for organ imaging. Two methods of liver imaging are X-ray computed tomography (CT and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI. In this review, we attempt to summarize some of the contrast agents used in imaging such as superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs and iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs, various types of enhanced MRI for the liver, and nanoparticles like gold (AuNPs, which is used to develop novel CT imaging agents.

  16. Non-viral causes of liver cancer: does obesity led inflammation play a role?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alzahrani, Badr; Iseli, Tristan J; Hebbard, Lionel W

    2014-04-10

    Liver cancer is the fifth most common cancer worldwide and the third most common cause of cancer mortality. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) accounts for around 90% of primary liver cancers. Chronic infection with hepatitis B and hepatitis C viruses are two of most common causes of liver cancer. However, there are non-viral factors that are associated with liver cancer development. Numerous population studies have revealed strong links between obesity and the development of liver cancer. Obesity can alter hepatic pathology, metabolism and promote inflammation, leading to nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and the progression to the more severe form, non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). NASH is characterised by prominent steatosis and inflammation, and can lead to HCC. Here, we discuss the role of obesity in inflammation and the principal signalling mechanisms involved in HCC formation. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  17. Comparison of MRI of liver cancer (preoperative and resected liver specimen) and pathological feature

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tanaka, Toshihiko

    1990-01-01

    Twenty-one nodules of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and eighteen nodules of liver metastasis, which were confirmed pathologically, were investigated by MRI before operation and MRI of resected liver specimen. Pre-operative MRI pointed out all HCCs and seventeen metastases. STIR method was most useful for detection of HCCs. T2WI and STIR method were most useful for detection of liver metastases. Pre-operative MRI also revealed 93% of capsule formation, 29% of septal formation, 75% of fatty metamorphosis of HCC and 75% of necrosis of liver metastasis, and post-operative MRI of resected specimens revealed 100% of capsule formation, 71% of septal formation, 75% of fatty metamorphosis of HCC and 88% of necrosis of liver metastasis. T1WI showed a high intensity halo surrounding metastasis. This characteristic peripheral halo was seen in 22% of metastases. These findings corresponded to pathological feature of liver cancer. MRI was thought to be useful diagnostic modality of liver cancer. (author)

  18. [Comparison liver resection with transarterial chemoembolization for Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer stage B hepatocellular carcinoma patients on long-term survival after SPSS propensity score matching].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ke, Yang; Zhong, Jianhong; Guo, Zhe; Liang, Yongrong; Li, Lequn; Xiang, Bangde

    2014-03-18

    To compare the long-term survival of patients with Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) stage B hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) undergoing either liver resection or transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) after propensity score matching (PSM). One hundred sixty-seven and 70 BCLC-B HCC patients undergoing liver resection and TACE were retrospectively collected. PSM function of SPSS software was conducted to reduce confounding bias between the groups. And then survival analysis was performed for the matched data. Fifty-three pairs of patients were successfully matched. And then survival analysis showed that the median survival periods and their 95% confidence intervals were 35.0 (26.3-43.7)months in the liver resection group versus 20.0(15.0-25.0) months in the TACE group. The 1, 3, 5 and 7-year survival rates were 91.0%, 49.0%, 30.0% and 17.0% in the liver resection group versus 73.0%, 25.0%, 8.0% and 5.0% respectively in the TACE group (P = 0.001). Cox regression analysis revealed that TACE, total bilirubin ≥ 34.2 µmol/L, alpha fetoprotein ≥ 400 ng/ml and tumor number ≥ 3 were independent risk factors of survival (hazard ratio >1, P < 0.05). The balance of covariates may be achieved through PSM. And for patients with BCLC-B HCC, liver resection provides better long-term overall survival than TACE.

  19. Dysregulated Expression of MITF in Subsets of Hepatocellular Carcinoma and Cholangiocarcinoma.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nooron, Nattakarn; Ohba, Koji; Takeda, Kazuhisa; Shibahara, Shigeki; Chiabchalard, Anchalee

    2017-08-01

    Cholangiocarcinoma represents the second most common primary liver tumor after hepatocellular carcinoma. Mahanine, a carbazole alkaloid derived from Murraya koenigii (Linn.) Spreng, has been used as folk medicine in Thailand, where the liver fluke-associated cholangiocarcinoma is common. The expression of microphthalmia-associated transcription factor (MITF) is maintained at immunohistochemically undetectable levels in hepatocytes and cholangiocytes. To explore the regulation of MITF expression in the liver, we immunohistochemically analyzed the MITF expression using hepatocellular carcinoma and cholangiocarcinoma specimens of the human liver cancer tissue array. MITF immunoreactivity was detected in subsets of hepatocellular carcinoma (6 out of 38 specimens; 16%) and cholangiocarcinoma (2/7 specimens; 29%). Moreover, immunoreactivity for glioma-associated oncogene 1 (GLI1), a transcription factor of the Hedgehog signaling pathway, was detected in 55% of hepatocellular carcinoma (21/38 specimens) and 86% of cholangiocarcinoma (6/7 specimens). Importantly, MITF was detectable only in the GLI1-positive hepatocellular carcinoma and cholangiocarcinoma, and MITF immunoreactivity is associated with poor prognosis in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma. Subsequently, the effect of mahanine was analyzed in HepG2 human hepatocellular carcinoma and HuCCT1 and KKU-100 human cholangiocarcinoma cells. Mahanine (25 µM) showed the potent cytotoxicity in these hepatic cancer cell lines, which was associated with increased expression levels of MITF, as judged by Western blot analysis. MITF is over-expressed in subsets of hepatocellular carcinoma and cholangiocarcinoma, and detectable MITF immunoreactivity is associated with poor prognosis in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma. MITF expression levels may be determined in hepatic cancer cells by the balance between the Hedgehog signaling and the cellular stress.

  20. Mouse models in liver cancer research: A review of current literature

    Science.gov (United States)

    Leenders, Martijn WH; Nijkamp, Maarten W; Rinkes, Inne HM Borel

    2008-01-01

    Primary liver cancer remains one of the most lethal malignancies worldwide. Due to differences in prevalence of etiological factors the incidence of primary liver cancer varies among the world, with a peak in East-Asia. As this disease is still lethal in most of the cases, research has to be done to improve our understanding of the disease, offering insights for possible treatment options. For this purpose, animal models are widely used, especially mouse models. In this review, we describe the different types of mouse models used in liver cancer research, with emphasis on genetically engineered mice used in this field. We focus on hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), as this is by far the most common type of primary liver cancer, accounting for 70%-85% of cases. PMID:19058325

  1. Polymeric nanoparticles as cancer-specific DNA delivery vectors to human hepatocellular carcinoma.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zamboni, Camila G; Kozielski, Kristen L; Vaughan, Hannah J; Nakata, Maisa M; Kim, Jayoung; Higgins, Luke J; Pomper, Martin G; Green, Jordan J

    2017-10-10

    Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the third most deadly cancer in the US, with a meager 5-year survival rate of effective and cancer-specific DNA delivery to human HCC using biodegradable poly(beta-amino ester) (PBAE) nanoparticles (NPs). Varied PBAE NP formulations were evaluated for transfection efficacy and cytotoxicity to a range of human HCC cells as well as healthy human hepatocytes. To address HCC heterogeneity, nine different sources of human HCC cells were utilized. The polymeric NPs composed of 2-((3-aminopropyl)amino) ethanol end-modified poly(1,5-pentanediol diacrylate-co-3-amino-1-propanol) ('536') at a 25 polymer-to-DNA weight-to-weight ratio led to high transfection efficacy to all of the liver cancer lines, but not to hepatocytes. Each individual HCC line had a significantly higher percentage of exogenous gene expression than the healthy liver cells (Peffective DNA transfection in vivo. PBAE-based NPs enabled high and preferential DNA delivery to HCC cells, sparing healthy hepatocytes. These biodegradable and liver cancer-selective NPs are a promising technology to deliver therapeutic genes to liver cancer. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  2. Resected Hepatocellular Carcinoma in a Patient with Crohn's Disease on Azathioprine

    Science.gov (United States)

    Heron, Valérie; Fortinsky, Kyle Joshua; Spiegle, Gillian; Hilzenrat, Nir; Szilagyi, Andrew

    2016-01-01

    Hepatocellular carcinoma rarely occurs in patients without underlying cirrhosis or liver disease. While inflammatory bowel disease has been linked to certain forms of liver disease, hepatocellular carcinoma is exceedingly rare in these patients. We report the twelfth case of hepatocellular carcinoma in a patient with Crohn's disease. The patient is a 61-year-old with longstanding Crohn's disease who was treated with azathioprine and was found to have elevated liver enzymes and a new 3-cm liver mass on ultrasound. A complete workup for underlying liver disease was unremarkable and liver biopsy revealed hepatocellular carcinoma. The patient underwent a hepatic resection, and there is no evidence of recurrence at the 11-month follow-up. The resection specimen showed no evidence of cancer despite the initial biopsy revealing hepatocellular carcinoma. This case represents the third biopsy-proven complete spontaneous regression of hepatocellular carcinoma. Although large studies have failed to show a definite link between azathioprine and hepatocellular carcinoma, the relationship remains concerning given the multiple case reports suggesting a possible association. Clinicians should exercise a high degree of suspicion in patients with Crohn's disease who present with elevated liver enzymes, especially those on azathioprine therapy. PMID:27403102

  3. Dynamic CT of hepatocellular carcinoma

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    Fujita, Nobuyuki; Shirato, Hiroki; Shinohara, Masahiro; Miyasaka, Kazuo; Morita, Yutaka; Irie, Goro

    1983-03-01

    We performed dynamic CT in 30 cases of hepatocellular carcinoma, and concluded as below. Detecting the stain in the early phase of the dynamic series, it is possible to make a diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma. The dynamic CT is effective in a case of small hepatocellular carcinoma in which it is difficult to gain an accurate diagnosis in the routine CT study. The dynamic CT is also effective in the differential diagnosis of hepatic lesions, as other hepatic lesions such as hemangioma and metastatic liver cancer show different patterns compared with hepatocellular carcinoma.

  4. Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease and Extra-Hepatic Cancers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Claudia Sanna

    2016-05-01

    Full Text Available Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD is a leading cause of chronic liver disease but the second cause of death among NAFLD patients are attributed to malignancies at both gastrointestinal (liver, colon, esophagus, stomach, and pancreas and extra-intestinal sites (kidney in men, and breast in women. Obesity and related metabolic abnormalities are associated with increased incidence or mortality for a number of cancers. NAFLD has an intertwined relationship with metabolic syndrome and significantly contributes to the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC, but recent evidence have fuelled concerns that NAFLD may be a new, and added, risk factor for extra-hepatic cancers, particularly in the gastrointestinal tract. In this review we critically appraise key studies on NAFLD-associated extra-hepatic cancers and speculate on how NAFLD may influence carcinogenesis at these sites.

  5. American Liver Foundation

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... Cirrhosis Clinical Trials Galactosemia Gilbert Syndrome Hemochromatosis Hepatic Encephalopathy Hepatitis A Hepatitis B Hepatitis C Hepatocellular Carcinoma Lysosomal Acid Lipase Deficiency(LALD) Intrahepatic Cholestasis of Pregnancy (ICP) Liver Biopsy Liver Cancer Liver Cysts Liver Function Tests ...

  6. Liver cancer - hepatocellular carcinoma

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... Autoimmune diseases of the liver Hepatitis B or hepatitis C virus infection Inflammation of the liver that is long-term (chronic) Iron overload in the body ( hemochromatosis ) People with hepatitis B or C are at high risk of ...

  7. Hepatocellular proliferation and hepatocarcinogen bioactivation in mice with diet-induced fatty liver and obesity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Iatropoulos, M J; Duan, J-D; Jeffrey, A M; Leach, M W; Hayes, A N; Stedman, N L; Williams, G M

    2013-05-01

    Human liver cancer is in part associated with obesity and related metabolic diseases. The present study was undertaken in a mouse model of diet-induced obesity (DIO) and hepatic steatosis, conditions which can be associated with hepatic neoplasia, to determine whether the rates of cell proliferation or hepatocarcinogen bioactivation were altered in ways which could facilitate hepatocarcinogenesis. DIO mice were generated by feeding C57BL/6 (B6) male mice a high-fat diet beginning at 4 weeks of age; age-matched conventional lean (LEAN) B6 mice fed a low fat diet (10% Kcal from fat) were used for comparison. Groups of 28 week old DIO and LEAN mice were dosed with the bioactivation-dependent DNA-reactive hepatocarcinogen 2-acetylaminofluorene (AAF), at 2.24 or 22.4 mg/kg, given by gavage 3 times per week for 31 days, or received no treatment (DIO and LEAN control groups). Compared with the LEAN control group, the DIO control group had a higher mean body weight (16.5 g), higher mean absolute (1.4 g) and mean relative (25.5%) liver weights, higher (394%) liver triglyceride concentrations, and an increased incidence and severity of hepatocellular steatosis at the end of the dosing phase. The DIO control group also had a higher mean hepatocellular replicating fraction (31% increase, determined by proliferating cell nuclear antigen immunohistochemistry). Hepatocarcinogen bioactivation, based on formation of AAF DNA adducts as measured by nucleotide (32)P-postlabeling, was similar in both DIO and LEAN AAF-dosed groups. Thus, hepatocellular proliferation, but not hepatocarcinogen bioactivation, was identified as an alteration in livers of DIO mice which could contribute to their susceptibility to hepatocarcinogenesis. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

  8. CRISPR/Cas9 Engineering of Adult Mouse Liver Demonstrates That the Dnajb1-Prkaca Gene Fusion is Sufficient to Induce Tumors Resembling Fibrolamellar Hepatocellular Carcinoma

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Engelholm, Lars H; Riaz, Anjum; Serra, Denise

    2017-01-01

    BACKGROUND & AIMS: Fibrolamellar hepatocellular carcinoma (FL-HCC) is a primary liver cancer that predominantly affects young adults with no underlying liver disease. A somatic, 400 Kb deletion on chromosome 19 that fuses part of the DnaJ heat shock protein family (Hsp40) member B1 gene (DNAJB1...

  9. From big data to diagnosis and prognosis: gene expression signatures in liver hepatocellular carcinoma

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hong Yang

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available Background Liver hepatocellular carcinoma accounts for the overwhelming majority of primary liver cancers and its belated diagnosis and poor prognosis call for novel biomarkers to be discovered, which, in the era of big data, innovative bioinformatics and computational techniques can prove to be highly helpful in. Methods Big data aggregated from The Cancer Genome Atlas and Natural Language Processing were integrated to generate differentially expressed genes. Relevant signaling pathways of differentially expressed genes went through Gene Ontology enrichment analysis, Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes and Panther pathway enrichment analysis and protein-protein interaction network. The pathway ranked high in the enrichment analysis was further investigated, and selected genes with top priority were evaluated and assessed in terms of their diagnostic and prognostic values. Results A list of 389 genes was generated by overlapping genes from The Cancer Genome Atlas and Natural Language Processing. Three pathways demonstrated top priorities, and the one with specific associations with cancers, ‘pathways in cancer,’ was analyzed with its four highlighted genes, namely, BIRC5, E2F1, CCNE1, and CDKN2A, which were validated using Oncomine. The detection pool composed of the four genes presented satisfactory diagnostic power with an outstanding integrated AUC of 0.990 (95% CI [0.982–0.998], P < 0.001, sensitivity: 96.0%, specificity: 96.5%. BIRC5 (P = 0.021 and CCNE1 (P = 0.027 were associated with poor prognosis, while CDKN2A (P = 0.066 and E2F1 (P = 0.088 demonstrated no statistically significant differences. Discussion The study illustrates liver hepatocellular carcinoma gene signatures, related pathways and networks from the perspective of big data, featuring the cancer-specific pathway with priority, ‘pathways in cancer.’ The detection pool of the four highlighted genes, namely BIRC5, E2F1, CCNE1 and CDKN2A, should be

  10. Serologic and molecular biomarkers for recurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma after liver transplantation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Pommergaard, Hans-Christian; Burcharth, Jakob Hornstrup Frølunde; Rosenberg, Jacob

    2016-01-01

    INTRODUCTION: Recurrence after liver transplantation (LT) for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a major cause of mortality. Knowledge on biomarkers may contribute to better surveillance based on the patients' risk of recurrence. Reviewing the literature, we aimed to identify serological...... and molecular biomarkers for recurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma after liver transplantation. METHODS: A literature search was performed in the databases PubMed and Scopus to identify observational studies evaluating serological or molecular biomarkers for recurrence of HCC after LT using adjusted analysis...

  11. Risk factors for postoperative liver failure after hepatectomy for hepatocellular carcinoma.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Maeda, Yoshitaka; Nishida, Minekatsu; Takao, Takashi; Mori, Naohide; Tamesa, Takao; Tangoku, Akira; Oka, Masaaki

    2004-01-01

    Selection of patients for hepatectomy for hepatocellular carcinoma conventionally has been based upon Child-Pugh grading. However, postoperative liver failure after hepatectomy is a major cause of hospital mortality. A new predictor of postoperative liver failure is required. The objective of this study was to identify risk factors for postoperative liver failure after hepatectomy. Perioperative risk factors for liver failure after hepatectomy were analyzed in 112 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma Eight of these patients died of liver failure. Stepwise multivariate logistic regression was performed to investigate significant independent factors among 17 variables, including the serum alkaline phosphatase ratio (ALPR) on the first day after hepatectomy. ALPR was calculated as the postoperative ALP level divided by the ALP level before surgery. Significant risk factors of postoperative liver failure were ALPR on postoperative day 1 (ALPR1), sex, operative blood loss, and operative procedure. As an indicator of liver failure, the diagnostic accuracy of the ALPR1 was 93.7% when the ALPR was less than 0.4 on the first postoperative day. The ALPR and the serum total bilirubin concentration after hepatectomy were uncorrelated. ALPR1 is a useful predictor of liver failure after hepatectomy.

  12. Elevated renin levels in patients with liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lotfy, Mahmoud; El-Kenawy, Ayman El-Meghawry; Abdel-Aziz, Mohamed M; El-Kady, Ibrahim; Talaat, Ayman

    2010-01-01

    Liver fibrosis is the common consequence of chronic liver injury of any etiology, disrupting the normal architecture,and causing hepatocellular dysfunction and portal hypertension. Since the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) may be involved in chronic liver diseases, in the present study we assayed renin levels using ELISA in groups of Egyptian patients with liver cirrhosis (N=32) and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) (N=67), for comparison with twenty five healthy controls. The results showed significant differences between the control and liver cirrhosis patients (P<0.001) and also the controls and HCC patients (P<0.001), without significant variation between the patient groups. Furthermore, in HCC patients, it was found that the renin levels negatively correlated with serum albumin and prothrombin time (P=0.003 for each) and positively with α-fetoprotein (P=0.04). Thus, it is concluded that renin levels are elevated in patients with liver cirrhosis and HCC and suitable medical intervention should be placed for management of such alteration. Moreover, further studies are warranted to explore its prognostic significance.

  13. Dynamic CT of hepatocellular carcinoma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fujita, Nobuyuki; Shirato, Hiroki; Shinohara, Masahiro; Miyasaka, Kazuo; Morita, Yutaka; Irie, Goro

    1983-01-01

    We performed dynamic CT in 30 cases of hepatocellular carcinoma, and concluded as below. 1 Decting the stain in the early phase of the dynamic series, it is possible to make a diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma. 2 The dinamic CT is effective in a case of small hepatocellular carcinoma in which it is difficult to gain an accurate diagnosis in the routine CT study. 3 The dynamic CT is also effective in the differential diagnosis of hepatic lesions, as other hepatic lesions such as hemangioma and metastatic liver cancer show different patterns compared with hepatocellular carcinoma. (author)

  14. Current management of hepatocellular carcinoma

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tabrizian, Parissa; Roayaie, Sasan; Schwartz, Myron E

    2014-01-01

    Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the sixth most common cancer worldwide and leading cause of death among patients with cirrhosis. Treatment guidelines are based according to the Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer staging system. The choice among therapeutic options that include liver resection, liver transplantation, locoregional, and systemic treatments must be individualized for each patient. The aim of this paper is to review the outcomes that can be achieved in the treatment of HCC with the heterogeneous therapeutic options currently available in clinical practice. PMID:25132740

  15. The Singapore Liver Cancer Recurrence (SLICER Score for relapse prediction in patients with surgically resected hepatocellular carcinoma.

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    Soo Fan Ang

    Full Text Available Surgery is the primary curative option in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC. Current prognostic models for HCC are developed on datasets of primarily patients with advanced cancer, and may be less relevant to resectable HCC. We developed a postoperative nomogram, the Singapore Liver Cancer Recurrence (SLICER Score, to predict outcomes of HCC patients who have undergone surgical resection.Records for 544 consecutive patients undergoing first-line curative surgery for HCC in one institution from 1992-2007 were reviewed, with 405 local patients selected for analysis. Freedom from relapse (FFR was the primary outcome measure. An outcome-blinded modeling strategy including clustering, data reduction and transformation was used. We compared the performance of SLICER in estimating FFR with other HCC prognostic models using concordance-indices and likelihood analysis.A nomogram predicting FFR was developed, incorporating non-neoplastic liver cirrhosis, multifocality, preoperative alpha-fetoprotein level, Child-Pugh score, vascular invasion, tumor size, surgical margin and symptoms at presentation. Our nomogram outperformed other HCC prognostic models in predicting FFR by means of log-likelihood ratio statistics with good calibration demonstrated at 3 and 5 years post-resection and a concordance index of 0.69. Using decision curve analysis, SLICER also demonstrated superior net benefit at higher threshold probabilities.The SLICER score enables well-calibrated individualized predictions of relapse following curative HCC resection, and may represent a novel tool for biomarker research and individual counseling.

  16. Resected Hepatocellular Carcinoma in a Patient with Crohn’s Disease on Azathioprine

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    Valérie Heron

    2016-05-01

    Full Text Available Hepatocellular carcinoma rarely occurs in patients without underlying cirrhosis or liver disease. While inflammatory bowel disease has been linked to certain forms of liver disease, hepatocellular carcinoma is exceedingly rare in these patients. We report the twelfth case of hepatocellular carcinoma in a patient with Crohn’s disease. The patient is a 61-year-old with longstanding Crohn’s disease who was treated with azathioprine and was found to have elevated liver enzymes and a new 3-cm liver mass on ultrasound. A complete workup for underlying liver disease was unremarkable and liver biopsy revealed hepatocellular carcinoma. The patient underwent a hepatic resection, and there is no evidence of recurrence at the 11-month follow-up. The resection specimen showed no evidence of cancer despite the initial biopsy revealing hepatocellular carcinoma. This case represents the third biopsy-proven complete spontaneous regression of hepatocellular carcinoma. Although large studies have failed to show a definite link between azathioprine and hepatocellular carcinoma, the relationship remains concerning given the multiple case reports suggesting a possible association. Clinicians should exercise a high degree of suspicion in patients with Crohn’s disease who present with elevated liver enzymes, especially those on azathioprine therapy.

  17. Chitosan nanoparticles from marine squid protect liver cells against N-diethylnitrosoamine-induced hepatocellular carcinoma.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Subhapradha, Namasivayam; Shanmugam, Vairamani; Shanmugam, Annaian

    2017-09-01

    Rationale of this study was framed to investigate the protective effect and anti-cancer property of nanoparticles based on chitosan isolated from squid, Sepioteuthis lessoniana, on hepatic cells in N-Nitrosodiethylamine-induced hepatocellular carcinoma in rats. The results conferred that the chitosan nanoparticle supplementation had a protective effect on liver cells by reducing the levels of marker enzymes and bilirubin and thus increasing the albumin levels. The level of reduced glutathione, ascorbic acid and α-tocopherol significantly increased in both post- and pre-treatment with chitosan nanoparticles. The levels of antioxidant enzymes were enhanced and lipid peroxidation products were diminished while treating nitrosodiethylamine-induced hepatocellular carcinoma with chitosan nanoparticles. Supplementation of chitosan nanoparticles had potent anti-hyperlipidemic property that was evidenced by monitoring the serum lipid levels and its components. Animals pre-treated with chitosan nanoparticles along with nitrosodiethylamine showed a significant reduction in the total cholesterol and triglycerides levels with increase in the levels of phospholipids and free fatty acids. Chitosan nanoparticles treated rats showed significant increment in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and reduction in low-density lipoprotein and very low-density lipoprotein cholesterol when compared with levels in nitrosodiethylamine-induced hepatocellular carcinoma. Nitrosodiethylamine-induced carcinoma changes on circulation and hepatic antioxidant defense mechanism were regulated by chitosan nanoparticles, concluding that the chitosan nanoparticles have a potent protective effect on liver cells which might be due to its robust antioxidant and anti-lipidemic property. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  18. Relation of Serum Alkaline Phosphatase to liver scintigram in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma

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    Nishimura, H; Harada, T; Nawata, J; Hayakawa, M; Nishioka, M; Takemoto, T; Yokoyama, T; Takahashi, M

    1982-12-01

    Serum Alkaline Phosphatase (ALP) was studied in relation to liver scintigrams of 54 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma. The ALP activity was higher with larger tumors and in multiple tumors. Within the single tumor group, the activity was higher when the tumor was located in the hilum than in the periphery. The incidence of ALP-1 isoenzyme (bile ALP) roughly paralleled the total ALP activity. These results suggest that the variation of serum ALP seen in each individual patients with hepatocellular carcinoma reflects the volume of cholestatic liver tissue, which is changed by the number, size and localization of the tumor nodules in the liver.

  19. A proteomic strategy to identify novel serum biomarkers for liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular cancer in individuals with fatty liver disease

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    Stewart Stephen

    2009-08-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD has a prevalence of over 20% in Western societies. Affected individuals are at risk of developing both cirrhosis and hepatocellular cancer (HCC. Presently there is no cost effective population based means of identifying cirrhotic individuals and even if there were, our ability to perform HCC surveillance in the at risk group is inadequate. We have performed a pilot proteomic study to assess this as a strategy for serum biomarker detection. Methods 2D Gel electrophoresis was performed on immune depleted sera from 3 groups of patients, namely those with (1 pre-cirrhotic NAFLD (2 cirrhotic NAFLD and (3 cirrhotic NAFLD with co-existing HCC. Five spots differentiating at least one of these three groups were characterised by mass spectroscopy. An ELISA assay was optimised and a cross sectional study assessing one of these serum spots was performed on serum from 45 patients with steatohepatitis related cirrhosis and HCC and compared to 77 patients with histologically staged steatohepatitis. Results Four of the spots identified were apolipoprotein isoforms, the pattern of which was able to differentiate the three groups. The 5th spot, seen in the serum of cirrhotic individuals and more markedly in those with HCC, was identified as CD5 antigen like (CD5L. By ELISA assay, although CD5L was markedly elevated in a number of cirrhotic individuals with HCC, its overall ability to distinguish non-cancer from cancer individuals as determined by AUC ROC analysis was poor. However, serum CD5L was dramatically increased, independently of age, sex, and the presence of necroinflammation, in the serum of individuals with NAFLD cirrhosis relative to those with pre-cirrhotic disease. Conclusion This novel proteomic strategy has identified a number of candidate biomarkers which may have benefit in the surveillance and diagnosis of individuals with chronic liver disease and/or HCC.

  20. Liver and Bile Duct Cancer—Patient Version

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liver cancer includes hepatocellular carcinoma and bile duct cancer (cholangiocarcinoma). Risk factors for HCC include chronic infection with hepatitis B or C and cirrhosis of the liver. Start here to find information on liver and bile duct cancer treatment, causes and prevention, screening, research, and statistics.

  1. What effects performance status of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma: stage of tumor versus underlying liver status

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sarwar, S.; Tarique, S.

    2015-01-01

    Objective: To identify variables associated with poor performance status of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients and to compare impact of stage of liver disease and that of hepatoma on functional status of patient. Patients and Methods: We included 254 confirmed cases of liver cancer in a crosssectional analytical study carried out at Doctors Hospital Lahore. Patient's clinical, biochemical and radiological variables were correlated with Karnofsky's performance status (KPS) using pearson correlation. Model for End stage Liver Disease (MELD) and Cancer of Liver Italian Program (CLIP) were evaluated for predicting performance status using Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve. Results: Mean age of patients was 56.69 (±10.34) and male to female ratio was 2.47: 1 (181/73). On KPS evaluation 84 (33.1%) patients scored between 80-100, 147 (57.9%) had score of 50-70 while in 23 (9.1%) KPS score was between 0-40. Variables associated with poor performance status were bilirubin> 3mg/dl (p value 0.00), albumin< 2.5 g/dl (p value 0.00), creatinine > 1.2mg/dl (p 0.00), prothrombin time> 16seconds (p value 0.00), size of tumor >7cm (p value 0.02), tumor involving > 50% of liver mass (p value 0.00) and vascular invasion (p value 0.00). Both stage of liver disease as determined by MELD and stage of liver cancer as per CLIP scores had strong correlation (p value 0.00) with poor performance status of patient. Area under ROC curve was 0.764 for MELD score and 0.785 for CLIP score. Conclusion: Performance status of liver cancer patients is affected by both stage of liver disease and that of liver tumor. Patients with MELD score above 16 and CLIP score above 4 have poor performance status. (author)

  2. Prevention and management of recurrence and metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma after liver transplantation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    JI Ru

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC is still a prevalent gastrointestinal cancer. Liver transplantation (LT is one of the main means in the comprehensive treatment of HCC because it radically removes the tumor. However, tumor recurrence and metastasis after LT remain the main obstacles to long-term survival. In recent years, substantial progress has been made in the diagnosis and treatment of HCC thanks to the technological improvement and experience accumulation worldwide. The HCC indications for LT, prediction of HCC recurrence and metastasis, perioperative management in LT, and comprehensive treatment of recurrent HCC after LT are reviewed.

  3. Tobacco carcinogen (NNK) induces both lung cancer and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis and hepatocellular carcinomas in ferrets which can be attenuated by lycopene supplementation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Early epidemiologic studies have reported that tobacco smoking, which is causally associated with liver cancer, is an independent risk factor for non-alcoholic fatty liver diseases (NAFLD). Lycopene from tomatoes has been shown to be a potential preventive agent against NAFLD and hepatocellular carc...

  4. Yttrium-90 microspheres for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Geschwind, Jean Francois H; Salem, Riad; Carr, Brian I; Soulen, Michael C; Thurston, Kenneth G; Goin, Kathleen A; Van Buskirk, Mark; Roberts, Carol A; Goin, James E

    2004-11-01

    Unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma is extremely difficult to treat. TheraSphere consists of yttrium-90 (a pure beta emitter) microspheres, which are injected into the hepatic arteries. This article reviews the safety and survival of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma who were treated with yttrium-90 microspheres. Eighty patients were selected from a database of 108 yttrium-90 microsphere-treated patients and were staged by using Child-Pugh, Okuda, and Cancer of the Liver Italian Program scoring systems. Patients were treated with local, regional, and whole-liver approaches. Survival from first treatment was analyzed with Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression methods. Adverse events and complications of treatment were coded by using the Southwest Oncology Group toxicity scoring system. Patients received liver doses ranging from 47 to 270 Gy. Thirty-two patients (40%) received more than 1 treatment. Survival correlated with pretreatment Cancer of the Liver Italian Program scores ( P = .002), as well as with the individual Cancer of the Liver Italian Program components, Child-Pugh class, alpha-fetoprotein levels, and percentage of tumor replacement. Patients classified as Okuda stage I (n = 54) and II (n = 26) had median survival durations and 1-year survival rates of 628 days and 63%, and 384 days and 51%, respectively ( P = .02). One patient died of liver failure judged as possibly related to treatment. Thus, in selected patients with hepatocellular carcinoma, yttrium-90 microsphere treatment is safe and well tolerated. On the basis of these results, a randomized controlled trial is warranted comparing yttrium-90 microsphere treatment with transarterial chemoembolization by using the Cancer of the Liver Italian Program system for prospective stratified randomization.

  5. Hepatitis C impairs survival following liver transplantation irrespective of concomitant hepatocellular carcinoma

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Melum, Espen; Friman, Styrbjörn; Bjøro, Kristian

    2007-01-01

    BACKGROUND/AIMS: Liver transplantation (LTX) is the only curative treatment for end-stage liver disease caused by hepatitis C (HCV). Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is common in patients with HCV cirrhosis. METHODS: Two hundred and eighty-two HCV patients listed for LTX in the Nordic countries...

  6. Cancer of the liver - role of AFP

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ola, S.O.

    1999-02-01

    Liver diseases are common worldwide and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the commonest primary liver cancer. It has varied incidences globally but it is particularly common in Africans with a high prevalence in Nigerians where it accounted for the 4th commonest cause of death in both sexes between 1976 and 1995 (table 1). Similarly its incidence has remained persistently high between 3.1 and 8.6% per annum. Hepatocellular carcinoma occurs among all socio-economic classes of the population and is commonest among the 30-50 year group, two decades earlier than in the Caucasians and Americans. However, patients with HCC present in several patterns with majority having sudden onset of abdominal pain and swelling which is usually progressive, running an aggressive course. These patients who are in their prime of life arrive late in hospitals when the disease is advanced and is unlikely to respond to the usual modalities of therapy hence the disease has a gloomy picture. The solution is EARLY DIAGNOSIS with PROMPT THERAPY for achieving possible CURE of the disease

  7. Prediction of posthepatectomy liver failure using transient elastography in patients with hepatitis B related hepatocellular carcinoma.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lei, Jie-Wen; Ji, Xiao-Yu; Hong, Jun-Feng; Li, Wan-Bin; Chen, Yan; Pan, Yan; Guo, Jia

    2017-12-29

    It is essential to accurately predict Postoperative liver failure (PHLF) which is a life-threatening complication. Liver hardness measurement (LSM) is widely used in non-invasive assessment of liver fibrosis. The aims of this study were to explore the application of preoperative liver stiffness measurements (LSM) by transient elastography in predicting postoperative liver failure (PHLF) in patients with hepatitis B related hepatocellular carcinoma. The study included 247 consecutive patients with hepatitis B related hepatocellular carcinoma who underwent hepatectomy between May 2015 and September 2015. Detailed preoperative examinations including LSM were performed before hepatectomy. The endpoint was the development of PHLF. All of the patients had chronic hepatitis B defined as the presence of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) for more than 6 months and 76 (30.8%) had cirrhosis. PHLF occurred in 37 (14.98%) patients. Preoperative LSM (odds ratio, OR, 1.21; 95% confidence interval, 95% CI: 1.13-1.29; P hepatocellular carcinoma.

  8. Survey of thorotrast-associated liver cancers in Japan

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yamada, S; Hosoda, S; Tateno, H; Kido, C; Takahashi, S

    1983-01-01

    Data on 93 autopsy cases (group A) of thorotrast-associated liver cancers were obtained from the Annual of Pathological Autopsy Cases in Japan from 1958 to 1979, and data on 78 autopsy cases (group B) of thorotrast-associated liver cancers were obtained from the Japanese literature from 1953 to 1980. Cholangiocarcinoma (CLC) constituted 58% of group A and 55% of group B. The curve of the cumulative numbers of patients with CLC versus year in group A was almost linear, showing an increasing risk per surviving patients with advancing time. Angiosarcoma (AGS) occurred in 25% of group A and 24% of group B. The number of patients with AGS increased significantly after 1969 in both groups. In group B, age and years after thorotrast injection of patients with AGS were statistically higher than those of patients with CLC. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HPC) accounted for 17 and 21% of groups A and B, respectively. When yearly distribution, age, and time after thorotrast injection of patients with HPC were correlated with those of patients with other liver cancers, the only statistically significant difference between patients with HPC and patients with CLC was in the years after thorotrast administration. Since 1977 multiple primary liver cancers including AGS developed in thorotrast-administered patients in both groups.

  9. Oxidative Stress and Liver Cancer: Etiology and Therapeutic Targets

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    Zhanpeng Wang

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Accumulating evidence has indicated that oxidative stress (OS is associated with the development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC. However, the mechanisms remain largely unknown. Normally, OS occurs when the body receives any danger signal—from either an internal or external source—and further induces DNA oxidative damage and abnormal protein expression, placing the body into a state of vulnerability to the development of various diseases such as cancer. There are many factors involved in liver carcinogenesis, including hepatitis B virus (HBV and hepatitis C virus (HCV infection, alcohol abuse, and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD. The relationship between OS and HCC has recently been attracting increasing attention. Therefore, elucidation of the impact of OS on the development of liver carcinogenesis is very important for the prevention and treatment of liver cancer. This review focuses mainly on the relationship between OS and the development of HCC from the perspective of cellular and molecular mechanisms and the etiology and therapeutic targets of HCC.

  10. Liver and Bile Duct Cancer—Health Professional Version

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liver cancer includes two major types: hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and intrahepatic bile duct cancer, also known as cholangiocarcinoma. Find evidence-based information on liver and bile duct cancer treatment, causes and prevention, screening, research, genomics and statistics.

  11. Cryotherapy for hepatocellular carcinoma

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Awad, Tahany; Thorlund, Kristian; Gluud, Christian

    2009-01-01

    BACKGROUND: Hepatocellular carcinoma is the most common primary malignant cancer of the liver. Evidence for the role of cryotherapy in the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma is controversial. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this review is to evaluate the potential benefits and harms of cryotherapy...... for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma. SEARCH STRATEGY: We searched The Cochrane Hepato-Biliary Group Controlled Trials Register, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) in The Cochrane Library, MEDLINE, EMBASE, and LILACS until June 2009. We identified further studies by searching...... of benefit but included for the assessment of harm. Both severe and non-severe adverse events were reported, but the true nature and extent of harm was difficult to asses. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: At present, there is no evidence to recommend or refute cryotherapy for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma...

  12. Comparison of anamnestic history, alcohol intake and smoking, nutritional status, and liver dysfunction between thorotrast patients who developed primary liver cancer and those who did not

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kiyosawa, K.; Imai, H.; Sodeyama, T.; Franca, S.T.; Yousuf, M.; Furuta, S.; Fujisawa, K.; Kido, C.

    1989-01-01

    In order to clarify the differences in past history, nutritional condition and, consumption of alcohol and tobacco, and liver dysfunction between the thorotrast patients who developed primary liver cancer and those who did not, 103 persons who had no primary liver cancer in January 1980 were studied. All subjects were military men who had undergone angiography with thorotrast between 1943 and 1946. Twenty persons developed hepatocellular carcinoma and 16 developed intrahepatic bile duct carcinoma by April 1987, whereas 67 are still alive without any cancer. There was no difference in age or period after thorotrast infusion between those two groups of patients in January 1980. A difference in history of hepatitis and/or jaundice and presence of hepatic dysfunction was found between the subjects who developed primary liver cancers and those who did not. These findings suggest that an anamnestic history of hepatitis and liver dysfunction are risks for development of thorotrast-induced liver cancer. On the basis of the above findings, early detection of liver dysfunction offers a possibility of early diagnosis of primary liver cancer

  13. The role of external beam radiotherapy in the treatment of hepatocellular cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chino, Fumiko; Stephens, Sarah Jo; Choi, Steve S; Marin, Daniele; Kim, Charles Y; Morse, Michael A; Godfrey, Devon J; Czito, Brian G; Willett, Christopher G; Palta, Manisha

    2018-04-12

    Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is increasing in incidence and mortality. Although the prognosis remains poor, long-term survival has improved from 3% in 1970 to an 18% 5-year survival rate today. This is likely because of the introduction of well tolerated, oral antiviral therapies for hepatitis C. Curative options for patients with HCC are often limited by underlying liver dysfunction/cirrhosis and medical comorbidities. Less than one-third of patients are candidates for surgery, which is the current gold standard for cure. Nonsurgical treatments include embolotherapies, percutaneous ablation, and ablative radiation. Technological advances in radiation delivery in the past several decades now allow for safe and effective ablative doses to the liver. Conformal techniques allow for both dose escalation to target volumes and normal tissue sparing. Multiple retrospective and prospective studies have demonstrated that hypofractionated image-guided radiation therapy, used as monotherapy or in combination with other liver-directed therapies, can provide excellent local control that is cost effective. Therefore, as the HCC treatment paradigm continues to evolve, ablative radiation treatment has moved from a palliative treatment to both a "bridge to transplant" and a definitive treatment. Cancer 2018. © 2018 American Cancer Society. © 2018 American Cancer Society.

  14. Study on stability of labeled yttrium-90 with lipiodol by chemical extraction for liver cancer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mu, P.Y.; Jiang, X.L.; Chen, J.; Zhu, Y.J.

    2005-01-01

    Liver cancer, particularly hepatocellular carcinoma, is one of the most common malignant diseases in many developed and developing countries. It is also one of the most common diseases endangering the people's lives and health heavily. Surgery is very effective in early-stage patients. Unfortunately, there is less than 10% of the patients with hepatocellular carcinoma fitting for surgical therapy. Instead of surgical therapy, other methods are considered for patients in whom surgery may not work well. Systemic administration of chemotherapeutic agents is not often considered in liver cancer patients, due to discouraging result and adverse side effects. Also, hepatocellular carcinoma is not keen on usual radioactive therapy. However, method of inner interventional radioactive nuclide is a potential way to cure liver tumors. Hepatocellular carcinoma would be cured with inner interventional radioactive nuclide, which is a hot topic in experimental research on hepatocellular carcinoma at home and abroad. The purpose of the study is to label Yttrium-90 with lipiodol by means of the chemical extraction method and research the stability of labeled Yttrium-90 ( 90 Y-P204-Lipiodol) in serum of a newly-born cattle and human's blood. We chose to label steady yttrium with lipiodol, because radioactive yttrium has great nuclear character for liver cancer, yttrium-90 can eradiate pure β radial, and it's half time is 64 hours. Average energy of it is 0.93 Mev, the highest energy is 2.27 Mev. Yttrium-90 can be labeled with lipiodol by means of the chemical extraction method, which is mature in chemical techniques, combined with method of radioactive nuclide labeled in. nuclear medicine. At first, yttrium-90 is extracted in certain condition(pH, temperature, whisk time, whisk frequency, etc ) after adding yttrium-90 solution. We use some distilled water to balance the labeled organic phase twice, and test the stability of labeled yttrium-90 in serum of a newly-born cattle and

  15. Noninvasive diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma: Elaboration on Korean liver cancer study group-National Cancer Center Korea Practice Guidelines compared with other guidelines and remaining issues

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yoon, Jeong Hee; Lee, Jeong Min [Dept. of Radiology, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Park, Joong Won [Center for Liver Cancer, National Cancer Center, Goyang (Korea, Republic of)

    2016-02-15

    Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) can be diagnosed based on characteristic findings of arterial-phase enhancement and portal/delayed 'washout' in cirrhotic patients. Several countries and major academic societies have proposed varying specific diagnostic criteria for HCC, largely reflecting the variable HCC prevalence in different regions and ethnic groups, as well as different practice patterns. In 2014, a new version of Korean practice guidelines for management of HCC was released by the Korean Liver Cancer Study Group (KLCSG) and the National Cancer Center (NCC). According to the KLCSG-NCC Korea practice guidelines, if the typical hallmark of HCC (i.e., hypervascularity in the arterial phase with washout in the portal or 3 min-delayed phases) is identified in a nodule ≥ 1 cm in diameter on either dynamic CT, dynamic MRI, or MRI using hepatocyte-specific contrast agent in high-risk groups, a diagnosis of HCC is established. In addition, the KLCSG-NCC Korea practice guidelines provide criteria to diagnose HCC for subcentimeter hepatic nodules according to imaging findings and tumor marker, which has not been addressed in other guidelines such as Association for the Study of Liver Diseases and European Association for the Study of the Liver. In this review, we briefly review the new HCC diagnostic criteria endorsed by the 2014 KLCSG-NCC Korea practice guidelines, in comparison with other recent guidelines; we furthermore address several remaining issues in noninvasive diagnosis of HCC, including prerequisite of sonographic demonstration of nodules, discrepancy between transitional phase and delayed phase, and implementation of ancillary features for HCC diagnosis.

  16. Noninvasive diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma: Elaboration on Korean liver cancer study group-National Cancer Center Korea Practice Guidelines compared with other guidelines and remaining issues

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yoon, Jeong Hee; Lee, Jeong Min; Park, Joong Won

    2016-01-01

    Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) can be diagnosed based on characteristic findings of arterial-phase enhancement and portal/delayed 'washout' in cirrhotic patients. Several countries and major academic societies have proposed varying specific diagnostic criteria for HCC, largely reflecting the variable HCC prevalence in different regions and ethnic groups, as well as different practice patterns. In 2014, a new version of Korean practice guidelines for management of HCC was released by the Korean Liver Cancer Study Group (KLCSG) and the National Cancer Center (NCC). According to the KLCSG-NCC Korea practice guidelines, if the typical hallmark of HCC (i.e., hypervascularity in the arterial phase with washout in the portal or 3 min-delayed phases) is identified in a nodule ≥ 1 cm in diameter on either dynamic CT, dynamic MRI, or MRI using hepatocyte-specific contrast agent in high-risk groups, a diagnosis of HCC is established. In addition, the KLCSG-NCC Korea practice guidelines provide criteria to diagnose HCC for subcentimeter hepatic nodules according to imaging findings and tumor marker, which has not been addressed in other guidelines such as Association for the Study of Liver Diseases and European Association for the Study of the Liver. In this review, we briefly review the new HCC diagnostic criteria endorsed by the 2014 KLCSG-NCC Korea practice guidelines, in comparison with other recent guidelines; we furthermore address several remaining issues in noninvasive diagnosis of HCC, including prerequisite of sonographic demonstration of nodules, discrepancy between transitional phase and delayed phase, and implementation of ancillary features for HCC diagnosis

  17. Defining Hepatocellular Carcinoma Subtypes and Treatment Responses in Patient-Derived Tumorgrafts

    Science.gov (United States)

    2017-10-01

    Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the 6th most common cancer and 3rd leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. We know that HCC subtypes exist because...italicized descriptions of section contents in your submitted reports. 1. INTRODUCTION: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the 6th most common cancer and 3rd...know the results or have not been harvested to assess tumor engraftment in liver. Overall, we have found that there is a good engraftment rate

  18. Wnt Inactivation for Liver Cancer Therapy | Center for Cancer Research

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the fifth most common and third most deadly type of cancer in the world. The majority of cases occur in Asia and Africa, resulting in most cases being diagnosed only at advanced stages of the disease when drug resistance is high. HCC typically follows damage to the liver such as cirrhosis, making radiation and chemotherapy a more challenging prospect. Surgery is also not a very viable option because less than one in four carcinomas can be completely removed. The limitations in these treatment modalities create the need for alternative therapeutic approaches.

  19. Serum transforming growth factor beta 1 in hepatitis c virus related chronic liver disease and hepatocellular carcinoma patients

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    El-fouly, N.F.

    2007-01-01

    hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a major type of primary liver cancer and one of the most frequent human malignant neoplasms. it is estimated to cause more than a quarter of a million deaths each year throughout the world. the aim of the present work was to assess the value of serum level of TGF-betal in patients with HCV related CLD and its level in patients with HCC and to evaluate its sensitivity and specificity in comparison to AFP in early diagnosis of HCC. the study was performed on two groups of egyptian patients, from the tropical medicine department and outpatient,s clinic for early detection of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), Ain Shams university hospitals; croup 1 consisted of forty patients with chronic liver disease, their ages ranged between 85 and 35 years (mean 51.8+ 9.2 years) included 23 male patients (57.5%) and 17 female patients (42.5%), group 11 consisted of forty patients with HCC, their age ranged between 72 and 42 years (mean 54.0+ 7.5 years) included 30 male patients (75%) and 10 female patients (25%)

  20. Long-term survival after liver transplant for recurrent hepatocellular carcinoma with bile duct tumor thrombus: case report.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Chao; Wang, Jie

    2012-12-01

    Hepatocellular carcinoma with bile duct tumor thrombus is considered an aggressive malignancy, and the prognosis of liver transplant for it remains obscure. A 42-year-old man with recurrent hepatocellular carcinoma and a history of surgical resection was admitted to our hospital with a 10-day history of yellowish urine and itchy skin. There were 3 lesions in the right lobe with the diameter of 2 cm each. A mass was found in the upper part of common bile duct, and the intrahepatic bile duct was dilated. His serum alpha-fetoprotein level was 2476 μg/L, total bilirubin level was 327 μmol/L, direct bilirubin level was 261 μmol/L, and alanine aminotransferase was 714 U/L. There was no main portal vein thrombus or extrahepatic metastases. Because of his poor liver function, he was listed for a liver transplant. During the wait (30 d), he underwent 9 episodes of plasmapheresis to decrease the serum level of bilirubin. He had an orthotopic liver transplant with the graft from a deceased donor. After the liver transplant, he received 5 cycles of chemotherapy with the regimen of oxaliplatin and 5-fluorouracil. This patient has survived without recurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma for more than 82 months and remains in good condition. Liver transplant may have a favorable result for hepatocellular carcinoma patient with a bile duct tumor thrombus, within the Milan criteria.

  1. A Gene Expression Signature Associated With Overall Survival in Patients With Hepatocellular Carcinoma Suggests a New Treatment Strategy

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Gillet, Jean-Pierre; Andersen, Jesper B; Madigan, James P

    2015-01-01

    Despite improvements in the management of liver cancer, the survival rate for individuals with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains dismal. The survival benefit of systemic chemotherapy for the treatment of liver cancer is only marginal. Although the reasons for treatment failure...... are multifactorial, intrinsic resistance to chemotherapy plays a primary role. Here, we analyzed the expression of 377 multidrug resistance-associated genes in two independent cohorts of patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma, with the aim of finding ways to improve survival in this poor-prognosis cancer...

  2. Serological diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma: challenges and opportunities

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    LU Fengmin

    2017-07-01

    Full Text Available Serological markers have the features of noninvasiveness and simple operation and thus have become a research hotspot in the diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma. This article briefly introduces the role of the conventional serological marker alpha-fetoprotein (AFP in assisting the diagnosis and predicting the prognosis of HBV-related liver cancer, as well as the clinical value of new markers such as alpha-fetoprotein-L3 and abnormal prothrombin/des-γ-carboxy prothrombin. Based on literature review, the possibility of serum Golgi protein 73 used for laboratory auxiliary diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma has been denied. The results of the author′s experiment suggest that serum GP73 measurement can be used as a laboratory diagnostic index for progressive liver fibrosis and liver cirrhosis.

  3. Liver resection over the last decade

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Wettergren, A.; Larsen, P.N.; Rasmussen, A.

    2008-01-01

    of hepatic metastases from colorectal cancer and hepatocellular carcinoma in our institution. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The patients who underwent their primary liver resection from 1.1.1995-31.12.2004 in our institution were included. The surgical outcome was reviewed retrospectively and the five-year survival...... after resection of hepatic metastases from colorectal cancer and hepatocellular carcinoma was estimated. RESULTS: 141 patients (71M/70F), median age 58 years (1-78), underwent a liver resection in the ten-year period. The number of resections increased from two in 1995 to 32 in 2004. Median hospital...

  4. A discussion of serum albumin level in advanced-stage hepatocellular carcinoma: a medical oncologist's perspective.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tanriverdi, Ozgur

    2014-11-01

    Hepatocellular carcinoma is the most common primary malignant tumor of the liver, and it is particularly prevalent in East and Southeast Asia. With surgical and/or local interventional treatment methods, survival rates for early-stage hepatocellular cancers have increased. However, it is not yet clear which staging systems are more applicable in hepatocellular carcinoma. Serum albumin level is already being used as a criterion in most staging systems. Albumin is an important serum protein in human bodily functions, but only 5 % of the daily amount needed is synthesized by the liver. The serum albumin level is affected by multifactorial situations, including capillary permeability, drugs, liver insufficiency, inflammation and/or infections, dehydration or overhydration, protein loosing disorders, and decreased nutrition intake in anorexia-malnutrition syndrome and cancer cachexia. Because of this complex situation, serum albumin level may affect many staging systems for hepatocellular carcinoma by leading to false-negative results. In this paper, the statuses of current staging systems are reviewed, and possible negative events regarding the serum albumin levels found in these staging systems are discussed.

  5. Yttrium-90 Selective Internal Radiation Therapy with Glass Microspheres for Hepatocellular Carcinoma: Current and Updated Literature Review

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lee, Edward Wolfgang; Alanis, Lourdes [Division of Interventional Radiology, Department of Radiology, UCLA Medical Center, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA 90095 (United States); Cho, Sung-Ki [Division of Interventional Radiology, Department of Radiology, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul 06351 (Korea, Republic of); Saab, Sammy [Division of Hepatology, Department of Medicine, Pfleger Liver Institute, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90024 (United States)

    2016-11-01

    Hepatocellular carcinoma is the most common primary liver cancer and it represents the majority of cancer-related deaths in the world. More than 70% of patients present at an advanced stage, beyond potentially curative options. Ytrrium-90 selective internal radiation therapy (Y90-SIRT) with glass microspheres is rapidly gaining acceptance as a potential therapy for intermediate and advanced stage primary hepatocellular carcinoma and liver metastases. The technique involves delivery of Y90 infused glass microspheres via the hepatic arterial blood flow to the appropriate tumor. The liver tumor receives a highly concentrated radiation dose while sparing the healthy liver parenchyma due to its preferential blood supply from portal venous blood. There are two commercially available devices: TheraSphere® and SIR-Spheres®. Although, Y90-SIRT with glass microspheres improves median survival in patients with intermediate and advanced hepatocellular carcinoma and has the potential to downstage hepatocellular carcinoma so that the selected candidates meet the transplantable criteria, it has not gained widespread acceptance due to the lack of large randomized controlled trials. Currently, there are various clinical trials investigating the use of Y90-SIRT with glass microspheres for treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma and the outcomes of these trials may result in the incorporation of Y90-SIRT with glass microspheres into the treatment guidelines as a standard therapy option for patients with intermediate and advanced stage hepatocellular carcinoma.

  6. Yttrium-90 selective internal radiation therapy with glass microspheres for hepatocellular carcinoma: Current and updated literature review

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, Edward Wolfgang; Alanic, Lourdes; Cho, Sung Ki; Saab, Sammy

    2016-01-01

    Hepatocellular carcinoma is the most common primary liver cancer and it represents the majority of cancer-related deaths in the world. More than 70% of patients present at an advanced stage, beyond potentially curative options. Ytrrium-90 selective internal radiation therapy (Y90-SIRT) with glass microspheres is rapidly gaining acceptance as a potential therapy for intermediate and advanced stage primary hepatocellular carcinoma and liver metastases. The technique involves delivery of Y90 infused glass microspheres via the hepatic arterial blood flow to the appropriate tumor. The liver tumor receives a highly concentrated radiation dose while sparing the healthy liver parenchyma due to its preferential blood supply from portal venous blood. There are two commercially available devices: TheraSphere® and SIR-Spheres®. Although, Y90-SIRT with glass microspheres improves median survival in patients with intermediate and advanced hepatocellular carcinoma and has the potential to downstage hepatocellular carcinoma so that the selected candidates meet the transplantable criteria, it has not gained widespread acceptance due to the lack of large randomized controlled trials. Currently, there are various clinical trials investigating the use of Y90-SIRT with glass microspheres for treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma and the outcomes of these trials may result in the incorporation of Y90-SIRT with glass microspheres into the treatment guidelines as a standard therapy option for patients with intermediate and advanced stage hepatocellular carcinoma

  7. Yttrium-90 Selective Internal Radiation Therapy with Glass Microspheres for Hepatocellular Carcinoma: Current and Updated Literature Review

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, Edward Wolfgang; Alanis, Lourdes; Cho, Sung-Ki; Saab, Sammy

    2016-01-01

    Hepatocellular carcinoma is the most common primary liver cancer and it represents the majority of cancer-related deaths in the world. More than 70% of patients present at an advanced stage, beyond potentially curative options. Ytrrium-90 selective internal radiation therapy (Y90-SIRT) with glass microspheres is rapidly gaining acceptance as a potential therapy for intermediate and advanced stage primary hepatocellular carcinoma and liver metastases. The technique involves delivery of Y90 infused glass microspheres via the hepatic arterial blood flow to the appropriate tumor. The liver tumor receives a highly concentrated radiation dose while sparing the healthy liver parenchyma due to its preferential blood supply from portal venous blood. There are two commercially available devices: TheraSphere® and SIR-Spheres®. Although, Y90-SIRT with glass microspheres improves median survival in patients with intermediate and advanced hepatocellular carcinoma and has the potential to downstage hepatocellular carcinoma so that the selected candidates meet the transplantable criteria, it has not gained widespread acceptance due to the lack of large randomized controlled trials. Currently, there are various clinical trials investigating the use of Y90-SIRT with glass microspheres for treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma and the outcomes of these trials may result in the incorporation of Y90-SIRT with glass microspheres into the treatment guidelines as a standard therapy option for patients with intermediate and advanced stage hepatocellular carcinoma

  8. Yttrium-90 selective internal radiation therapy with glass microspheres for hepatocellular carcinoma: Current and updated literature review

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lee, Edward Wolfgang; Alanic, Lourdes [Div. of Interventional Radiology, Dept. of Radiology, UCLA Medical Center, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles (United States); Cho, Sung Ki [Div. of Interventional Radiology, Dept. of Radiology, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Saab, Sammy [Div. of Hepatology, Dept. of Medicine, Pfleger Liver Institute, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles (United States)

    2016-07-15

    Hepatocellular carcinoma is the most common primary liver cancer and it represents the majority of cancer-related deaths in the world. More than 70% of patients present at an advanced stage, beyond potentially curative options. Ytrrium-90 selective internal radiation therapy (Y90-SIRT) with glass microspheres is rapidly gaining acceptance as a potential therapy for intermediate and advanced stage primary hepatocellular carcinoma and liver metastases. The technique involves delivery of Y90 infused glass microspheres via the hepatic arterial blood flow to the appropriate tumor. The liver tumor receives a highly concentrated radiation dose while sparing the healthy liver parenchyma due to its preferential blood supply from portal venous blood. There are two commercially available devices: TheraSphere® and SIR-Spheres®. Although, Y90-SIRT with glass microspheres improves median survival in patients with intermediate and advanced hepatocellular carcinoma and has the potential to downstage hepatocellular carcinoma so that the selected candidates meet the transplantable criteria, it has not gained widespread acceptance due to the lack of large randomized controlled trials. Currently, there are various clinical trials investigating the use of Y90-SIRT with glass microspheres for treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma and the outcomes of these trials may result in the incorporation of Y90-SIRT with glass microspheres into the treatment guidelines as a standard therapy option for patients with intermediate and advanced stage hepatocellular carcinoma.

  9. Yttrium-90 Selective Internal Radiation Therapy with Glass Microspheres for Hepatocellular Carcinoma: Current and Updated Literature Review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Edward Wolfgang; Alanis, Lourdes; Cho, Sung-Ki; Saab, Sammy

    2016-01-01

    Hepatocellular carcinoma is the most common primary liver cancer and it represents the majority of cancer-related deaths in the world. More than 70% of patients present at an advanced stage, beyond potentially curative options. Ytrrium-90 selective internal radiation therapy (Y90-SIRT) with glass microspheres is rapidly gaining acceptance as a potential therapy for intermediate and advanced stage primary hepatocellular carcinoma and liver metastases. The technique involves delivery of Y90 infused glass microspheres via the hepatic arterial blood flow to the appropriate tumor. The liver tumor receives a highly concentrated radiation dose while sparing the healthy liver parenchyma due to its preferential blood supply from portal venous blood. There are two commercially available devices: TheraSphere® and SIR-Spheres®. Although, Y90-SIRT with glass microspheres improves median survival in patients with intermediate and advanced hepatocellular carcinoma and has the potential to downstage hepatocellular carcinoma so that the selected candidates meet the transplantable criteria, it has not gained widespread acceptance due to the lack of large randomized controlled trials. Currently, there are various clinical trials investigating the use of Y90-SIRT with glass microspheres for treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma and the outcomes of these trials may result in the incorporation of Y90-SIRT with glass microspheres into the treatment guidelines as a standard therapy option for patients with intermediate and advanced stage hepatocellular carcinoma.

  10. The progressive elevation of alpha fetoprotein for the diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma in patients with liver cirrhosis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Arrieta, Oscar; Cacho, Bernardo; Morales-Espinosa, Daniela; Ruelas-Villavicencio, Ana; Flores-Estrada, Diana; Hernández-Pedro, Norma

    2007-01-01

    Hepatocellular carcinoma is the most common cause of primary liver neoplasms and is one of the main causes of death in patients with liver cirrhosis. High Alpha fetoprotein serum levels have been found in 60–70% of patients with Hepatocellular carcinoma; nevertheless, there are other causes that increase this protein. Alpha fetoprotein levels ≥200 and 400 ng/mL in patients with an identifiable liver mass by imaging techniques are diagnostic of hepatocellular carcinoma with high specificity. We analysed the sensitivity and specificity of the progressive increase of the levels of alpha fetoprotein for the detection of hepatocellular carcinoma in patients with liver cirrhosis. Seventy-four patients with cirrhosis without hepatocellular carcinoma and 193 with hepatic lesions diagnosed by biopsy and shown by image scans were included. Sensitivity and specificity of transversal determination of alpha fetoprotein ≥ 200 and 400 ng/mL and monthly progressive elevation of alpha fetoprotein were analysed. Areas under the ROC curves were compared. Positive and negative predictive values adjusted to a 5 and 10% prevalence were calculated. For an elevation of alpha fetoprotein ≥ 200 and 400 ng/mL the specificity is of 100% in both cases, with a sensitivity of 36.3 and 20.2%, respectively. For an alpha fetoprotein elevation rate ≥7 ng/mL/month, sensitivity was of 71.4% and specificity of 100%. The area under the ROC curve of the progressive elevation was significantly greater than that of the transversal determination of alpha fetoprotein. The positive and negative predictive values modified to a 10% prevalence are of: 98.8% and 96.92%, respectively; while for a prevalence of 5% they were of 97.4% and 98.52%, respectively. The progressive elevation of alpha fetoprotein ≥7 ng/mL/month in patients with liver cirrhosis is useful for the diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma in patients that do not reach αFP levels ≥200 ng/mL. Prospective studies are required to

  11. Interstitial Fluid Flow Increases Hepatocellular Carcinoma Cell Invasion through CXCR4/CXCL12 and MEK/ERK Signaling

    Science.gov (United States)

    2015-01-01

    Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common form of liver cancer (~80%), and it is one of the few cancer types with rising incidence in the United States. This highly invasive cancer is very difficult to detect until its later stages, resulting in limited treatment options and low survival rates. There is a dearth of knowledge regarding the mechanisms associated with the effects of biomechanical forces such as interstitial fluid flow (IFF) on hepatocellular carcinoma invasion. We hypothesized that interstitial fluid flow enhanced hepatocellular carcinoma cell invasion through chemokine-mediated autologous chemotaxis. Utilizing a 3D in vitro invasion assay, we demonstrated that interstitial fluid flow promoted invasion of hepatocellular carcinoma derived cell lines. Furthermore, we showed that autologous chemotaxis influences this interstitial fluid flow-induced invasion of hepatocellular carcinoma derived cell lines via the C-X-C chemokine receptor type 4 (CXCR4)/C-X-C motif chemokine 12 (CXCL12) signaling axis. We also demonstrated that mitogen-activated protein kinase (MEK)/extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) signaling affects interstitial fluid flow-induced invasion; however, this pathway was separate from CXCR4/CXCL12 signaling. This study demonstrates, for the first time, the potential role of interstitial fluid flow in hepatocellular carcinoma invasion. Uncovering the mechanisms that control hepatocellular carcinoma invasion will aid in enhancing current liver cancer therapies and provide better treatment options for patients. PMID:26560447

  12. IS RESECTION OF HEPATOCELLULAR CARCINOMA IN THE ERA OF LIVER TRANSPLANTATION WORTHWILE? A single center experience

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Paulo HERMAN

    Full Text Available ABSTRACT Background - Liver resection for hepatocellular carcinoma is a potentially curative therapeutic procedure that can be performed readily after its indication, without the need of a long waiting time and lower costs when compared to liver transplantation, being a good alternative in patients with preserved/good liver function. Objective - Evaluate long-term results of liver resection from a high volume single center for selected patients with hepatocellular carcinoma in a context of a long waiting list for liver transplant. Methods - One hundred and one patients with hepatocellular carcinoma, with a mean age of 63.1 years, and preserved liver function were submitted to liver resection. Clinical and pathological data were evaluated as prognostic factors. Mean follow-up was 39.3 months. Results - All patients had a single nodule and 57 (58.2% patients were within the Milan criteria. The size of the nodule ranged from 1 to 24 cm in diameter. In 74 patients, liver resection was performed with the open approach and in 27 (26.7% was done laparoscopically. Postoperative morbidity was 55.3% being 75.5% of the complications classified as Dindo-Clavien I and II and operative mortality was 6.9%. Five-year overall and disease free survival rates were 49.9% and 40.7%, respectively.After a log-rank univariate analysis, the levels of preoperative alpha-fetoprotein (P=0.043, CA19-9 (P=0.028, capsule invasion (P=0.03, positive margin (R1-R2 (P=0.004 and Dindo-Claviens' morbidity classification IV (P=0.001 were the only parameters that had a significant negative impact on overall survival. On the odds-ratio evaluation, the only significant factors for survival were high levels of alpha-fetoprotein (P=0.037, and absence of free margins (P=0.008. Conclusion - Resection, for selected cases, is a potentially curative treatment with acceptable morbidity and mortality and, in a context of a long waiting list for transplant, plays an important role for the

  13. Evaluating hepatocellular carcinoma cell lines for tumour samples using within-sample relative expression orderings of genes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ao, Lu; Guo, You; Song, Xuekun; Guan, Qingzhou; Zheng, Weicheng; Zhang, Jiahui; Huang, Haiyan; Zou, Yi; Guo, Zheng; Wang, Xianlong

    2017-11-01

    Concerns are raised about the representativeness of cell lines for tumours due to the culture environment and misidentification. Liver is a major metastatic destination of many cancers, which might further confuse the origin of hepatocellular carcinoma cell lines. Therefore, it is of crucial importance to understand how well they can represent hepatocellular carcinoma. The HCC-specific gene pairs with highly stable relative expression orderings in more than 99% of hepatocellular carcinoma but with reversed relative expression orderings in at least 99% of one of the six types of cancer, colorectal carcinoma, breast carcinoma, non-small-cell lung cancer, gastric carcinoma, pancreatic carcinoma and ovarian carcinoma, were identified. With the simple majority rule, the HCC-specific relative expression orderings from comparisons with colorectal carcinoma and breast carcinoma could exactly discriminate primary hepatocellular carcinoma samples from both primary colorectal carcinoma and breast carcinoma samples. Especially, they correctly classified more than 90% of liver metastatic samples from colorectal carcinoma and breast carcinoma to their original tumours. Finally, using these HCC-specific relative expression orderings from comparisons with six cancer types, we identified eight of 24 hepatocellular carcinoma cell lines in the Cancer Cell Line Encyclopedia (Huh-7, Huh-1, HepG2, Hep3B, JHH-5, JHH-7, C3A and Alexander cells) that are highly representative of hepatocellular carcinoma. Evaluated with a REOs-based prognostic signature for hepatocellular carcinoma, all these eight cell lines showed the same metastatic properties of the high-risk metastatic hepatocellular carcinoma tissues. Caution should be taken for using hepatocellular carcinoma cell lines. Our results should be helpful to select proper hepatocellular carcinoma cell lines for biological experiments. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  14. The pretransplant neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio as a new prognostic predictor after liver transplantation for hepatocellular cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xu, Zheng-Guang; Ye, Cheng-Jie; Liu, Lin-Xun; Wu, Gang; Zhao, Zhan-Xue; Wang, Yong-Zhen; Shi, Bing-Qiang; Wang, Yong-Hong

    2018-02-01

    Recently, many reports showed that the pretransplant neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) may be correlated with the prognosis of patients undergoing liver transplantation (LT) for hepatocellular cancer (HCC). However, their results still remained controversial. Thus we performed a meta-analysis of 13 studies to estimate the prognostic value of pretransplant NLR. Databases including PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library and Web of Science were searched to September 2017. Hazard ratio (HR) or odds ratio (OR) with its 95% CI was used to evaluate the association between elevated NLR and the prognosis or clinical features of liver cancer patients. A total of 13 studies including 1936 patients were included in this meta-analysis. Elevated pretransplant NLR had a close association with the overall survival (HR: 2.22; 95% CI: 1.34-3.68), recurrence-free survival (HR: 3.77; 95% CI: 2.01-7.06) and disease-free survival (HR: 2.51; 95% CI: 1.22-5.15) of patients undergoing LT for HCC, respectively. In addition, elevated NLR was associated with the presence of vascular invasion (OR: 2.39; 95% CI: 1.20-4.77) and Milan criteria (OR: 0.26; 95% CI: 0.17-0.40). The results of this meta-analysis showed that elevated pretransplant NLR may be used as a new prognostic predictor after LT for HCC.

  15. Clinical significance of Tc-99m colloid liver angiography for the diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Odano, I; Sakai, K; Sueyama, H [Niigata Univ. (Japan). School of Medicine

    1982-03-01

    Tc-99m phytate liver angiography was accomplished in 191 cases with focal liver disease at the same time of performing conventional liver scintigraphy from July 1978 to Feb. 1981. This simple method was considered to be useful to appreciate tumor vascularity in the liver, which was shown as dynamic radioactivity in the defect of the liver scintigram. Hypervascular pattern was defined as a high-radioactivity on the arterial phase of RI angiography, which corresponded to the filling defect on the static liver scintigram. This pattern was influenced by three factors, i.e. pathological vascularization of the tumor, size of the filling defect and position of the defect in the liver. In 29 cases (74%) of 39 hepatocellular carcinoma, hypervascular pattern was observed. When mean diameter of defect was more than 5.5 cm on liver scintigram, it was supposed that hypervascular pattern should be observed in probability of 84%. The smallest mean diameter of defect in which this pattern was seen was 3.0 cm. When a filling defect was situated at the posterior region of the right lobe of the liver, it was sometimes difficult to appreciate the vascular pattern. Tc-99m phytate liver angiography was considered to be a useful method for screening hepatocellular carcinoma.

  16. Cystic degeneration of liver malignancies. Study by US and CT

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kumada, Takashi; Nakano, Satoshi; Kitamura, Kimio; Watahiki, Hajime; Takeda, Isao

    1983-03-01

    CT and US were carried out on 81 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma, 20 patients with cholangiocellular carcinoma and 94 patients with metastatic liver cancer. 1) Cystic degeneration was observed in one with hepatocellular carcinoma (1.2%), one with cholangiocellular carcinoma (5.0%) and 12 with metastatic liver cancer (12.8%) by US, but this change was observed in only 5 by CT (1,0,4, respectively). Metastatic liver cancer showed the highest incidence among these tumors. 2) The characteristics of cystic degeneration of the liver tumors were thickened wall and irregularity of the inner surface of the wall. 3) Judging from macroscopic and histopathological findings, liquefactive necrosis in the tumors was shown as ''echoluent'' area. We concluded that cystic degeneration was one of the important findings in metastatic liver cancer and that careful observation by US and CT avoided the confusion with other hepatic cystic diseases.

  17. Higher Bilirubin Levels of Healthy Living Liver Donors Are Associated With Lower Posttransplant Hepatocellular Carcinoma Recurrence.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Han, Sangbin; Yang, Ju Dong; Sinn, Dong Hyun; Ko, Justin Sangwook; Kim, Jong Man; Shin, Jun Chul; Son, Hee Jeong; Gwak, Mi Sook; Joh, Jae-Won; Kim, Gaab Soo

    2016-09-01

    Serum bilirubin level, which may reflect the host defense against increased oxidative stress, is inversely associated with the risk of cancer development. In liver transplantation, the intrinsic bilirubin metabolism of donor liver is subsequently translated into recipient. Thus, we hypothesized that liver transplantation conducted with living donors with higher serum bilirubin reduces hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) recurrence. Two hundred fifty recipients who underwent liver transplantation for treating HCC within the Milan criteria were included in the study. The association between donor preoperative total bilirubin concentration and the risk of HCC recurrence was analyzed using the Fine and Gray regression model with posttransplant death as a competing risk event with adjustment for tumor biology including α-fetoprotein, histological differentiation, and microvascular invasion. All donors were confirmed to have no underlying hepatobiliary diseases or hematological disorders. Donor preoperative total bilirubin concentration was 0.7 mg/dL in median and ranged from 0.2 to 2.7 mg/dL. Thirty-five (14.0%) recipients developed HCC recurrence. Multivariable analysis demonstrated that donor preoperative total bilirubin concentration was inversely associated with the recurrence risk (hazard ratio, 0.22; 95% confidence interval, 0.07-0.72; P = 0.013). The highest (≥1.0 mg/dL) versus lowest (≤0.6 mg/dL) tertile of donor preoperative total bilirubin showed a significant reduction of the recurrence risk (hazard ratio, 0.28; 95% confidence interval, 0.11-0.70; P = 0.006). Hepatocellular carcinoma recurrence risk decreases in relation to the increase in total serum bilirubin level of healthy living donors without underlying hepatobiliary or hematological disorders. Further validation of bilirubin as a potent anticancer substance against HCC is warranted.

  18. Research progress of vascular change after TACE in hepatocellular carcinoma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kang Zhen; Xiao Enhua

    2013-01-01

    Mortality rate of hepatocellular carcinoma is high. The majority of the patients are diagnosed in advanced stage and lose surgical opportunities. Many studies have reported transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) is an effective treatment for unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma, and recommended TACE as a standard treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma of Barcelona Clinical Liver Cancer staging (BCLC staging) B. However, TACE can hardly fully embolize tumor blood supply, TACE postoperative hemodynamics and angiogenesis can induce tumor recurrence and metastasis. This paper reviewed characteristics of vascular changes, mechanisms, diagnosis and treatment methods, new progress in the field of hepatocellular carcinoma after TACE. (authors)

  19. Hepatocellular carcinoma in the native liver of a 38-year-old female patient with biliary atresia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yutaka Kanamori

    2015-11-01

    Full Text Available We report a rare case of hepatocellular carcinoma in native liver in a case of biliary atresia. The patient was a 38-year-old female with three children who had an aggressive tumor, resulting in her subsequent death. We also review 14 reports, published previously in the English language medical literature, concerning hepatocellular carcinoma originating from native liver in biliary atresia cases and discuss the possible etiology, and propose more careful follow up for the patients with biliary atresia who suffer from repetitive cholangitis and/or experience the child delivery.

  20. Liver (Hepatocellular) Cancer Prevention

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... factors for some types of cancer, but only smoking can be avoided. Regular exercise and a healthy diet may be protective factors ... may help prevent certain cancers. Risk factors include smoking, being ... enough exercise. Increasing protective factors such as quitting smoking and ...

  1. Effect of New Water-Soluble Dendritic Phthalocyanines on Human Colorectal and Liver Cancer Cell Lines

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ebru YABAŞ

    2017-08-01

    Full Text Available Human hepatocellular carcinoma (HepG2 cells and colorectal adenocarcinoma (DLD-1 cells were treated with the synthesized water soluble phthalocyanine derivatives to understand the effect of the compounds both on colorectal and liver cancer cells. The compounds inhibited cell proliferation and displayed cytotoxic effect on these cancer cell lines however; the effect of the compounds on healthy control fibroblast cell line was comparatively lower. The compounds can be employed for cancer treatment as anticancer agents.

  2. Targeted disruption of fibrinogen like protein-1 accelerates hepatocellular carcinoma development

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nayeb-Hashemi, Hamed; Desai, Anal; Demchev, Valeriy; Bronson, Roderick T.; Hornick, Jason L.; Cohen, David E.; Ukomadu, Chinweike

    2015-01-01

    Fibrinogen like protein-1 (Fgl1) is a predominantly liver expressed protein that has been implicated as both a hepatoprotectant and a hepatocyte mitogen. Fgl1 expression is decreased in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and its loss correlates with a poorly differentiated phenotype. To better elucidate the role of Fgl1 in hepatocarcinogenesis, we treated mice wild type or null for Fgl1 with diethyl nitrosamine and monitored for incidence of hepatocellular cancer. We find that mice lacking Fgl1 develop HCC at more than twice the rate of wild type mice. We show that hepatocellular cancers from Fgl1 null mice are molecularly distinct from those of the wild type mice. In tumors from Fgl1 null mice there is enhanced activation of Akt and downstream targets of the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR). In addition, there is paradoxical up regulation of putative hepatocellular cancer tumor suppressors; tripartite motif-containing protein 35 (Trim35) and tumor necrosis factor super family 10b (Tnfrsf10b). Taken together, these findings suggest that Fgl1 acts as a tumor suppressor in hepatocellular cancer through an Akt dependent mechanism and supports its role as a potential therapeutic target in HCC. - Highlights: • Fgl1 knockout mice (Fgl1KO) are more prone to carcinogen-induced liver cancer compared to wild type (WT) mates. • Tumors from the Fgl1KO are molecularly distinct with enhanced Akt and mTOR activity in comparison with Fgl1WT tumors. • Tumors from the Fgl1KO have enhanced expression of Trim35 and Tnfrsf10b, putative HCC tumor suppressors

  3. Targeted disruption of fibrinogen like protein-1 accelerates hepatocellular carcinoma development

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Nayeb-Hashemi, Hamed; Desai, Anal; Demchev, Valeriy [Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Endoscopy, Department of Medicine. Brigham and Women' s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115 (United States); Bronson, Roderick T. [Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115 (United States); Hornick, Jason L. [Department of Pathology, Brigham and Women' s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115 (United States); Cohen, David E. [Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Endoscopy, Department of Medicine. Brigham and Women' s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115 (United States); Ukomadu, Chinweike, E-mail: cukomadu@partners.org [Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Endoscopy, Department of Medicine. Brigham and Women' s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115 (United States)

    2015-09-18

    Fibrinogen like protein-1 (Fgl1) is a predominantly liver expressed protein that has been implicated as both a hepatoprotectant and a hepatocyte mitogen. Fgl1 expression is decreased in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and its loss correlates with a poorly differentiated phenotype. To better elucidate the role of Fgl1 in hepatocarcinogenesis, we treated mice wild type or null for Fgl1 with diethyl nitrosamine and monitored for incidence of hepatocellular cancer. We find that mice lacking Fgl1 develop HCC at more than twice the rate of wild type mice. We show that hepatocellular cancers from Fgl1 null mice are molecularly distinct from those of the wild type mice. In tumors from Fgl1 null mice there is enhanced activation of Akt and downstream targets of the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR). In addition, there is paradoxical up regulation of putative hepatocellular cancer tumor suppressors; tripartite motif-containing protein 35 (Trim35) and tumor necrosis factor super family 10b (Tnfrsf10b). Taken together, these findings suggest that Fgl1 acts as a tumor suppressor in hepatocellular cancer through an Akt dependent mechanism and supports its role as a potential therapeutic target in HCC. - Highlights: • Fgl1 knockout mice (Fgl1KO) are more prone to carcinogen-induced liver cancer compared to wild type (WT) mates. • Tumors from the Fgl1KO are molecularly distinct with enhanced Akt and mTOR activity in comparison with Fgl1WT tumors. • Tumors from the Fgl1KO have enhanced expression of Trim35 and Tnfrsf10b, putative HCC tumor suppressors.

  4. Hazardous air pollutants and primary liver cancer in Texas.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Luca Cicalese

    Full Text Available The incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC, the most common primary liver cancer, is increasing in the US and tripled during the past two decades. The reasons for such phenomenon remain poorly understood. Texas is among continental states with the highest incidence of liver cancer with an annual increment of 5.7%. Established risk factors for HCC include Hepatitis B and C (HBV, HCV viral infection, alcohol, tobacco and suspected risk factors include obesity and diabetes. While distribution of these risk factors in the state of Texas is similar to the national data and homogeneous, the incidence of HCC in this state is exceptionally higher than the national average and appears to be dishomogeneous in various areas of the state suggesting that other non-recognized risk factors might play a role. No population-based studies are currently available investigating the effect of exposure to Hazardous Air Pollutants (HAPs as a contributing risk factor for liver cancer. Incidence rate of liver cancer in Texas by counties for the time period between 2002 and 2012 was obtained from the Texas Cancer Registry (TCR. Through Principal Component Analysis (PCA a subgroup of pollutants, explaining almost all the dataset variability, were identified and used to cluster Texas counties. The analysis generated 4 clusters showing liver cancer rate either higher or lower than national average in association with either high or low levels of HAPs emission in the environment. The study shows that the selected relevant HAPs, 10 among 253 analyzed, produce a significant correlation (P = 0.01-0.05 and some of these have been previously identified as carcinogens. An association between the increased production and consequent exposure to these HAPs and a higher presence of liver cancer in certain counties is suggested. This study provides a new insight on this complex multifactorial disease suggesting that environmental substances might play a role in the etiology of this

  5. Common Molecular Subtypes Among Asian Hepatocellular Carcinoma and Cholangiocarcinoma

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Chaisaingmongkol, Jittiporn; Budhu, Anuradha; Dang, Hien

    2017-01-01

    Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) are clinically disparate primary liver cancers with etiological and biological heterogeneity. We identified common molecular subtypes linked to similar prognosis among 199 Thai ICC and HCC patients through systems integratio...

  6. Usage of adenovirus expressing thymidine kinase mediated hepatocellular damage for enabling mouse liver repopulation with allogenic or xenogenic hepatocytes.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Daniel Moreno

    Full Text Available It has been shown that the liver of immunodeficient mice can be efficiently repopulated with human hepatocytes when subjected to chronic hepatocellular damage. Mice with such chimeric livers represent useful reagents for medical and clinical studies. However all previously reported models of humanized livers are difficult to implement as they involve cross-breeding of immunodeficient mice with mice exhibiting genetic alterations causing sustained hepatic injury. In this paper we attempted to create chimeric livers by inducing persistent hepatocellular damage in immunodeficient Rag2(-/- γc(-/- mice using an adenovirus encoding herpes virus thymidine kinase (AdTk and two consecutive doses of ganciclovir (GCV. We found that this treatment resulted in hepatocellular damage persisting for at least 10 weeks and enabled efficient engraftment and proliferation within the liver of either human or allogenic hepatocytes. Interestingly, while the nodules generated from the transplanted mouse hepatocytes were well vascularized, the human hepatocytes experienced progressive depolarization and exhibited reduced numbers of murine endothelial cells inside the nodules. In conclusion, AdTk/GCV-induced liver damage licenses the liver of immunodeficient mice for allogenic and xenogenic hepatocyte repopulation. This approach represents a simple alternative strategy for chimeric liver generation using immunodeficient mice without additional genetic manipulation of the germ line.

  7. Liver stiffness measurement by transient elastography predicts late posthepatectomy outcomes in patients undergoing resection for hepatocellular carcinoma.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rajakannu, Muthukumarassamy; Cherqui, Daniel; Ciacio, Oriana; Golse, Nicolas; Pittau, Gabriella; Allard, Marc Antoine; Antonini, Teresa Maria; Coilly, Audrey; Sa Cunha, Antonio; Castaing, Denis; Samuel, Didier; Guettier, Catherine; Adam, René; Vibert, Eric

    2017-10-01

    Postoperative hepatic decompensation is a serious complication of liver resection in patients undergoing hepatectomy for hepatocellular carcinoma. Liver fibrosis and clinical significant portal hypertension are well-known risk factors for hepatic decompensation. Liver stiffness measurement is a noninvasive method of evaluating hepatic venous pressure gradient and functional hepatic reserve by estimating hepatic fibrosis. Effectiveness of liver stiffness measurement in predicting persistent postoperative hepatic decompensation has not been investigated. Consecutive patients with resectable hepatocellular carcinoma were recruited prospectively and liver stiffness measurement of nontumoral liver was measured using FibroScan. Hepatic venous pressure gradient was measured intraoperatively by direct puncture of portal vein and inferior vena cava. Hepatic venous pressure gradient ≥10 mm Hg was defined as clinically significant portal hypertension. Primary outcome was persistent hepatic decompensation defined as the presence of at least one of the following: unresolved ascites, jaundice, and/or encephalopathy >3 months after hepatectomy. One hundred and six hepatectomies, including 22 right hepatectomy (20.8%), 3 central hepatectomy (2.8%), 12 left hepatectomy (11.3%), 11 bisegmentectomy (10.4%), 30 unisegmentectomy (28.3%), and 28 partial hepatectomy (26.4%) were performed in patients for hepatocellular carcinoma (84 men and 22 women with median age of 67.5 years; median model for end-stage liver disease score of 8). Ninety-day mortality was 4.7%. Nine patients (8.5%) developed postoperative hepatic decompensation. Multivariate logistic regression bootstrapped at 1,000 identified liver stiffness measurement (P = .001) as the only preoperative predictor of postoperative hepatic decompensation. Area under receiver operating characteristic curve for liver stiffness measurement and hepatic venous pressure gradient was 0.81 (95% confidence interval, 0.506-0.907) and 0

  8. Magnetic Nanoparticles for Hepatocellular Carcinoma Diagnosis and Therapy

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ungureanu, Bogdan Silviu; Teodorescu, Cristian-Mihail; Săftoiu, Adrian

    2016-01-01

    Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common primary tumor of the liver, ranking as the second most common cause of death from cancer worldwide. Magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) have been used so far in tumor diagnosis and treatment, demonstrating great potential and promising results...

  9. Gamma-glutamyltranspeptidase to platelet ratio and albumin to gamma-glutamyltranspeptidase between degrees of the Barcelona clinic liver cancer on hepatocellular carcinoma patients in Haji Adam Malik general hospital Medan during 2015-2016

    Science.gov (United States)

    Siregar, G. A.; Siregar, R. H.

    2018-03-01

    Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a primary malignancy of the liver and occurs predominantly in apatient with underlying chronic liver disease and cirrhosis. HCC presented at an advancedstage with right-upper-quadrant pain, weight loss, and signs of decompensated liver disease; it is now increasingly recognized atmuch measurements of the biomarker. Some of them are Gamma-glutamyltranspeptidase to platelet ratio (GPR) and Albumin to Gamma- glutamyltranspeptidase (AGR). This study aimed to know the difference between GPR and AGR between degrees of the Barcelona Clinic Liver cancer (BCLC) on HCC patients. A retrospective study was carried out in 166 outpatient and inpatient HCC in Haji Adam Malik General Hospital from January 2015–December2016.Kruskal-Wallis test showed that there is no significant differentiation of GPR between degrees of BCLC (p=0.23), but there is a considerable differentiation of AGR between degrees of BCLC (p=0.032).

  10. DNA methylation-dependent regulation of TrkA, TrkB, and TrkC genes in human hepatocellular carcinoma

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jin, Wook [Laboratory of Molecular Disease and Cell Regulation, Lee Gil Ya Cancer and Diabetes Institute, Gachon University of Medicine and Science, Incheon (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Jong-Joo [Department of Environmental Medical Biology, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Brain Korea 21 Project for Medical Science, Yonsei University College of Medicine, 250 Seongsanno, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul 120-752 (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Min Soo [Laboratory of Molecular Disease and Cell Regulation, Lee Gil Ya Cancer and Diabetes Institute, Gachon University of Medicine and Science, Incheon (Korea, Republic of); Son, Byung Ho [Department of Surgery, Kangbuk Samsung Hospital, Sungkyunkwan University, School of Medicine, 108 Pyung-dong, Jongro-gu, Seoul 110-746 (Korea, Republic of); Cho, Yong Kyun, E-mail: choyk2004@hanmail.net [Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Internal Medicine, Kangbuk Samsung Hospital, Sungkyunkwan University, School of Medicine, 108 Pyung-dong, Jongro-gu, Seoul 110-746 (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Hyoung-Pyo, E-mail: kimhp@yuhs.ac [Department of Environmental Medical Biology, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Brain Korea 21 Project for Medical Science, Yonsei University College of Medicine, 250 Seongsanno, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul 120-752 (Korea, Republic of)

    2011-03-04

    Research highlights: {yields} Expression of TrkA, TrkB, and TrkC is significantly elevated in human hepatocellular carcinoma. {yields} Downregulation of Trks is correlated with their promoter hypermethylation. {yields} Inhibiting DNA methylation restored expression of Trks in normal liver cell lines. {yields} Trks promote the proliferation of hepatocellular carcinoma. {yields} Trks induce expression of the metastatic regulator, Twist. -- Abstract: The tropomyosin-related kinase (Trk) family of neurotrophin receptors, TrkA, TrkB and TrkC, has been implicated in the growth and survival of human cancers. Here we report that Trks are frequently overexpressed in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) from patients and human liver cancer cell lines. To unravel the underlying molecular mechanism(s) for this phenomenon, DNA methylation patterns of CpG islands in TrkA, TrkB, and TrkC genes were examined in normal and cancer cell lines derived from liver. A good correlation was observed between promoter hypermethylation and lower expression of TrkA, TrkB, and TrkC genes, which was supported by the data that inhibiting DNA methylation with 5-azacytidine restored expression of those genes in normal liver cell lines. Furthermore, Trks promoted the proliferation of HepG2 and induced expression of the metastatic regulator, Twist. These results suggest that Trks may contribute to growth and metastasis of liver cancer.

  11. DNA methylation-dependent regulation of TrkA, TrkB, and TrkC genes in human hepatocellular carcinoma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jin, Wook; Lee, Jong-Joo; Kim, Min Soo; Son, Byung Ho; Cho, Yong Kyun; Kim, Hyoung-Pyo

    2011-01-01

    Research highlights: → Expression of TrkA, TrkB, and TrkC is significantly elevated in human hepatocellular carcinoma. → Downregulation of Trks is correlated with their promoter hypermethylation. → Inhibiting DNA methylation restored expression of Trks in normal liver cell lines. → Trks promote the proliferation of hepatocellular carcinoma. → Trks induce expression of the metastatic regulator, Twist. -- Abstract: The tropomyosin-related kinase (Trk) family of neurotrophin receptors, TrkA, TrkB and TrkC, has been implicated in the growth and survival of human cancers. Here we report that Trks are frequently overexpressed in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) from patients and human liver cancer cell lines. To unravel the underlying molecular mechanism(s) for this phenomenon, DNA methylation patterns of CpG islands in TrkA, TrkB, and TrkC genes were examined in normal and cancer cell lines derived from liver. A good correlation was observed between promoter hypermethylation and lower expression of TrkA, TrkB, and TrkC genes, which was supported by the data that inhibiting DNA methylation with 5-azacytidine restored expression of those genes in normal liver cell lines. Furthermore, Trks promoted the proliferation of HepG2 and induced expression of the metastatic regulator, Twist. These results suggest that Trks may contribute to growth and metastasis of liver cancer.

  12. Recommendations for liver transplantation for hepatocellular carcinoma: an international consensus conference report

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Clavien, Pierre-Alain; Lesurtel, Mickael; Bossuyt, Patrick M. M.; Gores, Gregory J.; Langer, Bernard; Perrier, Arnaud; Abecassis, M.; Balabaud, C.; Bhoori, S.; Breitenstein, S.; Broelsch, C.; Burra, P.; Cherqui, D.; Colombo, M.; d'Albuquerque, C.; D'Alessandro, A.; de Santibanes, E.; Dufour, J. F.; Durand, F.; Dutkowski, P.; El-Serag, H.; Fan, S. T.; Fisher, R.; Forner, A.; Fung, J.; Geier, A.; Germani, G.; Gouw, A. S. H.; Gurusamy, K.; Heaton, N.; Heim, M.; Hemming, A.; Hubscher, S.; Ichida, T.; Kahn, D.; Kew, M.; Kita, Y.; Kiuchi, T.; Kudo, M.; Lee, S. G.; Lencioni, R.; Livraghi, T.; Lodge, P.; McCaughan, G.; Madoff, D.; Marrero, J.; Mergental, H.; Merle, P.; Miksad, R.; Mornex, F.; Paradis, V.; Pestalozzi, B.; Poon, R.; Porte, R.; Prasad, K. R.; Roskams, T.; Rossi, M.; Schlitt, H.; Shaked, A.; Sherman, M.; Siegler, M.; Suh, K.; Todo, S.; Toso, C.; Trevisani, F.; Valdecasas, J. C. G.; Vauthey, J. N.; Vilgrain, V.; Villamil, F.; Wald, C.; Weber, A.; Wiesner, R.; Wright, L.; Zheng, S.; Zucman-Rossi, J.; Bertschi, V.; Clavien, P. A.; Meyer, M.; Müllhaupt, B.; Munson, A.; Lesurtel, M.; Raptis, D.; Vonlanthen, R.

    2012-01-01

    Although liver transplantation is a widely accepted treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), much controversy remains and there is no generally accepted set of guidelines. An international consensus conference was held on Dec 2-4, 2010, in Zurich, Switzerland, with the aim of reviewing current

  13. Detection of an occult hepatocellular carcinoma using ultrasound with liver-specific microbubbles

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Harvey, Christopher J.; Lim, Adrian K.P.; Blomley, Martin J.K.; Cosgrove, David O.; Taylor-Robinson, Simon D.; Gedroyc, Wladyslaw M.W.

    2002-01-01

    The radiological surveillance of cirrhosis to detect the development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is problematic because no highly sensitive and specific imaging investigation is available. Ultrasound is typically the first modality used but is less accurate than other imaging modalities. We report the first case of a patient with cirrhosis in whom US imaging with liver-specific microbubbles detected an HCC prior to its detection by MR. The use of liver-specific microbubble US contrast agents is an exciting development in the detection of HCC in chronic liver disease and may help to rectify some of the shortcomings of US. (orig.)

  14. Interaction of vinyl chloride monomer exposure and hepatitis B viral infection on liver cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wong, Ruey-Hong; Chen, Pau-Chung; Wang, Jung-Der; Du, Chung-Li; Cheng, Tsun-Jen

    2003-04-01

    Vinyl-chloride monomer (VCM), a human carcinogen, has caused angiosarcoma of the liver. Recent studies have shown that VCM exposure is associated with hepatocellular cancer. In Taiwanese studies, the majority of VCM-exposed workers with liver cancer had history of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. To determine the role of HBV on the development of liver cancer in the VCM-exposed workers, we conducted a case-control study from a previously established polyvinyl chloride (PVC) cohort consisting of 4096 male workers from six PVC polymerization plants. A total of 18 patients with liver cancer, and 68 control subjects matched for age and specific plant of employment were selected. Detailed history of the participants that included alcohol consumption status, cigarette use, occupation, and family history of chronic liver disease were obtained using an interviewer-administered questionnaire. When the HBV surface antigen (HBsAg)-negative subjects without history of tank-cleaning were used as the reference, the HBsAg-negative subjects with history of tank-cleaning demonstrated a 4.0-fold greater risk of liver cancer (95% confidence interval: 95% CI = 0.2-69.1). The HBsAg carriers without history of tank-cleaning revealed a 25.7-fold greater risk of liver cancer (95% CI = 2.9-229.4). Whereas the HBsAg carriers with history of tank-cleaning revealed the greatest risk (matched odds ratio (ORm) 396.0, 95% CI = 22.6 -infinity) of developing liver cancer among subjects with different VCM-exposure status and HBsAg status categories. Further analysis showed the interaction term was significant (P < .01). Therefore, our results suggest an interaction between occupational VCM exposure and HBV infection for the development of liver cancer.

  15. Curative salvage liver transplantation in patients with cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma : An intention-to-treat analysis

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    de Haas, Robbert J.; Lim, Chetana; Bhangui, Prashant; Salloum, Chady; Compagnon, Philippe; Feray, Cyrille; Calderaro, Julien; Luciani, Alain; Azoulay, Daniel

    The salvage liver transplantation (SLT) strategy was conceived for initially resectable and transplantable (R&T) hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients, to try to obviate upfront liver transplantation, with the safety net of SLT in case of postresection recurrence. The SLT strategy is successful or

  16. Hepatocellular carcinoma complicating cystic fibrosis related liver disease.

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    O'Donnell, D H

    2012-02-01

    Early diagnosis and treatment of the respiratory and gastrointestinal complications of cystic fibrosis (CF) have led to improved survival with many patients living beyond the fourth decade. Along with this increased life expectancy is the risk of further disease associated with the chronic manifestations of their condition. We report a patient with documented CF related liver disease for which he was under routine surveillance that presented with histologically proven hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). It is important that physicians are aware of this association as increased vigilance may lead to earlier diagnosis and perhaps, a better outcome.

  17. Cutaneous features seen in primary liver cell (Hepatocellular ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    kemrilib

    features associated with the entity as a possible aid to diagnosis cutaneous features being considered a cheap tool that can help ... liver cell cancer (PLCC) and cancer of the breast and ... laboratory based -abdominal ultrasonography, liver.

  18. Radioembolization for primary and metastatic liver cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Memon, Khairuddin; Lewandowski, Robert J; Kulik, Laura; Riaz, Ahsun; Mulcahy, Mary F; Salem, Riad

    2011-10-01

    The incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma is increasing. Most patients present beyond potentially curative options and are usually affected by underlying cirrhosis. In this scenario, transarterial therapies, such as radioembolization, are rapidly gaining acceptance as a potential therapy for hepatocellular carcinoma and liver metastases. Radioembolization is a catheter-based liver-directed therapy that involves the injection of micron-sized embolic particles loaded with a radioisotope by use of percutaneous transarterial techniques. Cancer cells are preferentially supplied by arterial blood and normal hepatocytes by portal venous blood; therefore, radioembolization specifically targets tumor cells with a high dose of lethal radiation and spares healthy hepatocytes. The antitumor effect mostly comes from radiation rather than embolization. The most commonly used radioisotope is yttrium-90. The commercially available devices are TheraSphere (glass based; MDS Nordion, Ottawa, Canada) and SIR-Sphere (resin based; Sirtex, Lane Cove, Australia). The procedure is performed on an outpatient basis. The incidence of complications is comparatively less than other locoregional therapies and may include nausea, fatigue, abdominal pain, hepatic dysfunction, biliary injury, fibrosis, radiation pneumonitis, gastrointestinal ulcers, and vascular injury. However, these complications can be avoided by meticulous pretreatment assessment, careful patient selection, and adequate dosimetry. This article focuses on both the technical and clinical aspects of radioembolization with emphasis on patient selection, uses and complications. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  19. Radiofrequency ablation versus resection for Barcelona clinic liver cancer very early/early stage hepatocellular carcinoma: a systematic review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    He, Zhen-Xin; Xiang, Pu; Gong, Jian-Ping; Cheng, Nan-Sheng; Zhang, Wei

    2016-01-01

    To compare the long-term survival outcomes of radiofrequency ablation and liver resection for single very early/early stage hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The Cochrane Library (Issue 3, 2015), Embase (1974 to March 15, 2015), PubMed (1950 to March 15, 2015), Web of Science (1900 to March 15, 2015), and Chinese Biomedical Literature Database (1978 to March 15, 2015) were searched to identify relevant trials. Only trials that compared radiofrequency ablation and liver resection for single very early stage (≤2 cm) or early stage (≤3 cm) HCC according to the Barcelona clinic liver cancer (BCLC) staging system were considered for inclusion in this review. The primary outcomes that we analyzed were the 3-year and 5-year overall survival (OS) rates, and the secondary outcomes that we analyzed were the 3-year and 5-year disease-free survival (DFS) rates. Review Manager 5.3 was used to perform a cumulative meta-analysis. Possible publication bias was examined using a funnel plot. A random-effects model was applied to summarize the various outcomes. Six studies involving 947 patients were identified that compared radiofrequency ablation (n=528) to liver resection (n=419) for single BCLC very early HCC. In these six studies, the rates of 3-year OS, 5-year OS, 3-year DFS, and 5-year DFS were significantly lower in the radiofrequency ablation group than in the liver resection group (risk ratio [RR] =0.90, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.83-0.98, P=0.01; RR =0.84, 95% CI: 0.75-0.95, P=0.004; RR =0.77, 95% CI: 0.60-0.98, P=0.04; and RR =0.70, 95% CI: 0.52-0.94, P=0.02, respectively). Ten studies involving 2,501 patients were identified that compared radiofrequency ablation (n=1,476) to liver resection (n=1,025) for single BCLC early HCC. In these ten studies, the rates of 3-year OS, 5-year OS, 3-year DFS, and 5-year DFS were also significantly lower in the radiofrequency ablation group than in the liver resection group (RR =0.93, 95% CI: 0.88-0.98, P=0.003; RR =0.84, 95% CI

  20. Inflammation-Dependent IL18 Signaling Restricts Hepatocellular Carcinoma Growth by Enhancing the Accumulation and Activity of Tumor-Infiltrating Lymphocytes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Markowitz, Geoffrey J; Yang, Pengyuan; Fu, Jing; Michelotti, Gregory A; Chen, Rui; Sui, Jianhua; Yang, Bin; Qin, Wen-Hao; Zhang, Zheng; Wang, Fu-Sheng; Diehl, Anna Mae; Li, Qi-Jing; Wang, Hongyang; Wang, Xiao-Fan

    2016-04-15

    Chronic inflammation in liver tissue is an underlying cause of hepatocellular carcinoma. High levels of inflammatory cytokine IL18 in the circulation of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma correlates with poor prognosis. However, conflicting results have been reported for IL18 in hepatocellular carcinoma development and progression. In this study, we used tissue specimens from hepatocellular carcinoma patients and clinically relevant mouse models of hepatocellular carcinoma to evaluate IL18 expression and function. In a mouse model of liver fibrosis that recapitulates a tumor-promoting microenvironment, global deletion of the IL18 receptor IL18R1 enhanced tumor growth and burden. Similarly, in a carcinogen-induced model of liver tumorigenesis, IL18R1 deletion increased tumor burden. Mechanistically, we found that IL18 exerted inflammation-dependent tumor-suppressive effects largely by promoting the differentiation, activity, and survival of tumor-infiltrating T cells. Finally, differences in the expression of IL18 in tumor tissue versus nontumor tissue were more predictive of patient outcome than overall tissue expression. Taken together, our findings resolve a long-standing contradiction regarding a tumor-suppressive role for IL18 in established hepatocellular carcinoma and provide a mechanistic explanation for the complex relationship between its expression pattern and hepatocellular carcinoma prognosis. Cancer Res; 76(8); 2394-405. ©2016 AACR. ©2016 American Association for Cancer Research.

  1. PGK1 Drives Hepatocellular Carcinoma Metastasis by Enhancing Metabolic Process.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xie, Huijun; Tong, Guihui; Zhang, Yupei; Liang, Shu; Tang, Kairui; Yang, Qinhe

    2017-07-27

    During the proliferation and metastasis, the tumor cells prefer glycolysis (Warburg effect), but its exact mechanism remains largely unknown. In this study, we demonstrated that phosphoglycerate kinase 1 (PGK1) is an important enzyme in the pathway of metabolic glycolysis. We observed a significant overexpression of PGK1 in hepatocellular carcinoma tissues, and a correlation between PGK1 expression and poor survival of hepatocellular carcinoma patients. Also, the depletion of PGK1 dramatically reduced cancer cell proliferation and metastasis, indicating an oncogenic role of PGK1 in liver cancer progression. Further experiments showed that PGK1 played an important role in MYC -induced metabolic reprogramming, which led to an enhanced Warburg effect. Our results revealed a new effect of PGK1, which can provide a new treatment strategy for hepatocellular carcinoma, as PGK1 is used to indicate the prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

  2. Studies on therapeutic method of liver cancer(hapatocellular carcinome)by Holmium-166 radionuclide

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lee, Jong Tae; Yoo, H. S.; Kim, M. J.; Han, K. H.; Park, C. I. [Yonsei University Medical College, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

    1997-07-01

    As the study of radioactive nuclide, Holmium-166 in the treatment of liver cancer(hepatocellular carcinoma), this study was performed under the base of animal experimental. Using dog liver, percutaneous injection of Ho-166 MAA or chitosan with premade dose was done under the ultrasound guidance. Continuously the same procedure as previous one was performed in the skin hapatoma, which was developed by the injection of hepatocellular carcinoma cell in the nude mouse, In case of injected normal liver of dog, imaging study including ultrasound, CT and MRI was done in order to evaluate effect of Ho-166 and pathologic reaction. The result showed well defined nectosis of normal liver as well as skin hepatoma. The area of nectosis is dependent on the dose of injected Ho-166. Generally, pathologic reaction is tissue coagulation nectosis, Ho-166 particles, fibrosis and hemorrhage. In the clinical study, 50 patients with hapatoma was selected for this study under the agreement of patient. Under ultrasound guidance percutaneous injection of Ho-166 Maa or chitosan to tumor was performed and follow-up study was extended from 6 to 12 month. The result showed that 64% of patient were completely treated. Overall, the effect of treatment could be obtained in 41 patient (82%) among 50 hepatoma patient. Conclusively Ho-166 is thought to be a compromising agent in the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma and one of therapeutic modality, if it is established internally and world-wide. In the future, the popular percutaneous ethanol injection method will be replaced to this method. 19 refs., 1 tabs., 14 figs. (author)

  3. Assessment of triple-phase CT findings for the differentiation of fat-deficient hepatic angiomyolipoma from hepatocellular carcinoma in non-cirrhotic liver

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jeon, Tae Yeon; Kim, Seong Hyun; Lim, Hyo K.; Lee, Won Jae

    2010-01-01

    Background: To evaluate the triple-phase CT findings for the differentiation of fat-deficient angiomyolipoma from hepatocellular carcinoma in non-cirrhotic liver. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed contrast-enhanced triple-phase CT images of 10 patients with fat-deficient hepatic angiomyolipoma and 28 patients with 29 hepatocellular carcinomas in non-cirrhotic liver proved on histologic examination. The CT findings for the two types of tumors were compared using Fisher's exact test. Results: Early draining vein depicted on arterial or portal phases was seen in eight (80%) angiomyolipomas and two hepatocellular carcinomas (7%) (p < 0.001), in which the early draining vein was connected with tumoral vessels. The tumoral vessels in the angiomyolipoma were more prominent and ectatic, were distributed both centrally and peripherally, and were seen in smaller tumors than in the hepatocellular carcinoma. Tumor capsule enhancement was absent in all angiomyolipomas as compared with two (7%) hepatocellular carcinomas with no tumor capsule (p < 0.001). The other CT findings were not significantly different for the two different types of tumors. Conclusions: The presence of early draining vein connecting with prominent tumoral vessels and absent tumor capsule were useful CT findings for the differentiation of fat-deficient angiomyolipoma from hepatocellular carcinoma in non-cirrhotic liver.

  4. Predictors of Liver Toxicity Following Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy for Hepatocellular Carcinoma

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Velec, Michael [Radiation Medicine Program, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, Toronto, Ontario (Canada); Haddad, Carol R. [Northern Sydney Cancer Centre, Royal North Shore Hospital, St Leonards, New South Wales (Australia); Craig, Tim [Radiation Medicine Program, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, Toronto, Ontario (Canada); Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario (Canada); Wang, Lisa [Department of Biostatistics, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, Toronto, Ontario (Canada); Lindsay, Patricia; Brierley, James; Brade, Anthony; Ringash, Jolie; Wong, Rebecca; Kim, John [Radiation Medicine Program, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, Toronto, Ontario (Canada); Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario (Canada); Dawson, Laura A., E-mail: Laura.Dawson@rmp.uhn.on.ca [Radiation Medicine Program, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, Toronto, Ontario (Canada); Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario (Canada)

    2017-04-01

    Purpose: To identify risk factors associated with a decline in liver function after stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) for hepatocellular carcinoma. Methods and Materials: Data were analyzed from patients with hepatocellular carcinoma treated on clinical trials of 6-fraction SBRT. Liver toxicity was defined as an increase in Child-Pugh (CP) score ≥2 three months after SBRT. Clinical factors, SBRT details, and liver dose-volume histogram (DVH) parameters were tested for association with toxicity using logistic regression. CP class B patients were analyzed separately. Results: Among CP class A patients, 101 were evaluable, with a baseline score of A5 (72%) or A6 (28%). Fifty-three percent had portal vein thrombus. The median liver volume was 1286 cc (range, 766-3967 cc), and the median prescribed dose was 36 Gy (range, 27-54 Gy). Toxicity was seen in 26 patients (26%). Thrombus, baseline CP of A6, and lower platelet count were associated with toxicity on univariate analysis, as were several liver DVH-based parameters. Absolute and spared liver volumes were not significant. On multivariate analysis for CP class A patients, significant associations were found for baseline CP score of A6 (odds ratio [OR], 4.85), lower platelet count (OR, 0.90; median, 108 × 10{sup 9}/L vs 150 × 10{sup 9}/L), higher mean liver dose (OR, 1.33; median, 16.9 Gy vs 14.7 Gy), and higher dose to 800 cc of liver (OR, 1.11; median, 14.3 Gy vs 6.0 Gy). With 13 CP-B7 patients included or when dose to 800 cc of liver was replaced with other DVH parameters (eg, dose to 700 or 900 cc of liver) in the multivariate analysis, effective volume and portal vein thrombus were associated with an increased risk. Conclusions: Baseline CP scores and higher liver doses (eg, mean dose, effective volume, doses to 700-900 cc) were strongly associated with liver function decline 3 months after SBRT. A lower baseline platelet count and portal vein thrombus were also associated with an

  5. Circulating Tumor DNA Analysis for Liver Cancers and Its Usefulness as a Liquid BiopsySummary

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Atsushi Ono

    2015-09-01

    Full Text Available Background & Aims: Circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA carrying tumor-specific sequence alterations has been found in the cell-free fraction of blood. Liver cancer tumor specimens are difficult to obtain, and noninvasive methods are required to assess cancer progression and characterize underlying genomic features. Methods: We analyzed 46 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma who underwent hepatectomy or liver transplantation and for whom whole-genome sequencing data was available. We designed personalized assays targeting somatic rearrangements of each tumor to quantify serum ctDNA. Exome sequencing was performed using cell-free DNA paired primary tumor tissue DNA from a patient with recurrent liver cancer after transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE. Results: We successfully detected ctDNA from 100 μL of serum samples in 7 of the 46 patients before surgery, increasing with disease progression. The cumulative incidence of recurrence and extrahepatic metastasis in the ctDNA-positive group were statistically significantly worse than in the ctDNA-negative group (P = .0102 and .0386, respectively. Multivariate analysis identified ctDNA (OR 6.10; 95% CI, 1.11–33.33, P = .038 as an independent predictor of microscopic vascular invasion of the portal vein (VP. We identified 45 nonsynonymous somatic mutations in cell-free DNA after TACE and 71 nonsynonymous somatic mutations in primary tumor tissue by exome sequencing. We identified 25 common mutations in both samples, and 83% of mutations identified in the primary tumor could be detected in the cell-free DNA. Conclusions: The presence of ctDNA reflects tumor progression, and detection of ctDNA can predict VP and recurrence, especially extrahepatic metastasis within 2 years. Our study demonstrated the usefulness of ctDNA detection and sequencing analysis of cell-free DNA for personalized treatment of liver cancer. Keywords: Circulating Tumor DNA, Exome Sequencing, Hepatocellular

  6. Integrative and comparative genomics analysis of early hepatocellular carcinoma differentiated from liver regeneration in young and old

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ozand Pinar T

    2010-06-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC is the third-leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. It is often diagnosed at an advanced stage, and hence typically has a poor prognosis. To identify distinct molecular mechanisms for early HCC we developed a rat model of liver regeneration post-hepatectomy, as well as liver cells undergoing malignant transformation and compared them to normal liver using a microarray approach. Subsequently, we performed cross-species comparative analysis coupled with copy number alterations (CNA of independent early human HCC microarray studies to facilitate the identification of critical regulatory modules conserved across species. Results We identified 35 signature genes conserved across species, and shared among different types of early human HCCs. Over 70% of signature genes were cancer-related, and more than 50% of the conserved genes were mapped to human genomic CNA regions. Functional annotation revealed genes already implicated in HCC, as well as novel genes which were not previously reported in liver tumors. A subset of differentially expressed genes was validated using quantitative RT-PCR. Concordance was also confirmed for a significant number of genes and pathways in five independent validation microarray datasets. Our results indicated alterations in a number of cancer related pathways, including p53, p38 MAPK, ERK/MAPK, PI3K/AKT, and TGF-β signaling pathways, and potential critical regulatory role of MYC, ERBB2, HNF4A, and SMAD3 for early HCC transformation. Conclusions The integrative analysis of transcriptional deregulation, genomic CNA and comparative cross species analysis brings new insights into the molecular profile of early hepatoma formation. This approach may lead to robust biomarkers for the detection of early human HCC.

  7. Orthotopic liver transplantation as a rescue operation for recurrent hepatocellular carcinoma after partial hepatectomy

    OpenAIRE

    Shao, Zhuo; Lopez, Rocio; Shen, Bo; Yang, Guang-Shun

    2008-01-01

    AIM: To compare post-orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) survival between patients with recurrent hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) after partial hepatectomy and those who received de novo OLT for HCC and to assess the risk factors associated with post-OLT mortality.

  8. The evolutionary scenario of hepatocellular carcinoma in Italy: an update.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bucci, Laura; Garuti, Francesca; Lenzi, Barbara; Pecorelli, Anna; Farinati, Fabio; Giannini, Edoardo G; Granito, Alessandro; Ciccarese, Francesca; Rapaccini, Gian Lodovico; Di Marco, Maria; Caturelli, Eugenio; Zoli, Marco; Borzio, Franco; Sacco, Rodolfo; Cammà, Calogero; Virdone, Roberto; Marra, Fabio; Felder, Martina; Morisco, Filomena; Benvegnù, Luisa; Gasbarrini, Antonio; Svegliati-Baroni, Gianluca; Foschi, Francesco Giuseppe; Missale, Gabriele; Masotto, Alberto; Nardone, Gerardo; Colecchia, Antonio; Bernardi, Mauro; Trevisani, Franco

    2017-02-01

    Epidemiology of hepatocellular carcinoma is changing worldwide. This study aimed at evaluating the changing scenario of aetiology, presentation, management and prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma in Italy during the last 15 years. Retrospective analysis of the ITA.LI.CA (Italian Liver Cancer) database including 5192 hepatocellular carcinoma patients managed in 24 centres from 2000 to 2014. Patients were divided into three groups according to the date of cancer diagnosis (2000-2004, 2005-2009 and 2010-2014). The main results were as follows: (i) progressive patient aging; (ii) progressive expansion of non-viral cases and, namely, of "metabolic" hepatocellular carcinomas; (iii) increasing proportion of hepatocellular carcinoma diagnosed during a correct (semi-annual) surveillance programme; (iv) favourable cancer stage migration; (v) increased use of radiofrequency ablation to the detriment of percutaneous ethanol injection; (vi) improved outcomes of ablative and transarterial treatments; (vii) improved overall survival (adjusted for the lead time in surveyed patients), particularly after 2009, of both viral and non-viral patients presenting with an early- or intermediate-stage hepatocellular carcinoma. During the last 15 years several aetiological and clinical features of hepatocellular carcinoma patients have changed, as their management. The observed improvement of overall survival was owing both to the wider use of semi-annual surveillance, expanding the proportion of tumours that qualified for curative treatments, and to the improved outcome of loco-regional treatments. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  9. The 2-oxoglutarate carrier promotes liver cancer by sustaining mitochondrial GSH despite cholesterol loading

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anna Baulies

    2018-04-01

    Full Text Available Cancer cells exhibit mitochondrial cholesterol (mt-cholesterol accumulation, which contributes to cell death resistance by antagonizing mitochondrial outer membrane (MOM permeabilization. Hepatocellular mt-cholesterol loading, however, promotes steatohepatitis, an advanced stage of chronic liver disease that precedes hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC, by depleting mitochondrial GSH (mGSH due to a cholesterol-mediated impairment in mGSH transport. Whether and how HCC cells overcome the restriction of mGSH transport imposed by mt-cholesterol loading to support mGSH uptake remains unknown. Although the transport of mGSH is not fully understood, SLC25A10 (dicarboxylate carrier, DIC and SLC25A11 (2-oxoglutarate carrier, OGC have been involved in mGSH transport, and therefore we examined their expression and role in HCC. Unexpectedly, HCC cells and liver explants from patients with HCC exhibit divergent expression of these mitochondrial carriers, with selective OGC upregulation, which contributes to mGSH maintenance. OGC but not DIC downregulation by siRNA depleted mGSH levels and sensitized HCC cells to hypoxia-induced ROS generation and cell death as well as impaired cell growth in three-dimensional multicellular HCC spheroids, effects that were reversible upon mGSH replenishment by GSH ethyl ester, a membrane permeable GSH precursor. We also show that OGC regulates mitochondrial respiration and glycolysis. Moreover, OGC silencing promoted hypoxia-induced cardiolipin peroxidation, which reversed the inhibition of cholesterol on the permeabilization of MOM-like liposomes induced by Bax or Bak. Genetic OGC knockdown reduced the ability of tumor-initiating stem-like cells to induce liver cancer. These findings underscore the selective overexpression of OGC as an adaptive mechanism of HCC to provide adequate mGSH levels in the face of mt-cholesterol loading and suggest that OGC may be a novel therapeutic target for HCC treatment. Keywords: Cholesterol

  10. Metabolomic profiles of hepatocellular carcinoma in a European prospective cohort

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Fages, Anne; Duarte-Salles, Talita; Stepien, Magdalena; Ferrari, Pietro; Fedirko, Veronika; Pontoizeau, Clement; Trichopoulou, Antonia; Aleksandrova, Krasimira; Tjonneland, Anne; Olsen, Anja; Clavel-Chapelon, Franoise; Boutron-Ruault, Marie-Christine; Severi, Gianluca; Kaaks, Rudolf; Kuhn, Tilman; Floegel, Anna; Boeing, Heiner; Lagiou, Pagona; Bamia, Christina; Trichopoulos, Dimitrios; Palli, Domenico; Pala, Valeria; Panico, Salvatore; Tumino, Rosario; Vineis, Paolo; Bueno-de-Mesquita, H. Bas; Peeters, Petra H.; Weiderpass, Elisabete; Agudo, Antonio; Molina-Montes, Esther; Maria Huerta, Jose; Ardanaz, Eva; Dorronsoro, Miren; Sjoberg, Klas; Ohlsson, Bodil; Khaw, Kay-Tee; Wareham, Nick; Travis, Ruth C.; Schmidt, Julie A.; Cross, Amanda; Gunter, Marc; Riboli, Elio; Scalbert, Augustin; Romieu, Isabelle; Elena-Herrmann, Benedicte; Jenab, Mazda

    2015-01-01

    Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the most prevalent form of liver cancer, is difficult to diagnose and has limited treatment options with a low survival rate. Aside from a few key risk factors, such as hepatitis, high alcohol consumption, smoking, obesity, and diabetes, there is

  11. The Expression of Embryonic Liver Development Genes in Hepatitis C Induced Cirrhosis and Hepatocellular Carcinoma

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Behnke, Martha, E-mail: mbehnke@mcvh-vcu.edu [Transplant Program Administration, Virginia Commonwealth University Health System, 1200 E. Broad St., Richmond, VA 23298 (United States); Reimers, Mark [Virginia Institute for Psychiatric and Behavioral Genetics, Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, 800 E Leigh St., Richmond, VA 23298 (United States); Fisher, Robert [Department of Surgery, Virginia Commonwealth University, 1200 E. Broad St., Richmond, VA 23298 (United States)

    2012-09-18

    Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains a difficult disease to study even after a decade of genomic analysis. Patient and disease heterogeneity, differences in statistical methods and multiple testing issues have resulted in a fragmented understanding of the molecular basis of tumor biology. Some researchers have suggested that HCC appears to share pathways with embryonic development. Therefore we generated targeted hypotheses regarding changes in developmental genes specific to the liver in HCV-cirrhosis and HCV-HCC. We obtained microarray studies from 30 patients with HCV-cirrhosis and 49 patients with HCV-HCC and compared to 12 normal livers. Genes specific to non-liver development have known associations with other cancer types but none were expressed in either adult liver or tumor tissue, while 98 of 179 (55%) genes specific to liver development had differential expression between normal and cirrhotic or HCC samples. We found genes from each developmental stage dysregulated in tumors compared to normal and cirrhotic samples. Although there was no single tumor marker, we identified a set of genes (Bone Morphogenetic Protein inhibitors GPC3, GREM1, FSTL3, and FST) in which at least one gene was over-expressed in 100% of the tumor samples. Only five genes were differentially expressed exclusively in late-stage tumors, indicating that while developmental genes appear to play a profound role in cirrhosis and malignant transformation, they play a limited role in late-stage HCC.

  12. Promoter hypermethylation mediated downregulation of FBP1 in human hepatocellular carcinoma and colon cancer.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mingquan Chen

    Full Text Available FBP1, fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase-1, a gluconeogenesis regulatory enzyme, catalyzes the hydrolysis of fructose 1,6-bisphosphate to fructose 6-phosphate and inorganic phosphate. The mechanism that it functions to antagonize glycolysis and was epigenetically inactivated through NF-kappaB pathway in gastric cancer has been reported. However, its role in the liver carcinogenesis still remains unknown. Here, we investigated the expression and DNA methylation of FBP1 in primary HCC and colon tumor. FBP1 was lowly expressed in 80% (8/10 human hepatocellular carcinoma, 66.7% (6/9 liver cancer cell lines and 100% (6/6 colon cancer cell lines, but was higher in paired adjacent non-tumor tissues and immortalized normal cell lines, which was well correlated with its promoter methylation status. Methylation was further detected in primary HCCs, gastric and colon tumor tissues, but none or occasionally in paired adjacent non-tumor tissues. Detailed methylation analysis of 29 CpG sites at a 327-bp promoter region by bisulfite genomic sequencing confirmed its methylation. FBP1 silencing could be reversed by chemical demethylation treatment with 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine (Aza, indicating direct epigenetic silencing. Restoring FBP1 expression in low expressed cells significantly inhibited cell growth and colony formation ability through the induction of G2-M phase cell cycle arrest. Moreover, the observed effects coincided with an increase in reactive oxygen species (ROS generation. In summary, epigenetic inactivation of FBP1 is also common in human liver and colon cancer. FBP1 appears to be a functional tumor suppressor involved in the liver and colon carcinogenesis.

  13. Diagnostic value of alpha-fetoprotein in liver cancer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pervez, T.; Anwar, S.M.

    2001-01-01

    Objective: To determine diagnostic value of alpha-fetoproteins (alpha-FP) in liver cancer. Design: Prospective study. Place and duration of study: Department of clinical oncology services Hospital Lahore, during the period from February 1998 to February 2001. Subjects and Methods: Among 200 persons studied, 100 presented with liver mass, jaundice and other symptoms directing toward liver pathology, later confirmed histopathologically, as suffering from hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) while the other 100 healthy subject came to the department for blood donation and were HBs Ag pasitive on blood screening. All these subjects under went blood test for alpha-FP. This tumor marker was analyzed by using enzyme immunoassay-based kit. Results: The alpha-FP positivity was statistically evaluated. In HCC this test was statistically significant with p value of <0.001. In this study sensitivity of alpha-FP was 72% specificity 89%, positive predictive value 86.7% and negative predictive value of 76.1%. Conclusion: This study showed that alpha-FP was a useful diagnostic tool in the diagnosis of HCC. (author)

  14. Liver resection over the last decade

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Wettergren, A.; Larsen, P.N.; Rasmussen, A.

    2008-01-01

    after resection of hepatic metastases from colorectal cancer and hepatocellular carcinoma was estimated. RESULTS: 141 patients (71M/70F), median age 58 years (1-78), underwent a liver resection in the ten-year period. The number of resections increased from two in 1995 to 32 in 2004. Median hospital...... stay was 9 days (3-38). The most frequent complication was biliary leakage (7.8%), haemorrhage (2.8%) and hepatic insufficiency (2.8%). 30-days mortality was 1.4%. The actuarial 5-survival after hepatic resection for colorectal liver metastases and hepatocellular carcinoma was 39% and 42%, respectively...

  15. Genome-wide survey of recurrent HBV integration in hepatocellular carcinoma

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sung, Wing-Kin; Zheng, Hancheng; Li, Shuyu

    2012-01-01

    To survey hepatitis B virus (HBV) integration in liver cancer genomes, we conducted massively parallel sequencing of 81 HBV-positive and 7 HBV-negative hepatocellular carcinomas (HCCs) and adjacent normal tissues. We found that HBV integration is observed more frequently in the tumors (86.4%) than...

  16. Gene expression profiling of liver cancer stem cells by RNA-sequencing.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    David W Y Ho

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Accumulating evidence supports that tumor growth and cancer relapse are driven by cancer stem cells. Our previous work has demonstrated the existence of CD90(+ liver cancer stem cells (CSCs in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC. Nevertheless, the characteristics of these cells are still poorly understood. In this study, we employed a more sensitive RNA-sequencing (RNA-Seq to compare the gene expression profiling of CD90(+ cells sorted from tumor (CD90(+CSCs with parallel non-tumorous liver tissues (CD90(+NTSCs and elucidate the roles of putative target genes in hepatocarcinogenesis. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: CD90(+ cells were sorted respectively from tumor and adjacent non-tumorous human liver tissues using fluorescence-activated cell sorting. The amplified RNAs of CD90(+ cells from 3 HCC patients were subjected to RNA-Seq analysis. A differential gene expression profile was established between CD90(+CSCs and CD90(+NTSCs, and validated by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR on the same set of amplified RNAs, and further confirmed in an independent cohort of 12 HCC patients. Five hundred genes were differentially expressed (119 up-regulated and 381 down-regulated genes between CD90(+CSCs and CD90(+NTSCs. Gene ontology analysis indicated that the over-expressed genes in CD90(+CSCs were associated with inflammation, drug resistance and lipid metabolism. Among the differentially expressed genes, glypican-3 (GPC3, a member of glypican family, was markedly elevated in CD90(+CSCs compared to CD90(+NTSCs. Immunohistochemistry demonstrated that GPC3 was highly expressed in forty-two human liver tumor tissues but absent in adjacent non-tumorous liver tissues. Flow cytometry indicated that GPC3 was highly expressed in liver CD90(+CSCs and mature cancer cells in liver cancer cell lines and human liver tumor tissues. Furthermore, GPC3 expression was positively correlated with the number of CD90(+CSCs in liver tumor tissues. CONCLUSIONS

  17. Gene Expression Profiling of Liver Cancer Stem Cells by RNA-Sequencing

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lam, Chi Tat; Ng, Michael N. P.; Yu, Wan Ching; Lau, Joyce; Wan, Timothy; Wang, Xiaoqi; Yan, Zhixiang; Liu, Hang; Fan, Sheung Tat

    2012-01-01

    Background Accumulating evidence supports that tumor growth and cancer relapse are driven by cancer stem cells. Our previous work has demonstrated the existence of CD90+ liver cancer stem cells (CSCs) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Nevertheless, the characteristics of these cells are still poorly understood. In this study, we employed a more sensitive RNA-sequencing (RNA-Seq) to compare the gene expression profiling of CD90+ cells sorted from tumor (CD90+CSCs) with parallel non-tumorous liver tissues (CD90+NTSCs) and elucidate the roles of putative target genes in hepatocarcinogenesis. Methodology/Principal Findings CD90+ cells were sorted respectively from tumor and adjacent non-tumorous human liver tissues using fluorescence-activated cell sorting. The amplified RNAs of CD90+ cells from 3 HCC patients were subjected to RNA-Seq analysis. A differential gene expression profile was established between CD90+CSCs and CD90+NTSCs, and validated by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) on the same set of amplified RNAs, and further confirmed in an independent cohort of 12 HCC patients. Five hundred genes were differentially expressed (119 up-regulated and 381 down-regulated genes) between CD90+CSCs and CD90+NTSCs. Gene ontology analysis indicated that the over-expressed genes in CD90+CSCs were associated with inflammation, drug resistance and lipid metabolism. Among the differentially expressed genes, glypican-3 (GPC3), a member of glypican family, was markedly elevated in CD90+CSCs compared to CD90+NTSCs. Immunohistochemistry demonstrated that GPC3 was highly expressed in forty-two human liver tumor tissues but absent in adjacent non-tumorous liver tissues. Flow cytometry indicated that GPC3 was highly expressed in liver CD90+CSCs and mature cancer cells in liver cancer cell lines and human liver tumor tissues. Furthermore, GPC3 expression was positively correlated with the number of CD90+CSCs in liver tumor tissues. Conclusions/Significance The identified genes

  18. Expression of multi-drug resistance-related genes MDR3 and MRP as prognostic factors in clinical liver cancer patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yu, Zheng; Peng, Sun; Hong-Ming, Pan; Kai-Feng, Wang

    2012-01-01

    To investigate the expression of multi-drug resistance-related genes, MDR3 and MRP, in clinical specimens of primary liver cancer and their potential as prognostic factors in liver cancer patients. A total of 26 patients with primary liver cancer were enrolled. The expression of MDR3 and MRP genes was measured by real-time PCR and the association between gene expression and the prognosis of patients was analyzed by the Kaplan-Meier method and COX regression model. This study showed that increases in MDR3 gene expression were identified in cholangiocellular carcinoma, cirrhosis and HBsAg-positive patients, while MRP expression increased in hepatocellular carcinoma, non-cirrhosis and HBsAg-negative patients. Moreover, conjugated bilirubin and total bile acid in the serum were significantly reduced in patients with high MRP expression compared to patients with low expression. The overall survival tended to be longer in patients with high MDR3 and MRP expression compared to the control group. MRP might be an independent prognostic factor in patients with liver cancer by COX regression analysis. MDR3 and MRP may play important roles in liver cancer patients as prognostic factors and their underlying mechanisms in liver cancer are worthy of further investigation.

  19. Hepatocellular Carcinoma Metastasis to the Orbit in a Coinfected HIV+ HBV+ Patient Previously Treated with Orthotopic Liver Transplantation: A Case Report

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    S. Guerriero

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available Hepatocellular carcinoma rarely metastasizes to the orbit. We report a 45-year-old male, HBV+, HIV+, with a past history of a liver transplant for ELSD (end-stage liver disease with hepatocellular carcinoma and recurrent HCC, who presented with proptosis and diplopia of the left eye. CT scans of the head revealed a large, irregular mass in the left orbit causing superior and lateral destruction of the orbital bone. Biopsy specimens of the orbital tumor showed features of metastatic foci of hepatocellular carcinoma. Only 16 other cases of HCC metastasis to the orbit have been described in literature, and this is the first case in a previously transplanted HIV+, HBV+ patient.

  20. Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and hepatocellular carcinoma

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    LI Liangping

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available As the etiology of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC has been changing, the incidence of HCC related to nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD is gradually increasing in developed countries in Europe and America and some countries in Asia. This article introduces the close association between NAFLD and HCC, risk factors, clinicopathological features, and prevention and screening, and points out that although the incidence of NAFLD is not as high as that of hepatitis B- or hepatitis C-related HCC, there are a large absolute number of NAFLD patients, especially the high-risk patients with diabetes and obesity, or liver fibrosis/cirrhosis, due to a huge base number of NAFLD patients. NAFLD-related HCC is commonly seen in the elderly with various comorbidities and a poor prognosis. This article also points out that the prevention should focus on the effective treatment of NAFLD. The strict screening of high-risk population is the strategy for the diagnosis of early-stage HCC. At present, the sensitivity of alpha-fetoprotein is relatively low, and imaging examinations including computed tomography are the main screening methods; however, there are no measures for early warning of NAFLD-related HCC.

  1. Liver cancer oncogenomics

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Marquardt, Jens U; Andersen, Jesper B

    2015-01-01

    Primary liver cancers are among the most rapidly evolving malignant tumors worldwide. An underlying chronic inflammatory liver disease, which precedes liver cancer development for several decades and frequently creates a pro-oncogenic microenvironment, impairs progress in therapeutic approaches....... Molecular heterogeneity of liver cancer is potentiated by a crosstalk between epithelial tumor and stromal cells that complicate translational efforts to unravel molecular mechanisms of hepatocarcinogenesis with a drugable intend. Next-generation sequencing has greatly advanced our understanding of cancer...... development. With regards to liver cancer, the unprecedented coverage of next-generation sequencing has created a detailed map of genetic alterations and identified key somatic changes such as CTNNB1 and TP53 as well as several previously unrecognized recurrent disease-causing alterations that could...

  2. Characterization of Hepatocellular Carcinoma Related Genes and Metabolites in Human Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Clarke, D. J.; Novák, Petr; Lake, A.D.; Shipkova, P.; Aranibar, N.; Robertson, D.; Severson, P.L.; Reily, M.D.; Futscher, B. W.; Lehman-McKeeman, L.D.; Cherrington, N.J.

    2014-01-01

    Roč. 59, č. 2 (2014), s. 365-374 ISSN 0163-2116 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z50510513 Institutional support: RVO:60077344 Keywords : nonalcoholic fatty liver disease * nonalcoholic steatohepatitis * hepatocellular carcinoma * metabolomics Subject RIV: EB - Genetics ; Molecular Biology Impact factor: 2.613, year: 2014

  3. Imaging and embolization of hepatocellular carcinoma supplied by gonadal artery

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wu Hongping; Wang Junjie; Lu Yang; You Kaizhi

    2010-01-01

    Objective: To evaluate radiology and embolization for hepatocellular carcinoma supplied by gonadal artery. Methods: The medical records of 3 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma supplied by gonadal artery from August 2002 to September 2008 were reviewed. The demography, gonadal artery location, modus operandi, imaging features of liver cancer and prognosis were retrospectively analyzed. Results: Anatomic variation of gonadal artery occurred with the gonadal artery arising from the upper abdominal aorta in 1 patient and from the middle suprarenal artery in 2 patients. The blood supply of the hepatocellular carcinoma derived from the gonadal artery in all 3 patients. No complications occurred in the 6-month follow-up after embolization. Conclusion: Hepatocellular carcinoma may be supplied by gonadal artery with anomalous origin. This anatomic variant can be readily demonstrated by imaging to guide embolization. (authors)

  4. Evaluation of tumour markers as differential diagnostic tool in patients with suspicion of liver metastases from breast cancer.

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    Liska, Vaclav; Holubec, Lubos; Treska, Vladislav; Vrzalova, Jindra; Skalicky, Tomas; Sutnar, Alan; Kormunda, Stanislav; Bruha, Jan; Vycital, Ondrej; Finek, Jindrich; Pesta, Martin; Pecen, Ladislav; Topolcan, Ondrej

    2011-04-01

    The liver is the site of breast cancer metastasis in 50% of patients with advanced disease. Tumour markers have been demonstrated as being useful in follow-up of patients with breast cancer, in early detection of recurrence of breast cancer after radical surgical treatments, and in assessing oncologic therapy effect, but no study has been carried out on their usefullness in distinguishing benign liver lesions from breast cancer metastases. The aim of this study was therefore to evaluate the importance of tumour markers carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), carbohydrate antigen CA19-9 (CA19-9), thymidine kinase (TK), tissue polypeptide antigen (TPA), tissue polypeptide-specific antigen (TPS) and cytokeratin 19 fragment (CYFRA 21-1) in differential diagnosis between benign liver lesions and liver metastases of breast cancer. The study includes 3 groups: 22 patients with liver metastases of breast cancer; 39 patients with benign liver lesions (hemangioma, focal nodular hyperplasia, liver cyst, hepatocellular adenoma); and 21 patients without any liver disease or lesion that were operated on for benign extrahepatic diseases (groin hernia, varices of lower limbs) as a control group. The serum levels of tumour markers were assessed by means of immunoanalytical methods. Preoperative serum levels of CYFRA 21-1, TPA, TPS and CEA were significantly higher in patients with liver metastases of breast cancer in contrast to healthy controls and patients with benign liver lesions (p-value<0.05). Serum levels of CA19-9 and TK were higher in patients with malignancy in comparison with benign liver disease and healthy controls but these differences were not statistically significant. Tumour markers CEA, CYFRA 21-1, TPA and TPS can be recommended as a good tool for differential diagnosis between liver metastases of breast cancer and benign liver lesions.

  5. Treatment of liver cancer with Rhenium-188 Lipiodol: Colombian experience

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bernal, P.; Osorio, M.; Mendoza, M.; Esguerra, R.; Ucros, G.; Gutierrez, C.; Velez, O.; Cerquera, A.M.; Padhy, A.K.

    2002-01-01

    Aim:Trans-arterial Radio-conjugate therapy plays an important role in the palliative treatment of inoperable liver cancer. It also helps in reduction of the tumor to an operable state from an inoperable one. As a part of an IAEA sponsored coordinated research project, a new radiopharmaceutical, Rhenium-188 Lipiodol has been developed. The aim of this study was to establish the safety of the radiopharmaceutical and to find out the efficacy of treatment. Materials and Methods: Eight patients suffering from various forms of liver cancer (Hepatocellular carcinoma-4, Metastases from carcinoma of colon-3 and Carcinoid- 1) were treated with Rhenium -188 Lipiodol. Seven out of the eight patients were classified as ECOG- 1 and one as ECOG- 3. Labelling of Rhenium-188 with Lipiodol was carried out according to a protocol developed under the CRP and standardized in our service. Rhenium-188 Lipiodol was administered through the trans-arterial route by either selective (75%) or ultra selective (25%) hepatic arteriography. Administered therapeutic doses ranged between 170 MBq and 4181 MBq. Dosimetric evaluations were made using the IAEA developed dosimetry spreadsheet. All patients were followed up (1-5 months, average = 2 months) after treatment by clinical examination, liver function tests, haematological examinations and CT scans of liver to determine the size of hepatic tumor. Results: Rhenium-188 Lipiodol treatment was well tolerated by all patients. No immediate systemic complications were noted in any of the patients within 72 hrs. following therapy. Only two patients had mild rise in temperature in the immediate post-therapy period, which subsided subsequently. One patient who was classified as Child B and ECOG 3, developed encephalopathy on the seventh day after treatment. He died of hepatic failure. Another one present depressive syndrome, didn't accept food and died Follow-up CT scans in all the surviving (6/8) patients revealed significant reduction of the tumours

  6. Riboflavin (vitamin B-2) reduces hepatocellular injury following liver ischaemia and reperfusion in mice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sanches, Sheila Cristina; Ramalho, Leandra Naira Z; Mendes-Braz, Mariana; Terra, Vânia Aparecida; Cecchini, Rubens; Augusto, Marlei Josiele; Ramalho, Fernando Silva

    2014-05-01

    Riboflavin has been shown to exhibit anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties in the settings of experimental sepsis and ischaemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury. We investigated the effect of riboflavin on normothermic liver I/R injury. Mice were submitted to 60 min of ischaemia plus saline or riboflavin treatment (30 μmoles/kg BW) followed by 6 h of reperfusion. Hepatocellular injury was evaluated by aminotransferase levels, reduced glutathione (GSH) content and the histological damage score. Hepatic neutrophil accumulation was assessed using the naphthol method and by measuring myeloperoxidase activity. Hepatic oxidative/nitrosative stress was estimated by immunohistochemistry. Liver endothelial and inducible nitric oxide synthase (eNOS/iNOS) and nitric oxide (NO) amounts were assessed by immunoblotting and a chemiluminescence assay. Riboflavin significantly reduced serum and histological parameters of hepatocellular damage, neutrophil infiltration and oxidative/nitrosative stress. Furthermore, riboflavin infusion partially recovered hepatic GSH reserves and decreased the liver contents of eNOS/iNOS and NO. These data indicate that riboflavin exerts antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects in the ischaemic liver, protecting hepatocytes against I/R injury. The mechanism of these effects appears to be related to the intrinsic antioxidant potential of riboflavin/dihydroriboflavin and to reduced hepatic expression of eNOS/iNOS and reduced NO levels, culminating in attenuation of oxidative/nitrosative stress and the acute inflammatory response. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  7. Is there a standard for surgical therapy of hepatocellular carcinoma in healthy and cirrhotic liver? A comparison of eight guidelines.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Manzini, Giulia; Henne-Bruns, Doris; Porzsolt, Franz; Kremer, Michael

    2017-01-01

    Liver resection (LR) and transplantation are the most reliable treatments for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Aim was to compare different guidelines regarding indication for resection and transplantation because of HCC with and without underlying cirrhosis. We compared the following guidelines published after 1 January 2010: American (American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD)), Spanish (Sociedad Espanola de Oncologia Medica (SEOM)), European (European Association for the study of liver-European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EASL-EORTC) and European Society for Medical Oncology-European Society of Digestive Oncology (ESMO-ESDO)), Asian (Asian Pacific Association for the Study of Liver (APASL)), Japanese (Japan Society of Hepatology (JSH)), Italian (Associazione Italiana Oncologia Medica (AIOM)) and German (S3) guidelines. All guidelines recommend resection as therapy of choice in healthy liver. Guidelines based on the Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer staging system recommend resection for single HCCguidelines recommend LR for patients with Child-Pugh A/B with HCC without tumour size restriction; APASL guidelines in general exclude patients with Child-Pugh A from transplantation. In patients with Child-Pugh B, transplantation is the second-line therapy, if resection is not possible for patients within Milan criteria. German and Italian guidelines recommend transplantation for all patients within Milan criteria. Whereas resection is the standard therapy of HCC in healthy liver, a standard regarding the indication for LR and transplantation for HCC in cirrhotic liver does not exist, although nearly all guidelines claim to be evidence based. Surprisingly, despite European guidelines, Germany and Italy use their own national guidelines which partially differ from the European. Possible solutions of the problems are discussed.

  8. Guadecitabine and Durvalumab in Treating Patients With Advanced Liver, Pancreatic, Bile Duct, or Gallbladder Cancer

    Science.gov (United States)

    2018-04-27

    Extrahepatic Bile Duct Adenocarcinoma, Biliary Type; Gallbladder Adenocarcinoma, Biliary Type; Metastatic Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma; Recurrent Cholangiocarcinoma; Recurrent Gallbladder Carcinoma; Recurrent Hepatocellular Carcinoma; Recurrent Intrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma; Recurrent Pancreatic Carcinoma; Stage III Gallbladder Cancer AJCC V7; Stage III Hepatocellular Carcinoma AJCC v7; Stage III Intrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma AJCC v7; Stage III Pancreatic Cancer AJCC v6 and v7; Stage IIIA Gallbladder Cancer AJCC v7; Stage IIIA Hepatocellular Carcinoma AJCC v7; Stage IIIB Gallbladder Cancer AJCC v7; Stage IIIB Hepatocellular Carcinoma AJCC v7; Stage IIIC Hepatocellular Carcinoma AJCC v7; Stage IV Gallbladder Cancer AJCC v7; Stage IV Hepatocellular Carcinoma AJCC v7; Stage IV Pancreatic Cancer AJCC v6 and v7; Stage IVA Gallbladder Cancer AJCC v7; Stage IVA Hepatocellular Carcinoma AJCC v7; Stage IVA Intrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma AJCC v7; Stage IVB Gallbladder Cancer AJCC v7; Stage IVB Hepatocellular Carcinoma AJCC v7; Stage IVB Intrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma AJCC v7; Unresectable Gallbladder Carcinoma; Unresectable Pancreatic Carcinoma

  9. Diagnosis of Hepatocellular Carcinoma Complicating Liver Cirrhosis: Utility of Repeat Ultrasound-Guided Biopsy after Unsuccessful First Sampling

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Caturelli, Eugenio; Biasini, Elisabetta; Bartolucci, Francesca; Facciorusso, Domenico; Decembrino, Francesco; Attino, Vito; Bisceglia, Michele

    2002-01-01

    Purpose: To evaluate the utility of a second ultrasound-guided fine-needle biopsy of liver nodules thought to be hepatocellular carcinoma when the original biopsy has failed to provide a reliable diagnosis. Methods: Thirty-seven cirrhotic patients underwent ultrasound-guided fine-needle biopsy of liver nodules that were subsequently diagnosed as hepatocellular carcinoma. Each biopsy involved a single puncture with a 20 G cutting needle, which yielded pathologic material used both for cytologic and histologic studies. In 23 cases (mean diameter of nodules 48 mm) the biopsy furnished exclusively necrotic material (non-diagnostic subgroup); in the other 14 cases (mean diameter 26 mm) the biopsy yielded no neoplastic elements (false-negative subgroup). All 37 nodules were subjected to repeat biopsies performed in the same manner. Results: The repeat biopsies provided a diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma in six of the 23 patients from the non-diagnostic subgroup and in seven of the 14 in the false-negative subgroup. Overall, repeat biopsy produced a diagnostic gain of 35.1%. Conclusion: The chance of success with repeat biopsy of hepatocellular carcinoma is limited and may depend to some extent on the characteristics of the lesions (i.e., areas of necrosis in large nodules, well-differentiated cellular populations in small ones)

  10. Characteristic of expression levels of HepPar-1, alpha-fetoprotein, cytokeratin 7 and 20 by the cells of cholangiocellular cancer in trephine biopsy of the liver

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    V. A. Tumanskiy

    2014-10-01

    Full Text Available Aim. Expression level of immunohistochemical markers such as HepPar-1, AFP, CK7, CK20 and the area of immunopositive cells in cholangiocellular liver cancer, and their differences from hepatocellular carcinoma Methods and results. Histopathological, histochemical and immunohistochemical research of trephine was determined in the liver in 90 patients with biopsy. Among them 53 patients had hepatocellular, 36 – сholangiocellular liver cancer, 1 patient had mixed hepato-cholangiocellular carcinoma. Level of expression of immunohistochemical markers of tumor cells and the area of immunopositive tumor cells in the tumor was determined by photo-digital morphometry. It was established that expression of α-fetoprotein is determined in 47.22% of patients with cholangiocellular liver carcinoma in tumor cells, when AFP-immunopositive cells represent 17,25 ± 9,67% of the total area of tumor cells. Positive expression of HepPar-1 cells in cholangiocellular liver cancer wasn’t detected (unlike hepatocellular carcinoma, when cytoplasmic expression of HepPar-1 by tumor hepatocytes is determined in 92.45% of cases. Expression of СK7 by cholangiocellular carcinoma cells was observed in 97.22% of patients, and the expression of CK20 – in 45.29% patients, immunopositive cells represent 43,55 ± 9,93% and 50,28 ± 16,35% of the tumor area, respectively. Medium strength correlation was determined between the level of AFP and CK7 expression by tumor cells in cholangiocellular carcinoma. Direct strong bond was determined between level of AFP and CK20 expression. Negative weak correlation was determined between the level of CK7 and CK20.

  11. Targeted Regression of Hepatocellular Carcinoma by Cancer-Specific RNA Replacement through MicroRNA Regulation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Juhyun; Won, Ranhui; Ban, Guyee; Ju, Mi Ha; Cho, Kyung Sook; Young Han, Sang; Jeong, Jin-Sook; Lee, Seong-Wook

    2015-07-20

    Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has a high fatality rate and limited therapeutic options with side effects and low efficacy. Here, we proposed a new anti-HCC approach based on cancer-specific post-transcriptional targeting. To this end, trans-splicing ribozymes from Tetrahymena group I intron were developed, which can specifically induce therapeutic gene activity through HCC-specific replacement of telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) RNA. To circumvent side effects due to TERT expression in regenerating liver tissue, liver-specific microRNA-regulated ribozymes were constructed by incorporating complementary binding sites for the hepatocyte-selective microRNA-122a (miR-122a), which is down-regulated in HCC. The ribozyme activity in vivo was assessed in mouse models orthotopically implanted with HCC. Systemic administration of adenovirus encoding the developed ribozymes caused efficient anti-cancer effect and the least hepatotoxicity with regulation of ribozyme expression by miR-122a in both xenografted and syngeneic orthotopic murine model of multifocal HCC. Of note, the ribozyme induced local and systemic antitumor immunity, thereby completely suppressing secondary tumor challenge in the syngeneic mouse. The cancer specific trans-splicing ribozyme system, which mediates tissue-specific microRNA-regulated RNA replacement, provides a clinically relevant, safe, and efficient strategy for HCC treatment.

  12. Particle radiotherapy, a novel external radiation therapy, versus liver resection for hepatocellular carcinoma accompanied with inferior vena cava tumor thrombus: A matched-pair analysis.

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    Komatsu, Shohei; Kido, Masahiro; Asari, Sadaki; Toyama, Hirochika; Ajiki, Tetsuo; Demizu, Yusuke; Terashima, Kazuki; Okimoto, Tomoaki; Sasaki, Ryohei; Fukumoto, Takumi

    2017-12-01

    Hepatocellular carcinoma accompanied with inferior vena cava tumor thrombus carries a dismal prognosis, and the feasibility of local treatment has remained controversial. The present study aimed to compare the outcomes of particle radiotherapy and liver resection in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma with inferior vena cava tumor thrombus. Thirty-one and 19 patients, respectively, underwent particle radiotherapy and liver resection for hepatocellular carcinoma with inferior vena cava tumor thrombus. A matched-pair analysis was undertaken to compare the short- and long-term outcomes according to tumor stage determined using the tumor-node-metastasis classification. Both stages IIIB and IV (IVA and IVB) patients were well-matched for 12 factors, including treatment policy and patient and tumor characteristics. The median survival time of matched patients with stage IIIB tumors in the particle radiotherapy group was greater than that in the liver resection group (748 vs 272 days, P = .029), whereas no significant difference was observed in the median survival times of patients with stage IV tumors (239 vs 311 days, respectively). There were significantly fewer treatment-related complications of grade 3 or greater in the particle radiotherapy group (0%) than in the liver resection group (26%). Particle radiotherapy is potentially preferable in hepatocellular carcinoma patients with stage IIIB inferior vena cava tumor thrombus and at least equal in efficiency to liver resection in those with stage IV disease, while causing significantly fewer complications. Considering the relatively high survival and low invasiveness of particle radiotherapy when compared to liver resection, this approach may represent a novel treatment modality for hepatocellular carcinoma with inferior vena cava tumor thrombus. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  13. The influence of TLR4 agonist lipopolysaccharides on hepatocellular carcinoma cells and the feasibility of its application in treating liver cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gu, Junsheng; Sun, Ranran; Shen, Shen; Yu, Zujiang

    2015-01-01

    This study was designed to explore the influence of Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) agonist lipopolysaccharides (LPS) on liver cancer cell and the feasibility to perform liver cancer adjuvant therapy. Human liver cancer cell lines HepG2, H7402, and PLC/PRF/5 were taken as models, and the expression of TLRs mRNA was detected by real time-polymerase chain reaction method semiquantitatively. WST-1 method was used to detect the influence of LPS on the proliferation ability of liver cancer cells; propidium iodide (PI) single staining and Annexin V/PI double staining were used to test the influence of LPS on the cell cycle and apoptosis, respectively, on human liver cancer cell line H7402. Fluorescent quantitative polymerase chain reaction and Western blot method were used to determine the change of expression of Cyclin D1. The results demonstrated that most TLRs were expressed in liver cancer cells; stimulating TLR4 by LPS could upregulate TLR4 mRNA and the protein level, activate NF-κB signaling pathway downstream of TLR4, and mediate the generation of inflammatory factors IL-6, IL-8, and TNF-α; LPS was found to be able to strengthen the proliferation ability of liver cancer cells, especially H7402 cells; the expression of Cyclin D1 rose and H7402 cells were promoted to transit from G1 stage to S stage under the stimulation of LPS, but cell apoptosis was not affected. It was also found that LPS was able to activate signal transducer and activator of transcription -3 (STAT3) signaling pathway in H7402 cells and meanwhile significantly increase the initiation activity of STAT3; proliferation promoting effect of LPS to liver cancer cells remarkably lowered once STAT3 was blocked or inhibited. Thus, TLR4 agonist LPS is proved to be able to induce liver cancer cells to express inflammation factors and mediate liver cancer cell proliferation and generation of multidrug resistance by activating the cyclooxygenase-2/prostaglandin signal axis as well as the STAT3 pathway.

  14. Liver stem/progenitor cells in the canals of Hering: cellular origin of hepatocellular carcinoma with bile duct tumor thrombi?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Peng, Ningfu; Li, Lequn; Cai, Xiang; Tan, Shaozao; Wu, Ting

    2010-12-01

    It is generally believed that the invasion of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) into the biliary tree ultimately leads to the formation of bile duct tumor thrombi (BDTT). However, recent studies revealed that primary tumor might be small, even undetectable, and there was no histopathologic evidence of direct tumor invasion into bile duct wall in some patients. During the last decade, efforts on stem cell biology may shed light on the pathogenesis of BDTT. Presently, accumulating evidence supports the following notions: (1) the canals of Hering (CoH) are the most likely origin of liver stem/progenitor cells (LSPCs) in adult livers; (2) similar signalling pathways may regulate self-renewal in LSPCs and liver cancer cells, and a substantial proportion of liver tumors may often originate from the transformation of LSPCs; and (3) liver cancer contains rare cells with stem cell-like properties, which could derive from malignant transformation of LSPCs. Herein, we propose that HCC with BDTT, especially with small or undetectable primary lesion and/or no histopathologic evidence for bile duct invasion, might arise from LSPCs residing in the CoH and, possibly, some primary lesions are formed firstly within the intrahepatic biliary tree. When "tumor thrombi" extends mainly along bile duct, there might be "BDTT" alone; when it invades into surrounding parenchyma, there might often be small "primary tumor" with "BDTT". If this holds true, the putative type may be a particular subset of HCC, and most importantly it would facilitate our understanding of stem-cell origin of HCC.

  15. Prioritizing strategies for comprehensive liver cancer control in Asia: a conjoint analysis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bridges John FP

    2012-10-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Liver cancer is a complex and burdensome disease, with Asia accounting for 75% of known cases. Comprehensive cancer control requires the use of multiple strategies, but various stakeholders may have different views as to which strategies should have the highest priority. This study identified priorities across multiple strategies for comprehensive liver cancer control (CLCC from the perspective of liver cancer clinical, policy, and advocacy stakeholders in China, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan. Concordance of priorities was assessed across the region and across respondent roles. Methods Priorities for CLCC were examined as part of a cross-sectional survey of liver cancer experts. Respondents completed several conjoint-analysis choice tasks to prioritize 11 strategies. In each task, respondents judged which of two competing CLCC plans, consisting of mutually exclusive and exhaustive subsets of the strategies, would have the greatest impact. The dependent variable was the chosen plan, which was then regressed on the strategies of different plans. The restricted least squares (RLS method was utilized to compare aggregate and stratified models, and t-tests and Wald tests were used to test for significance and concordance, respectively. Results Eighty respondents (69.6% were eligible and completed the survey. Their primary interests were hepatitis (26%, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC (58%, metastatic liver cancer (10% and transplantation (6%. The most preferred strategies were monitoring at-risk populations (pclinician education (pnational guidelines (ptransplantation infrastructure (p=0.009 was valued lower in China, measuring social burden (p=0.037 was valued higher in Taiwan, and national guidelines (p=0.025 was valued higher in China. Priorities did not differ across stakeholder groups (p=0.438. Conclusions Priorities for CLCC in Asia include monitoring at-risk populations, clinician education, national guidelines

  16. Ultrasound manifestation of hepatocellular carcinoma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hwang, M. S.; Yoo, H. S.; Park, C. Y.; Choi, H. J.; Moon, Y. M.; Lee, S. I.

    1982-01-01

    With the advent of gray scale ultrasonographic equipment, the parenchymal disease of liver is more easily evaluated. Ultrasonography is a non-invasive technique, different from angiography, and performed without discomfort to patient. And also ultrasonography can be used in assessing the liver in cases showing equivocal scintigraphy and in differentiation of solid and cystic masses, first detected on scintigrams. Therefore, the complementary use of ultrasonography, Tc-99m-sulfur colloid scan and angiography provides better diagnostic accuracy for the detection of hepatocellular carcinoma, and moreover, sequential ultrasonographic studies in the same patient are valuable of following the course of hepatocellular carcinoma and monitoring the effectiveness of therapy for hepatocellular carcinoma. In thirty patients with histologically proven hepatocellular carcinoma, an analysis of ultrasound manifestation is made and the results are as follows; 1. Ultrasound manifestation of hepatocellular carcinoma by gray scale showed four different sonographic patterns including discrete echo free, discrete echogenic, ill defined echogenic and mixed patterns. 2. The size of hepatocellular carcinoma by ultrasonographic measurement was larger than 5 cm in diameter in 28 cases. 3. In 7 cases performed with angiography, all echogenicities of hepatocellualr carcinoma were correlated with the findings of vascularity of angiography. 4. In cases combined with liver cirrhosis, the sonographic pattern of hepatocellular carcinoma appeared to be discrete or ill defined echogenic patterns

  17. Ultrasound manifestation of hepatocellular carcinoma

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    Hwang, M S; Yoo, H S; Park, C Y; Choi, H J; Moon, Y M; Lee, S I [Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

    1982-06-15

    With the advent of gray scale ultrasonographic equipment, the parenchymal disease of liver is more easily evaluated. Ultrasonography is a non-invasive technique, different from angiography, and performed without discomfort to patient. And also ultrasonography can be used in assessing the liver in cases showing equivocal scintigraphy and in differentiation of solid and cystic masses, first detected on scintigrams. Therefore, the complementary use of ultrasonography, Tc-99m-sulfur colloid scan and angiography provides better diagnostic accuracy for the detection of hepatocellular carcinoma, and moreover, sequential ultrasonographic studies in the same patient are valuable of following the course of hepatocellular carcinoma and monitoring the effectiveness of therapy for hepatocellular carcinoma. In thirty patients with histologically proven hepatocellular carcinoma, an analysis of ultrasound manifestation is made and the results are as follows; 1. Ultrasound manifestation of hepatocellular carcinoma by gray scale showed four different sonographic patterns including discrete echo free, discrete echogenic, ill defined echogenic and mixed patterns. 2. The size of hepatocellular carcinoma by ultrasonographic measurement was larger than 5 cm in diameter in 28 cases. 3. In 7 cases performed with angiography, all echogenicities of hepatocellualr carcinoma were correlated with the findings of vascularity of angiography. 4. In cases combined with liver cirrhosis, the sonographic pattern of hepatocellular carcinoma appeared to be discrete or ill defined echogenic patterns.

  18. Evaluation of the prognostic value of Okuda, Cancer of the Liver Italian Program, and Japan Integrated Staging systems for hepatocellular carcinoma patients undergoing radiotherapy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Seong, Jinsil; Shim, Su Jung; Lee, Ik Jae; Han, Kwang Hyub; Chon, Chae Yoon; Ahn, Sang Hoon

    2007-01-01

    Purpose: The purpose of this study was to compare the validity of staging systems, as well as to identify the staging system with the best prognostic value, in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients treated with radiotherapy. Methods and Materials: From 1992 to 2003, a total of 305 patients undergoing radiotherapy for HCC were evaluated retrospectively. All patients were classified before radiation therapy by the following systems: tumor-node-metastasis (TNM), Okuda, Cancer of the Liver Italian Program (CLIP), and Japan Integrated Staging (JIS) score. Cumulative survival rates were obtained using the Kaplan-Meier method, and were statistically compared using the log-rank test. Results: Median survival time was 11 months. The 1-, 2-, 3-, 4-, and 5-year survival rates were 45.1%, 24.5%, 14.7%, 10.3%, and 6.4%, respectively. Significant differences in survival were observed between all TNM stages, between CLIP scores 2, 3 and 5, 6, as well as between JIS scores 1, 2, and 2, 3. Conclusions: Among the systems studied, the TNM staging approach appeared to be the best predictor of prognosis. Staging systems that reflect liver disease status (Okuda stage, CLIP, and JIS score) showed limitations in stratifying patients undergoing radiotherapy into different prognostic groups

  19. Editor’s Pick: Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease – Changing the Prevalence of Liver Cancer?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Benedetta Campana

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Due to its increasing prevalence, exceeding 25% of the Western population, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD merits recognition as one of the most frequent chronic liver diseases (CLD and requires consideration of the associated disease-related complications and their consequences for the surveillance and treatment of patients and the socio-economy worldwide. Along with the increasing incidence of NAFLD-related cirrhosis and end-stage liver disease, the frequency of NAFLD-related hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC is rising and expected to surpass HCC related to chronic hepatitis C in the upcoming future. These epidemiologic changes will impact on the overall mortality of CLD and the requirement of organs for transplantation. Although the risk of HCC in NAFLD, similar to other CLD, is related to fibrosis (advanced fibrosis increases the risk of HCC 25-fold, there are reports suggesting a considerable rate of HCC also developing in simple hepatic steatosis. Moreover, HCC is nowadays the leading cause of obesity-related cancer mortality; cancers of other origin such as colorectal cancer are more prevalent in patients with NAFLD and obesity. The pathophysiology of HCC has mainly been studied in models of viral hepatitis. Given the expected raise in NAFLD-related HCC, a better understanding of the pathophysiology of carcinogenesis in NAFLD and obesity is desired in order to better define chemopreventive strategies. Here we review the epidemiology, aetiology, and pathogenesis of HCC on the background of NAFLD and deduce potential consequences for the management of patients in respect to the NAFLD epidemic.

  20. The outcome of surgical resection versus assignment to the liver transplant waiting list for hepatocellular carcinoma.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pierie, Jean-Pierre E N; Muzikansky, Alona; Tanabe, Kenneth K; Ott, Mark J

    2005-07-01

    Optimal management of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is controversial. This study was conducted to evaluate the outcome of tumor resection versus assignment to a liver transplant waiting list (WL) in patients with HCC. Prospectively collected patient data from 1970 to 1997 on 313 patients with HCC were retrospectively analyzed by multivariate analysis to determine the effect of liver disease, method of treatment, and tumor-related factors on survival. A total of 199 patients underwent nonsurgical palliative care (PC), 81 underwent partial liver resection (LR), and 33 were assigned to a liver transplant WL, of which 22 received a donor liver. A total of 91%, 53%, and 91% of the patients had cirrhotic livers in the PC, LR, and WL groups, respectively (P < .001). In the LR group, the absence of a tumor capsule (P < .0001) and a poorly differentiated tumor (P = .027) were both adverse prognostic factors. In the WL group, hepatitis B (P = .02) and American Joint Committee on Cancer tumor stage III (P = .019) were adverse prognostic factors. The 3-year survival rates were 4%, 33%, and 38% for the PC, LR, and WL patients, respectively (P < .0001). The 3-year survival rate in the LR patients was 51% in patients without cirrhosis and 15% in patients with cirrhosis (P < .0001). Patients with locally unresectable tumors, distant disease, or both will continue to receive PC. Patients assigned to liver transplant WLs run the risk of not receiving a donor liver, in which case their survival is predicted to be poor. Survival after resection in a group of patients with advanced tumors is worse than that after transplantation; however, shortages of donor livers presently preclude transplantation in this population of patients.

  1. Multi-slice CT three dimensional volume measurement of tumors and livers in hepatocellular carcinoma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yu Yuanlong; Li Liangcai; Tang Binghang; Hu Zemin

    2004-01-01

    Objective: To examine the accuracy of multi-slice CT (MSCT) three dimensional (3D) volume measurement of tumors and livers in hepatocellular carcinoma cases by using immersion method as the standard. Methods: (1) The volume of 25 porkling livers was measured using immersion method in experiment group in vitro. Then the models were built according to Matsumoto's method and CT scanning and special software were used to measure the volume of the livers. (2) The volume of the tumors in 25 cases of hepatocellular carcinoma was measured using diameter measurement method and special volume measurement software (tissue measurements). Two tumors of them were measured respectively using MSCT 3D measurement, diameter measurement before the operation and immersion method after the operation. The data of the two groups were examined using pairing t test. Results: (1) The volume range of 25 porkling livers was 68.50-1150.10 ml using immersion method and 69.78-1069.97 ml using MSCT 3D measurement. There was no significant difference of the data in these two groups using t-test (t=1.427, P>0.05). (2) The volume range of 25 hepatocellular tumors was 395.16-2747.7 ml using diameter measurement and 203.10-1463.19 ml using MSCT 3D measurement before the operation. There was significant difference of the data in these two groups using t-test (t=7.689, P<0.001). In 2 ablated tumors, 1 case's volume was (21.75±0.60) ml using MSCT 3D measurement and 33.73 ml using diameter measurement before the operation and 21.50 ml using immersion measurement after the operation. The other case's volume was (696.13±5.30) ml using MSCT 3D measurement and 1323.51 ml using diameter measurement before the operation and 685.50 ml using immersion measurement after the operation. Conclusion: MSCT 3D volume measurement can accurately measure the volume of tumor and liver and has important clinical application value. There is no significant difference between MSCT 3D volume measurement and immersion method

  2. Preoperative Alpha-Fetoprotein Slope is Predictive of Hepatocellular Carcinoma Recurrence after Liver Transplantation

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    Kathy Han

    2007-01-01

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Liver transplantation (LT offers a possible cure for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC and cirrhosis. However, tumour progression while on the waiting list and tumour recurrence after LT are common. The prognostic significance of various pre- and postoperative variables were investigated in regard to tumour recurrence, with an emphasis on the slope of preoperative serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP levels.

  3. Resultados do transplante hepático em portadores de hepatocarcinoma Results of orthotopic liver transplantation for hepatocellular carcinoma

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    Mônica Beatriz PAROLIN

    2001-10-01

    hepatocarcinoma em fase inicial. Com seleção adequada, o transplante hepático oferece excelentes índices de sobrevida livre de recurrência tumoral.Background - Hepatocellular carcinoma is one of the most common malignancies worldwide. Liver transplantation has emerged as a good option for early-stage hepatocellular carcinoma yielding survival rates as good as for recipients without this type of tumor. Objective - To assess the outcome of cirrhotic patients with hepatocellular carcinoma undergoing liver transplantation at the Liver Transplantation Service of the "Hospital de Clínicas", Federal University of Paraná, Curitiba, PR, Brazil. Methods - Retrospective study of cirrhotic patients with hepatocellular carcinoma undergoing orthotopic liver transplantation at the mentioned Institution between September 1991 and September 2000. The diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma was established during the pretransplant workup in five patients and the tumor was an incidental finding in the native liver in three. The indication for liver transplantation was restricted to solitary tumor equal to or less than 5 cm or up to 3 nodules, with each nodule measuring less than 3 cm, and no evidence of vascular invasion or extrahepatic spread. Patient survival and evidence of tumoral recurrence posttransplant were evaluated. Results - The most common cause for pretransplantation liver disease was hepatitis C virus (50%. On examination of the explanted liver, the majority of patients (6/8, 75% had a single lesion; one patient had two nodules and one had a multifocal hepatocellular carcinoma found incidentally in the native liver. Tumor size ranged from 0,2 to 5,0 cm. All cases had neither vascular invasion nor linfonodal envolvement. All patients remained alive and free of tumor recurrence at the time of the study with a mean follow-up of 18,5 months (range, 5-29 months. Conclusion - Liver transplantation is a good therapeutic option for early stage hepatocellular carcinoma arising in

  4. Molecular signatures associated with HCV-induced hepatocellular carcinoma and liver metastasis.

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    Valeria De Giorgi

    Full Text Available Hepatocellular carcinomas (HCCs are a heterogeneous group of tumors that differ in risk factors and genetic alterations. In Italy, particularly Southern Italy, chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV infection represents the main cause of HCC. Using high-density oligoarrays, we identified consistent differences in gene-expression between HCC and normal liver tissue. Expression patterns in HCC were also readily distinguishable from those associated with liver metastases. To characterize molecular events relevant to hepatocarcinogenesis and identify biomarkers for early HCC detection, gene expression profiling of 71 liver biopsies from HCV-related primary HCC and corresponding HCV-positive non-HCC hepatic tissue, as well as gastrointestinal liver metastases paired with the apparently normal peri-tumoral liver tissue, were compared to 6 liver biopsies from healthy individuals. Characteristic gene signatures were identified when normal tissue was compared with HCV-related primary HCC, corresponding HCV-positive non-HCC as well as gastrointestinal liver metastases. Pathway analysis classified the cellular and biological functions of the genes differentially expressed as related to regulation of gene expression and post-translational modification in HCV-related primary HCC; cellular Growth and Proliferation, and Cell-To-Cell Signaling and Interaction in HCV-related non HCC samples; Cellular Growth and Proliferation and Cell Cycle in metastasis. Also characteristic gene signatures were identified of HCV-HCC progression for early HCC diagnosis.A diagnostic molecular signature complementing conventional pathologic assessment was identified.

  5. Development of models to predict early post-transplant recurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma that also integrate the quality and characteristics of the liver graft: A national registry study in China.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ling, Qi; Liu, Jimin; Zhuo, Jianyong; Zhuang, Runzhou; Huang, Haitao; He, Xiangxiang; Xu, Xiao; Zheng, Shusen

    2018-04-27

    Donor characteristics and graft quality were recently reported to play an important role in the recurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma after liver transplantation. Our aim was to establish a prognostic model by using both donor and recipient variables. Data of 1,010 adult patients (training/validation: 2/1) undergoing primary liver transplantation for hepatocellular carcinoma were extracted from the China Liver Transplant Registry database and analyzed retrospectively. A multivariate competing risk regression model was developed and used to generate a nomogram predicting the likelihood of post-transplant hepatocellular carcinoma recurrence. Of 673 patients in the training cohort, 70 (10.4%) had hepatocellular carcinoma recurrence with a median recurrence time of 6 months (interquartile range: 4-25 months). Cold ischemia time was the only independent donor prognostic factor for predicting hepatocellular carcinoma recurrence (hazard ratio = 2.234, P = .007). The optimal cutoff value was 12 hours when patients were grouped according to cold ischemia time at 2-hour intervals. Integrating cold ischemia time into the Milan criteria (liver transplantation candidate selection criteria) improved the accuracy for predicting hepatocellular carcinoma recurrence in both training and validation sets (P hepatocellular carcinoma recurrence after liver transplantation. Additionally, donor anti-hepatitis B core antibody positivity, prolonged cold ischemia time, and anhepatic time were linked to the intrahepatic recurrence, whereas older donor age, prolonged donor warm ischemia time, cold ischemia time, and ABO incompatibility were relevant to the extrahepatic recurrence. The graft quality integrated models exhibited considerable predictive accuracy in early hepatocellular carcinoma recurrence risk assessment. The identification of donor risks can further help understand the mechanism of different patterns of recurrence. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  6. MicroRNAs as Biomarkers for Liver Disease and Hepatocellular Carcinoma

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    C. Nelson Hayes

    2016-02-01

    Full Text Available Serum levels of liver enzymes, such as alanine transaminase, aspartate transaminase, and α-fetoprotein, provide insight into liver function and are used during treatment of liver disease, but such information is limited. In the case of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC, which is often not detected until an advanced stage, more sensitive biomarkers may help to achieve earlier detection. Serum also contains microRNAs, a class of small non-coding RNAs that play an important role in regulating gene expression. miR-122 is specific to the liver and correlates strongly with liver enzyme levels and necroinflammatory activity, and other microRNAs are correlated with the degree of fibrosis. miR-122 has also been found to be required for hepatitis C virus (HCV infection, whereas other microRNAs have been shown to play antiviral roles. miR-125a-5p and miR-1231 have been shown to directly target hepatitis B virus (HBV transcripts, and others are up- or down-regulated in infected individuals. MicroRNA profiles also differ in the case of HBV and HCV infection as well as between HBeAg-positive and negative patients, and in patients with occult versus active HBV infection. In such patients, monitoring of changes in microRNA profiles might provide earlier warning of neoplastic changes preceding HCC.

  7. Chemotherapeutic potential of curcumin-bearing microcells against hepatocellular carcinoma in model animals

    Science.gov (United States)

    Farazuddin, Mohammad; Dua, Bhavyata; Zia, Qamar; Khan, Aijaz Ahmad; Joshi, Beenu; Owais, Mohammad

    2014-01-01

    Curcumin (diferuloylmethane) is found in large quantities in the roots of Curcuma longa. It possesses strong antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, and inhibits chemically-induced carcinogenesis in the skin, forestomach, colon, and liver. Unfortunately, the poor bioavailability and hydrophobicity of curcumin pose a major hurdle to its use as a potent anticancer agent. To circumvent some of these problems, we developed a novel, dual-core microcell formulation of curcumin. The encapsulation of curcumin in microcells increases its solubility and bioavailability, and facilitates slow release kinetics over extended periods. Besides being safe, these formulations do not bear any toxicity constraints, as revealed by in vitro and in vivo studies. Histopathological analysis revealed that curcumin-bearing microcells helped in regression of hepatocellular carcinoma and the maintenance of cellular architecture in liver tissue. Free curcumin had a very mild effect on cancer suppression. Empty (sham) microcells and microparticles failed to inhibit cancer cells. The novel curcumin formulation was found to suppress hepatocellular carcinoma efficiently in Swiss albino mice. PMID:24627632

  8. Clinical evaluation of synthetic aperture sequential beamforming ultrasound in patients with liver tumors

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hansen, Peter Møller; Hemmsen, Martin Christian; Brandt, Andreas Hjelm

    2014-01-01

    Medical ultrasound imaging using synthetic aperture sequential beamforming (SASB) has for the first time been used for clinical patient scanning. Nineteen patients with cancer of the liver (hepatocellular carcinoma or colorectal liver metastases) were scanned simultaneously with conventional...

  9. MAY GLYPICAN-3 BE A NOVEL BIOMARKER AND POTENTIAL THERAPEUTIC TARGET IN HEPATOCELLULAR CANCER?

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    Irina I. Ivanova

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available The burden of advanced chronic liver disease is increasing worldwide, despite the recent advances in the management of chronic hepatitis viral infections. The abdominal ultrasound is the only approved method for surveillance of patients with cirrhosis, a premalignant condition for hepatocellular cancer (HCC. Although alpha fetoprotein has been known as a tumour marker for HCC, it is not commonly used for screening due to suboptimal sensitivity and specificity. There is a need to introduce a novel biomarker for definition of HCC in early stage and for prognostic and therapeutic response assessment. A review of the current evidences, encouraging the use of glypican-3 in management of patients with cirrhosis and HCC is presented.

  10. The influence of TLR4 agonist lipopolysaccharides on hepatocellular carcinoma cells and the feasibility of its application in treating liver cancer

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    Gu J

    2015-08-01

    Full Text Available Junsheng Gu, Ranran Sun, Shen Shen, Zujiang Yu Department of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, People’s Republic of China Objective: This study was designed to explore the influence of Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4 agonist lipopolysaccharides (LPS on liver cancer cell and the feasibility to perform liver cancer adjuvant therapy. Methods: Human liver cancer cell lines HepG2, H7402, and PLC/PRF/5 were taken as models, and the expression of TLRs mRNA was detected by real time-polymerase chain reaction method semiquantitatively. WST-1 method was used to detect the influence of LPS on the proliferation ability of liver cancer cells; propidium iodide (PI single staining and Annexin V/PI double staining were used to test the influence of LPS on the cell cycle and apoptosis, respectively, on human liver cancer cell line H7402. Fluorescent quantitative polymerase chain reaction and Western blot method were used to determine the change of expression of Cyclin D1. Results: The results demonstrated that most TLRs were expressed in liver cancer cells; stimulating TLR4 by LPS could upregulate TLR4 mRNA and the protein level, activate NF-κB signaling pathway downstream of TLR4, and mediate the generation of inflammatory factors IL-6, IL-8, and TNF-α; LPS was found to be able to strengthen the proliferation ability of liver cancer cells, especially H7402 cells; the expression of Cyclin D1 rose and H7402 cells were promoted to transit from G1 stage to S stage under the stimulation of LPS, but cell apoptosis was not affected. It was also found that LPS was able to activate signal transducer and activator of transcription -3 (STAT3 signaling pathway in H7402 cells and meanwhile significantly increase the initiation activity of STAT3; proliferation promoting effect of LPS to liver cancer cells remarkably lowered once STAT3 was blocked or inhibited. Conclusion: Thus, TLR4 agonist LPS is proved to be able to

  11. Zhx2 and Zbtb20: Novel regulators of postnatal alpha-fetoprotein repression and their potential role in gene reactivation during liver cancer

    Science.gov (United States)

    Peterson, Martha L.; Ma, Chunhong; Spear, Brett T.

    2012-01-01

    The mouse alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) gene is abundantly expressed in the fetal liver, normally silent in the adult liver but is frequently reactivated in hepatocellular carcinoma. The basis for AFP expression in the fetal liver has been studied extensively. However, the basis for AFP reactivation during hepatocarcinogenesis is not well understood. Two novel factors that control postnatal AFP repression, Zhx2 and Zbtb20, were recently identified. Here, we review the transcription factors that regulate AFP in the fetal liver, as well as Zhx2 and Zbtb20, and raise the possibility that the loss of these postnatal repressors may be involved in AFP reactivation in liver cancer. PMID:21216289

  12. Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and type 2 diabetes mellitus: the liver disease of our age?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Firneisz, Gábor

    2014-07-21

    Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a chronic liver disease that might affect up to one-third of the adult population in industrialised countries. NAFLD incorporates histologically and clinically different non-alcoholic entities; fatty liver (NAFL, steatosis hepatis) and steatohepatitis (NASH-characterised by hepatocyte ballooning and lobular inflammation ± fibrosis) might progress to cirrhosis and rarely to hepatocellular cancer. NAFL increasingly affects children (paediatric prevalence is 4.2%-9.6%). Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), insulin resistance (IR), obesity, metabolic syndrome and NAFLD are particularly closely related. Increased hepatic lipid storage is an early abnormality in insulin resistant women with a history of gestational diabetes mellitus. The accumulation of triacylglycerols in hepatocytes is predominantly derived from the plasma nonesterified fatty acid pool supplied largely by the adipose tissue. A few NAFLD susceptibility gene variants are associated with progressive liver disease, IR, T2DM and a higher risk for hepatocellular carcinoma. Although not approved, pharmacological approaches might be considered in NASH patients.

  13. Hepatocellular carcinoma: a review

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    Balogh J

    2016-10-01

    Full Text Available Julius Balogh,1,2 David Victor III,1,3,4 Emad H Asham,1,2 Sherilyn Gordon Burroughs,1,2 Maha Boktour,1,2 Ashish Saharia,1,2 Xian Li,1,2 R Mark Ghobrial,1,2 Howard P Monsour Jr,1,3,4 1Sherrie and Alan Conover Center for Liver Disease and Transplantation, 2Division of Transplantation, Department of Surgery, 3Department of Gastroenterology and Transplant Hepatology, 4Department of Medicine, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, TX, USA Abstract: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC is the most common primary liver malignancy and is a leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. In the United States, HCC is the ninth leading cause of cancer deaths. Despite advances in prevention techniques, screening, and new technologies in both diagnosis and treatment, incidence and mortality continue to rise. Cirrhosis remains the most important risk factor for the development of HCC regardless of etiology. Hepatitis B and C are independent risk factors for the development of cirrhosis. Alcohol consumption remains an important additional risk factor in the United States as alcohol abuse is five times higher than hepatitis C. Diagnosis is confirmed without pathologic confirmation. Screening includes both radiologic tests, such as ultrasound, computerized tomography, and magnetic resonance imaging, and serological markers such as α-fetoprotein at 6-month intervals. Multiple treatment modalities exist; however, only orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT or surgical resection is curative. OLT is available for patients who meet or are downstaged into the Milan or University of San Francisco criteria. Additional treatment modalities include transarterial chemoembolization, radiofrequency ablation, microwave ablation, percutaneous ethanol injection, cryoablation, radiation therapy, systemic chemotherapy, and molecularly targeted therapies. Selection of a treatment modality is based on tumor size, location, extrahepatic spread, and underlying liver function. HCC is an

  14. Understanding the tumor suppressor PTEN in chronic alcoholism and hepatocellular carcinoma.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shearn, Colin T; Petersen, Dennis R

    2015-01-01

    The tumor suppressor phosphatase and tensin homolog deleted on chromosome 10 (PTEN) is a phosphatidylinositol (PtdIns) phosphatase that regulates Akt activation via PtdIns 3 kinase. Changes in PTEN expression and/or activity have been identified in a variety of chronic hepatocellular disorders including obesity, NAFLD, NASH, and alcoholism. In cancer biology, PTEN is frequently mutated or deleted in a wide variety of tumors. Mutations, decreased promoter activity, and decreased expression in PTEN are frequently identified in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma. While the majority of research on PTEN concerns obesity and NASH, PTEN clearly has a role in hepatic insulin sensitivity and in the development of steatosis during chronic alcoholism. Yet, in chronic alcoholics and HCC, very little is known concerning PTEN mutation/deletion or low PTEN expression. This review is focused on an overview of the current knowledge on molecular mechanisms of dysregulation of PTEN expression/activity in the liver and their relationship to development of ethanol-induced hepatocellular damage and cancer.

  15. Serum Metabolomics to Identify the Liver Disease-Specific Biomarkers for the Progression of Hepatitis to Hepatocellular Carcinoma

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gao, Rong; Cheng, Jianhua; Fan, Chunlei; Shi, Xiaofeng; Cao, Yuan; Sun, Bo; Ding, Huiguo; Hu, Chengjin; Dong, Fangting; Yan, Xianzhong

    2015-12-01

    Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a common malignancy that has region specific etiologies. Unfortunately, 85% of cases of HCC are diagnosed at an advanced stage. Reliable biomarkers for the early diagnosis of HCC are urgently required to reduced mortality and therapeutic expenditure. We established a non-targeted gas chromatography-time of flight-mass spectrometry (GC-TOFMS) metabolomics method in conjunction with Random Forests (RF) analysis based on 201 serum samples from healthy controls (NC), hepatitis B virus (HBV), liver cirrhosis (LC) and HCC patients to explore the metabolic characteristics in the progression of hepatocellular carcinogenesis. Ultimately, 15 metabolites were identified intimately associated with the process. Phenylalanine, malic acid and 5-methoxytryptamine for HBV vs. NC, palmitic acid for LC vs. HBV, and asparagine and β-glutamate for HCC vs. LC were screened as the liver disease-specific potential biomarkers with an excellent discriminant performance. All the metabolic perturbations in these liver diseases are associated with pathways for energy metabolism, macromolecular synthesis, and maintaining the redox balance to protect tumor cells from oxidative stress.

  16. Liver transplantation for hepatocellular carcinoma: the Hong Kong experience.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ng, Kelvin K; Lo, Chung Mau; Chan, See Ching; Chok, Kenneth S; Cheung, Tan-To; Fan, Sheung Tat

    2010-09-01

    Orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) is the best treatment option for selected patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with the background of cirrhosis since this treatment modality can cure both diseases at once. Over the years, the applicability of OLT for HCC has evolved. In Asia, including Hong Kong, a shortage of deceased donor liver grafts is a universal problem having to be faced in all transplant centers. Living-donor liver transplant (LDLT) has therefore been developed to counteract organ shortage and the high prevalence of HCC. The application of LDLT for HCC is a complex process involving donor voluntarism, selection criteria for the recipient and justification with respect to long-term survival in comparison to the result of deceased donor liver transplant. This article reviews the authors' experience with OLT for HCC patients in Hong Kong, with emphasis on the applicability and outcome of LDLT for HCC. Donor voluntarism has a significant impact on the application of LDLT. "Fast-track" LDLT in the setting of recurrence following curative treatment carries a high risk of recurrence even though the tumor stage fulfills the standard criteria. Although the survival outcome may be worse following LDLT than DDLT for HCC, LDLT is still the main treatment option for patients with transplantable HCC in Hong Kong, and a reasonable survival outcome can be achieved in selected patients with extended indications. It is particularly true that LDLT provides the only hope for patients with advanced HCC under the constricting problem of organ shortage.

  17. Full Length Article Role of glypican-3 immunocytochemistry in differentiating hepatocellular carcinoma from metastatic carcinoma of the liver utilizing fine needle aspiration cytology

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zaakook, M.; Abu Sinna, E.; Ayoub, M.; El-Sheikh, S.

    2013-01-01

    Purpose: Evaluation of the sensitivity and specificity of glypican3 (GPC3) in differentiating hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) from metastatic carcinomas of the liver in cell block material. Patients and methods: Sixty cell blocks were prepared from liver FNAs performed in the radiodiagnosis department, National Cancer Institute, in the period between August 2011 and May 2012. Cases diagnosed as hepatocellular carcinoma, or metastatic carcinoma were included in the study. Cell block sections were stained with anti GPC-3. Sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values, of GPC3 were calculated. The final diagnosis was based on the triple approach of clinical data, radiological findings, as well as cytomorphologic features aided by GPC-3 results. Results: 70% of cases were diagnosed as HCC, and 30% as metastatic carcinomas. 95.2% of HCC cases expressed GPC3. Poorly differentiated cases showed the highest GPC3 sensitivity (100%), followed by moderately differentiated cases (96.5%), while well differentiated cases expressed GPC3 in 90% of cases. 83.3% of metastatic carcinomas were negative for GPC3. In this study, sensitivity of GPC-3 in HCC was 95.2%, specificity was 83.3%, positive and negative predictive values were 93% and 88.2% respectively, and total accuracy was 91.7%. Conclusion: Immunocytochemical staining for GPC3 in cell block material is a highly sensitive and specific method capable of distinguishing HCC from the vast majority of metastatic carcinomas of the liver

  18. Co-ordinate activation of lipogenic enzymes in hepatocellular carcinoma.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yahagi, Naoya; Shimano, Hitoshi; Hasegawa, Kiyoshi; Ohashi, Kenichi; Matsuzaka, Takashi; Najima, Yuho; Sekiya, Motohiro; Tomita, Sachiko; Okazaki, Hiroaki; Tamura, Yoshiaki; Iizuka, Yoko; Ohashi, Ken; Nagai, Ryozo; Ishibashi, Shun; Kadowaki, Takashi; Makuuchi, Masatoshi; Ohnishi, Shin; Osuga, Jun-ichi; Yamada, Nobuhiro

    2005-06-01

    Hepatocellular carcinoma is a very common neoplastic disease in countries where hepatitis viruses B and/or C are prevalent. Small hepatocellular carcinoma lesions detected by ultrasonography at an early stage are often hyperechoic because they are composed of well-differentiated cancer cells that are rich in triglyceride droplets. The triglyceride content of hepatocytes depends in part on the rate of lipogenesis. Key lipogenic enzymes, such as fatty acid synthase, are co-ordinately regulated at the transcriptional level. We therefore examined the mRNA expression of lipogenic enzymes in human hepatocellular carcinoma samples from 10 patients who had undergone surgical resection. All of the samples exhibited marked elevation of expression of mRNA for lipogenic enzymes, such as fatty acid synthase, acetyl-CoA carboxylase and ATP citrate lyase, compared with surrounding non-cancerous liver tissue. In contrast, the changes in mRNA expression of SREBP-1, a transcription factor that regulates a battery of lipogenic enzymes, did not show a consistent trend. In some cases where SREBP-1 was elevated, the main contributing isoform was SREBP-1c rather than SREBP-1a. Thus, lipogenic enzymes are markedly induced in hepatocellular carcinomas, and in some cases SREBP-1c is involved in this activation.

  19. Histopathology of hepatocellular carcinoma.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schlageter, Manuel; Terracciano, Luigi Maria; D'Angelo, Salvatore; Sorrentino, Paolo

    2014-11-21

    Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is currently the sixth most common type of cancer with a high mortality rate and an increasing incidence worldwide. Its etiology is usually linked to environmental, dietary or life-style factors. HCC most commonly arises in a cirrhotic liver but interestingly an increasing proportion of HCCs develop in the non-fibrotic or minimal fibrotic liver and a shift in the underlying etiology can be observed. Although this process is yet to be completely understood, this changing scenario also has impact on the material seen by pathologists, presenting them with new diagnostic dilemmas. Histopathologic criteria for diagnosing classical, progressed HCC are well established and known, but with an increase in detection of small and early HCCs due to routine screening programs, the diagnosis of these small lesions in core needle biopsies poses a difficult challenge. These lesions can be far more difficult to distinguish from one another than progressed HCC, which is usually a clear cut hematoxylin and eosin diagnosis. Furthermore lesions thought to derive from progenitor cells have recently been reclassified in the WHO. This review summarizes recent developments and tries to put new HCC biomarkers in context with the WHOs reclassification. Furthermore it also addresses the group of tumors known as combined hepatocellular-cholangiocellular carcinomas.

  20. Prioritizing strategies for comprehensive liver cancer control in Asia: a conjoint analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bridges, John F P; Dong, Liming; Gallego, Gisselle; Blauvelt, Barri M; Joy, Susan M; Pawlik, Timothy M

    2012-10-30

    Liver cancer is a complex and burdensome disease, with Asia accounting for 75% of known cases. Comprehensive cancer control requires the use of multiple strategies, but various stakeholders may have different views as to which strategies should have the highest priority. This study identified priorities across multiple strategies for comprehensive liver cancer control (CLCC) from the perspective of liver cancer clinical, policy, and advocacy stakeholders in China, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan. Concordance of priorities was assessed across the region and across respondent roles. Priorities for CLCC were examined as part of a cross-sectional survey of liver cancer experts. Respondents completed several conjoint-analysis choice tasks to prioritize 11 strategies. In each task, respondents judged which of two competing CLCC plans, consisting of mutually exclusive and exhaustive subsets of the strategies, would have the greatest impact. The dependent variable was the chosen plan, which was then regressed on the strategies of different plans. The restricted least squares (RLS) method was utilized to compare aggregate and stratified models, and t-tests and Wald tests were used to test for significance and concordance, respectively. Eighty respondents (69.6%) were eligible and completed the survey. Their primary interests were hepatitis (26%), hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) (58%), metastatic liver cancer (10%) and transplantation (6%). The most preferred strategies were monitoring at-risk populations (p<0.001), clinician education (p<0.001), and national guidelines (p<0.001). Most priorities were concordant across sites except for three strategies: transplantation infrastructure (p=0.009) was valued lower in China, measuring social burden (p=0.037) was valued higher in Taiwan, and national guidelines (p=0.025) was valued higher in China. Priorities did not differ across stakeholder groups (p=0.438). Priorities for CLCC in Asia include monitoring at-risk populations

  1. General Information about Liver (Hepatocellular) Cancer

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... factors for some types of cancer, but only smoking can be avoided. Regular exercise and a healthy diet may be protective factors ... may help prevent certain cancers. Risk factors include smoking, being ... enough exercise. Increasing protective factors such as quitting smoking and ...

  2. A comparative study of sorafenib and metronomic chemotherapy for Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer-stage C hepatocellular carcinoma with poor liver function

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hyun Yang

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available Background/Aims Metronomic chemotherapy (MET is frequently administered in comparatively low doses as a continuous chemotherapeutic agent. The aim of this study was to evaluate the feasibility and overall survival (OS of MET compared to sorafenib for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC patients with portal vein tumor thrombosis (PVTT. Methods A total of 54 patients with advanced HCC and PVTT who had undergone MET were analyzed between 2005 and 2013. A total of 53 patients who had undergone sorafenib therapy were analyzed as the control group. The primary endpoint of this study was OS. Results The median number of MET cycles was two (1-15. The OS values for the MET group and sorafenib group were 158 days (132-184 and 117 days (92-142, respectively (P=0.029. The Cox proportional-hazard model showed that a higher risk of death was correlated with higher serum alpha fetoprotein level (≥400 mg/dL, hazard ratio [HR]=1.680, P=0.014 and Child-Pugh class B (HR=1.856, P=0.008. Conclusions MET was associated with more favorable outcomes in terms of overall survival than was sorafenib in patients with advanced HCC with PVTT, especially in patients with poor liver function. Therefore, MET can be considered as a treatment option in patients with advanced HCC with PVTT and poor liver function.

  3. Fatal Acute Liver Failure as a Consequence of Regorafenib Treatment in a Metastatic Colon Cancer

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dominique Béchade

    2017-08-01

    Full Text Available Regorafenib is a multikinase inhibitor which showed benefits in pretreated metastatic colorectal cancer patients. Hepatotoxicity has been described as a frequent side effect. We report the case of a 65-year-old patient presenting with jaundice, fever, and hepatocellular insufficiency which led to death of the patient. She had previously been treated with several lines of chemotherapy for sub- and diaphragmatic ganglionic metastases of a colon adenocarcinoma. There were no liver metastases. The fatal liver failure occurred at the beginning of treatment with regorafenib at a dosage of 3 tablets per day. No concomitant treatment was given, and other causes of liver damage were eliminated. The liver biopsy showed hepatocyte necrosis with lymphocyte infiltration. This observation illustrates the risk of severe hepatic involvement typically occurring within the first 2 months of treatment. Monitoring liver biology every 2 weeks is essential during the first 2 months to detect any hepatotoxicity.

  4. Anti-tumor effects of brucine immuno-nanoparticles on hepatocellular carcinoma

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Qin JM

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Jian-Min Qin1, Pei-Hao Yin1, Qi Li1, Zhong-Qiu Sa1, Xia Sheng1, Lin Yang1, Tao Huang1, Min Zhang1, Ke-Pan Gao2, Qing-Hua Chen2, Jing-Wei Ma3, He-Bai Shen31Department of General Surgery, Putuo Hospital, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 2National Pharmaceutical Engineering Research Center; Shanghai Institute of Pharmaceutical Industry, 3Department of Physical Chemistry, Shanghai Normal University, Shanghai, People's Republic of ChinaBackground: Hepatocellular carcinoma is difficult to diagnose early, and most patients are already in the late stages of the disease when they are admitted to hospital. The total 5-year survival rate is less than 5%. Recent studies have showed that brucine has a good anti-tumor effect, but high toxicity, poor water solubility, short half-life, narrow therapeutic window, and a toxic dose that is close to the therapeutic dose, which all limit its clinical application. This study evaluated the effects of brucine immuno-nanoparticles (BIN on hepatocellular carcinoma.Materials and methods: Anionic polymerization, chemical modification technology, and phacoemulsification technology were used to prepare a carboxylated polyethylene glycol-polylactic acid copolymer carrier material. Chemical coupling technology was utilized to develop anti-human AFP McAb-polyethylene glycol-polylactic acid copolymer BIN. The size, shape, zeta potential, drug loading, encapsulation efficiency, and release of these immune-nanoparticles were studied in vitro. The targeting, and growth, invasion, and metastasis inhibitory effects of this treatment on liver cancer SMMC-7721 cells were tested.Results: BIN were of uniform size with an average particle size of 249 ± 77 nm and zeta potential of -18.7 ± 4.19 mV. The encapsulation efficiency was 76.0% ± 2.3% and the drug load was 5.6% ± 0.2%. Complete uptake and even distribution around the liver cancer cell membrane were observed.Conclusion: BIN had even size distribution, was

  5. EANM procedure guideline for the treatment of liver cancer and liver metastases with intra-arterial radioactive compounds.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Giammarile, Francesco; Bodei, Lisa; Chiesa, Carlo; Flux, Glenn; Forrer, Flavio; Kraeber-Bodere, Françoise; Brans, Boudewijn; Lambert, Bieke; Konijnenberg, Mark; Borson-Chazot, Françoise; Tennvall, Jan; Luster, Markus

    2011-07-01

    Primary liver cancers (i.e. hepatocellular carcinoma or cholangiocarcinoma) are worldwide some of the most frequent cancers, with rapidly fatal liver failure in a large majority of patients. Curative therapy consists of surgery (i.e. resection or liver transplantation), but only 10-20% of patients are candidates for this. In other patients, a variety of palliative treatments can be given, such as chemoembolization, radiofrequency ablation or recently introduced tyrosine kinase inhibitors, e.g. sorafenib. Colorectal cancer is the second most lethal cancer in Europe and liver metastases are prevalent either at diagnosis or in follow-up. These patients are usually treated by a sequence of surgery, chemotherapy and antibody therapy [Okuda et al. (Cancer 56:918-928, 1985); Schafer and Sorrell (Lancet 353:1253-1257, 1999); Leong et al. (Arnold, London, 1999)]. Radioembolization is an innovative therapeutic approach defined as the injection of micron-sized embolic particles loaded with a radioisotope by use of percutaneous intra-arterial techniques. Advantages of the use of these intra-arterial radioactive compounds are the ability to deliver high doses of radiation to small target volumes, the relatively low toxicity profile, the possibility to treat the whole liver including microscopic disease and the feasibility of combination with other therapy modalities. Disadvantages are mainly due to radioprotection constraints mainly for (131)I-labelled agents, logistics and the possibility of inadvertent delivery or shunting [Novell et al. (Br J Surg 78:901-906, 1991)]. The Therapy, Oncology and Dosimetry Committees have worked together in order to revise the European Association of Nuclear Medicine (EANM) guidelines on the use of the radiopharmaceutical (131)I-Lipiodol (Lipiocis®, IBA, Brussels, Belgium) and include the newer medical devices with (90)Y-microspheres. (90)Y is either bound to resin (SIR-Spheres®, Sirtex Medical, Lane Cove, Australia) or embedded in a glass

  6. Stages of Adult Primary Liver Cancer

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... Treatment Liver Cancer Prevention Liver Cancer Screening Research Adult Primary Liver Cancer Treatment (PDQ®)–Patient Version Treatment ... are different types of treatment for patients with adult primary liver cancer. Different types of treatments are ...

  7. Computed tomography after administration of SMANCS-Lipiodol to liver cancers

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Maki, Shojiro; Konno, Toshimitsu; Iwai, Ken; Uchida, Mitsukuni; Tashiro, Seiki; Miyauchi, Yoshimasa; Maeda, Hiroshi [Kumamoto Univ. (Japan). School of Medicine

    1984-08-01

    Sixty-eight cases of liver cancer, 48 cases of hepatocellular carcinoma and 20 cases of metastatic liver cancer, were treated by injection of SMANCS-Lipiodol (S-L) via tumor feeding arteries. Abdominal CT was carried out on the 3 rd day, 1 week, 2 and 4 weeks after the administration. These CT images were compared with those before the administration. Both primary and metastatic liver cancers were visualized as high density area due to the selective stay of S-L. Thus, the method became useful as a diagnostic tool; several tumors were newly visualized after the administration. S-L stayed in primary tumors and metastatic tumors. There were three types of the remaining of S-L in metastatic tumors for a long period: Type A, in which S-L remained in entire tumors; Types B, in which it remained primarily in circumference of tumor and Mixed type of A and B. The anticancer effect of S-L paralleled with the extent of the remaining of S-L in tumors, which was classified from Grade 0 to Grade IV. Grade IV means that S-L was recognized in the entire areas of tumors in the every slice of CT, and in the Grade IV tumors size reduced effectively after several months period. The dosage which was necessary to attain Grade IV was 0.08 ml per square centimeters calculated by the largest slice of every tumor. From Grade 0 to III, they need additional administration of S-L until to attain Grade IV in the tumor for the effective tumor regression.

  8. Computed tomography after administration of SMANCS-Lipiodol to liver cancers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Maki, Shojiro; Konno, Toshimitsu; Iwai, Ken; Uchida, Mitsukuni; Tashiro, Seiki; Miyauchi, Yoshimasa; Maeda, Hiroshi

    1984-01-01

    Sixty-eight cases of liver cancer, 48 cases of hepatocellular carcinoma and 20 cases of metastatic liver cancer, were treated by injection of SMANCS-Lipiodol (S-L) via tumor feeding arteries. Abdominal CT was carried out on the 3 rd day, 1 week, 2 and 4 weeks after the administration. These CT images were compared with those before the administration. Both primary and metastatic liver cancers were visualized as high density area due to the selective stay of S-L. Thus, the method became useful as a diagnostic tool; several tumors were newly visalized after the administration. S-L stayed in primary tumors and metastatic tumors. There were three types of the remaining of S-L in metastatic tumors for a long period: Type A, in which S-L remained in entire tumors; Types B, in which it remained primarily in circumference of tumor and Mixed type of A and B. The anticancer effect of S-L paralleled with the extent of the remaining of S-L in tumors, which was classified from Grade 0 to Grade IV. Grade IV means that S-L was recognized in the entire areas of tumors in the every slice of CT, and in the Grade IV tumors size reduced effectively after several months period. The dosage which was necessary to attain Grade IV was 0.08 ml per square centimeters calculated by the largest slice of every tumor. From Grade 0 to III, they need additional administration of S-L until to attain Grade IV in the tumor for the effective tumor regression. (author)

  9. CRISPR/Cas9 Engineering of Adult Mouse Liver Demonstrates That the Dnajb1–Prkaca Gene Fusion Is Sufficient to Induce Tumors Resembling Fibrolamellar Hepatocellular Carcinoma

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Engelholm, Lars H.; Riaz, Anjum; Serra, Denise

    2017-01-01

    Background & Aims Fibrolamellar hepatocellular carcinoma (FL-HCC) is a primary liver cancer that predominantly affects children and young adults with no underlying liver disease. A somatic, 400 Kb deletion on chromosome 19 that fuses part of the DnaJ heat shock protein family (Hsp40) member B1 gene...... (DNAJB1) to the protein kinase cAMP-activated catalytic subunit alpha gene (PRKACA) has been repeatedly identified in patients with FL-HCC. However, the DNAJB1–PRKACA gene fusion has not been shown to induce liver tumorigenesis. We used the CRISPR/Cas9 technique to delete in mice the syntenic region...... on chromosome 8 to create a Dnajb1–Prkaca fusion and monitored the mice for liver tumor development. Methods We delivered CRISPR/Cas9 vectors designed to juxtapose exon 1 of Dnajb1 with exon 2 of Prkaca to create the Dnajb1–Prkaca gene fusion associated with FL-HCC, or control Cas9 vector, via hydrodynamic tail...

  10. Cell Spheroids with Enhanced Aggressiveness to Mimic Human Liver Cancer In Vitro and In Vivo.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jung, Hong-Ryul; Kang, Hyun Mi; Ryu, Jea-Woon; Kim, Dae-Soo; Noh, Kyung Hee; Kim, Eun-Su; Lee, Ho-Joon; Chung, Kyung-Sook; Cho, Hyun-Soo; Kim, Nam-Soon; Im, Dong-Soo; Lim, Jung Hwa; Jung, Cho-Rok

    2017-09-05

    We fabricated a spheroid-forming unit (SFU) for efficient and economic production of cell spheroids. We optimized the protocol for generating large and homogenous liver cancer cell spheroids using Huh7 hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells. The large Huh7 spheroids showed apoptotic and proliferative signals in the centre and at the surface, respectively. In particular, hypoxia-induced factor-1 alpha (HIF-1α) and ERK signal activation were detected in the cell spheroids. To diminish core necrosis and increase the oncogenic character, we co-cultured spheroids with 2% human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). HUVECs promoted proliferation and gene expression of HCC-related genes and cancer stem cell markers in the Huh7 spheroidsby activating cytokine signalling, mimicking gene expression in liver cancer. HUVECs induced angiogenesis and vessel maturation in Huh7 spheroids in vivo by activating epithelial-mesenchymal transition and angiogenic pathways. The large Huh7 cell spheroids containing HUVECs survived at higher concentrations of anti-cancer drugs (doxorubicin and sorafenib) than did monolayer cells. Our large cell spheroid provides a useful in vitro HCC model to enable intuitive observation for anti-cancer drug testing.

  11. Multifocal manifestation does not affect vascular invasion of hepatocellular carcinoma: implications for patient selection in liver transplantation

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Löhe, Florian; Angele, Martin K.; Rentsch, Markus; Graeb, Christian; Gerbes, Alexander; Löhrs, Udo; Beuers, Ulrich; Jauch, Karl-Walter

    2008-01-01

    BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Liver transplantation (OLT) for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) improves patient survival when tumor size and number are limited according to the Milan criteria. However, the impact of tumor size vs. the number of lesions for tumor recurrence after OLT is unclear. Microvascular

  12. Clonal adaptation of cancer cells in flatfish liver to environmental contamination by changes in expression off P-gp related MXR, CYP450, GST-A and G6PDH activity

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Kohler, A.; Lauritzen, B.; Bahns, S.; George, S. G.; Forlin, L.; van Noorden, C. J. F.

    1998-01-01

    Progression from eosinophilic foci to persistent basophilic foci and carcinomas was observed in pollution-induced hepatocellular carcinogenesis in European flounder (Platichthys flesus L.) in a similar sequence as in chemically induced liver cancer in mammals. Image analysis was used to quantify

  13. Radiofrequency ablation of hepatocellular carcinoma located in the liver dome under intermittent CT fluoroscopy guidance

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Park, Darlene; Cho, Yun Ku; Cho, Hyun Je; KIm, Mi Young [Dept. of Radiology, VHS Medical Center, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

    2014-02-15

    To evaluate the clinical effectiveness of an intermittent computed tomography (CT) fluoroscopy-guided radiofrequency (RF) ablation of hepatocellular carcinoma located in the liver dome. Between 2005 and 2010 23 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) nodules located in the liver dome underwent an intermittent CT fluoroscopy-guided RF ablation. The primary endpoint was the local tumor progression. Procedure-related complications occurred in 3 of 23 patients. To evaluate the prognostic factors for the local tumor progression, univariate and multivariate analyses were performed using the Cox proportional hazards model. The chi-squared test was performed to evaluate the association of access route and procedure-related complication. The study was approved by the Institutional Review Board of our hospital. The Tumor sizes ranged between 1.0 and 2.9 cm. An initial complete ablation was achieved in all patients. The median follow-up period was 31 months and the major complication rate was 4.3%. The cumulative rate of local tumor progression at 3 years was 20%. The univariate analysis revealed that only serum total bilirubin level (p = 0.048) and prior chemoembolization were statistically significant (p = 0.044), but there was no independently significant prognostic factor on multivariate analysis. Procedure-related complications occurred in 3 of 23 patients. For HCC located in the liver dome an intermittent CT fluoroscopy-guided RF ablation could be performed safely and effectively.

  14. Hypoxia induces copper stable isotope fractionation in hepatocellular carcinoma, in a HIF-independent manner.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bondanese, Victor P; Lamboux, Aline; Simon, Melanie; Lafont, Jérôme E; Albalat, Emmanuelle; Pichat, Sylvain; Vanacker, Jean-Marc; Telouk, Philippe; Balter, Vincent; Oger, Philippe; Albarède, Francis

    2016-11-09

    Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most frequent type of primary liver cancer, with increasing incidence worldwide. The unrestrained proliferation of tumour cells leads to tumour hypoxia which in turn promotes cancer aggressiveness. While changes in the concentration of copper (Cu) have long been observed upon cancerization, we have recently reported that the isotopic composition of copper is also altered in several types of cancer. In particular, we showed that in hepatocellular carcinoma, tumour tissue contains heavier copper compared to the surrounding parenchyma. However, the reasons behind such isotopic signature remained elusive. Here we show that hypoxia causes heavy copper enrichment in several human cell lines. We also demonstrate that this effect of hypoxia is pH, HIF-1 and -2 independent. Our data identify a previously unrecognized cellular process associated with hypoxia, and suggests that in vivo tumour hypoxia determines copper isotope fractionation in HCC and other solid cancers.

  15. Prognostic value of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography in patients with Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer stages 0 and A hepatocellular carcinomas: a multicenter retrospective cohort study

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hyun, Seung Hyup; Choi, Joon Young; Lee, Kyung-Han; Eo, Jae Seon; Lee, Jeong Won; Na, Sae Jung; Hong, Il Ki; Oh, Jin Kyoung; Chung, Yong An; Song, Bong-Il; Kim, Tae-Sung; Kim, Kyung Sik; Moon, Dae Hyuk; Yun, Mijin

    2016-01-01

    We evaluated the prognostic value of pretreatment 18 F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography with computed tomography (FDG PET/CT) in patients with Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) stage 0 or A hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) who had received curative treatment or transarterial chemoembolization (TACE). Between 2009 and 2010, 317 patients diagnosed with HCC at seven hospitals were enrolled. Among these, 195 patients underwent curative treatments including resection, liver transplantation, and radiofrequency ablation. TACE was performed in 122 patients. The tumor-to-normal liver standardized uptake value ratio (TLR) of the primary tumor was measured using pretreatment FDG PET/CT. The prognostic significance of TLR and other clinical variables was assessed using Cox regression models. Differences in the overall survival (OS) associated with TLR or other significant clinical factors were examined using the Kaplan-Meier method. Over a median follow-up period of 46 months, 77 patients died from cancer. In the curative cohort, higher TLR (≥2) was significantly associated with death (hazard ratio [HR] = 2.68; 95 % CI, 1.16-6.15; P = 0.020) in multivariable analysis. Patients with a higher TLR had significantly worse OS than patients with a lower TLR (5-year overall survival, 61 % vs. 79.4 %; P = 0.006). In the TACE cohort, the Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) score (≥8) was a significant independent prognostic factor for OS (HR = 3.34; 95 % CI, 1.49-7.48; P = 0.003), whereas TLR was not associated with OS. The Kaplan-Meier curves showed significantly poorer OS in patients with higher MELD scores (≥8) than in those with lower MELD scores (5-year survival rate, 33.1 % vs. 79.6 %; P < 0.001). Pretreatment TLR measured using FDG PET/CT was an independent prognostic factor for OS in patients with BCLC stage 0 or A HCC undergoing curative treatment. In contrast, underlying liver function appeared to be important in predicting the prognosis of patients

  16. Liver cancer in atomic-bomb survivors. Histological characteristics and relationships to radiation and hepatitis B and C viruses

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fukuhara, Toshiyuki; Sharp, G.B.; Mizuno, Terumi

    2001-01-01

    Histological features of primary liver cancer among atomic-bomb survivors and their relationship to hepatitis B (HBV) and C viral (HCV) infections are of special interest because of the increased risk of liver cancer in persons exposed to ionizing radiation and the high and increasing liver cancer rates in Japan and elsewhere. We conducted a pathology review of liver cancers occurring from 1958 to 1987 among subjects in the 120,321 member cohort of 1945 Hiroshima and Nagasaki residents. A panel of pathologists classified tumor histological types and defined accompanying cirrhotic changes of the liver. Archival tissue samples were assessed for HBV using pathology stains and PCR. Reverse transcriptase (RT) PCR was used to determine HCV status. We used unconditional logistic regression to compare 302 hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cases to 53 cholangiocarcinoma (CC) cases, adjusting for age, year of diagnosis, sex and viral status. Cirrhotic changes occurred significantly more often among HCC than CC cases (76% in HCC and 6% in CC). Compared to CC cases, HCC cases were 10.9 times more likely to be HBV-positive (95% confidence interval: 2.1-83.2) and 4.3 times more likely to be HCV-positive (95% confidence interval: 1.1-20.5) No significant differences were found between HCC and CC cases in radiation exposures. The predominance of HCC in the atomic-bomb survivors follows the background liver cancer pattern in Japan. Our findings suggest that HBV and HCV are involved in the pathogenesis of HCC with or without cirrhosis and are significantly less important in that of CC. (author)

  17. STAT3 activation in monocytes accelerates liver cancer progression

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wu, Wen-Yong; Li, Jun; Wu, Zheng-Sheng; Zhang, Chang-Le; Meng, Xiang-Ling

    2011-01-01

    Signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) is an important transcription factor ubiquitously expressed in different cell types. STAT3 plays an essential role in cell survival, proliferation, and differentiation. Aberrantly hyper-activated STAT3 signaling in cancer cells and in the tumor microenvironment has been detected in a wide variety of human cancers and is considered an important factor for cancer initiation, development, and progression. However, the role of STAT3 activation in monocytes in the development of HCC has not been well understood. Immunohistochemical analysis of phosphorylated STAT3 was performed on tissue microarray from HCC patients. Using a co-culture system in vivo, HCC cell growth was determined by the MTT assay. In vivo experiments were conducted with mice given diethylinitrosamine (DEN), which induces HCC was used to investigate the role of STAT3 expression in monocytes on tumor growth. Real-time PCR was used to determine the expression of cell proliferation and cell arrest associated genes in the tumor and nontumor tissue from liver. Phosphorylated STAT3 was found in human hepatocellular carcinoma tissue samples and was expressed in tumor cells and also in monocytes. Phosphorylated STAT3 expression in monocyte was significantly correlated to advanced clinical stage of HCC and a poor prognosis. Using a co-culture system in vivo, monocytes promoted HCC cell growth via the IL-6/STAT3 signaling pathway. The STAT3 inhibitor, NSC 74859, significantly suppressed tumor growth in vivo in mice with diethylinitrosamine (DEN)-induced HCC. In this animal model, blockade of STAT3 with NSC 74859 induced tumor cell apoptosis, while inhibiting both tumor cells and monocytes proliferation. Furthermore, NSC 74859 treatment suppressed cancer associated inflammation in DEN-induce HCC. Our data suggest constitutively activated STAT3 monocytes promote liver tumorigenesis in clinical patients and animal experiments. Thus, STAT3 in tumor

  18. Case of minute hepatocellular carcinoma found by CT scan and diagnosed cytology under the ultrasonic aspiration transducer

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sato, Waichi; Moriai, Norihiko; Komatsu, Kanji [Yuri Kumiai Sogo Hospital, Akita (Japan)

    1983-11-01

    CT scan detected a suspected minute hepatocellular carcinoma in a case of liver cirrhosis followed up for more than 10 years. A definite diagnosis was established by ultrasonic guided aspiration cytology. The cancer was resected using ultrasonic examination during operation.

  19. Non-transplant therapies for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma and Child-Pugh-Turcotte class B cirrhosis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Granito, Alessandro; Bolondi, Luigi

    2017-02-01

    Underlying liver cirrhosis is present in most patients with hepatocellular carcinoma, and liver transplantation is the only treatment strategy to cure both diseases. All other hepatocellular carcinoma treatment strategies have to take into account residual liver function that concurs with the patient's prognosis and might limit their feasibility. In patients with hepatocellular carcinoma and Child-Pugh-Turcotte class B (CPT-B), owing to borderline liver function, any intervention might be offset by liver function deterioration. In this setting, the decision for hepatocellular carcinoma treatment requires a comprehensive assessment of liver function, not restricted to the CPT classification, in addition to a careful evaluation of the prognostic effect of hepatocellular carcinoma compared with cirrhosis. In this Review, we provide an overview of the literature regarding the benefits and harms of non-transplant therapies in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma and CPT-B cirrhosis. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  20. Use of antiretroviral therapy and risk of end-stage liver disease and hepatocellular carcinoma in HIV-positive persons

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nielsen, Lene Ryom; Lundgren, Jens Dilling; De Wit, Stéphane

    2016-01-01

    OBJECTIVES: Although several antiretroviral drugs, including the d-drugs stavudine (d4T) and didanosine (ddI), may cause biomarker-defined hepatotoxicity, their association with clinically defined end-stage liver disease (ESLD) and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains unknown. DESIGN: Prospective...

  1. Use of antiretroviral therapy and risk of end-stage liver disease and hepatocellular carcinoma in HIV-positive persons

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Ryom, Lene; Lundgren, Jens Dilling; de Wit, Stéphane; Kovari, Helen; Reiss, Peter; Law, Matthew; El-Sadr, Wafa; Monforte, Antonella D.'Arminio; Mocroft, Amanda; Smith, Colette; Fontas, Eric; Dabis, Francois; Phillips, Andrew; Sabin, Caroline

    2016-01-01

    Although several antiretroviral drugs, including the d-drugs stavudine (d4T) and didanosine (ddI), may cause biomarker-defined hepatotoxicity, their association with clinically defined end-stage liver disease (ESLD) and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains unknown. Prospective cohort study. Data

  2. Combined Primary Neuroendocrine Carcinoma and Hepatocellular Carcinoma of the Liver

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chii-Shuenn Yang

    2009-08-01

    Full Text Available We report a unique case of combined primary neuroendocrine carcinoma (NEC and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC of the liver in a 65-year-old male patient. The patient underwent segmental resection of the liver and regional lymph node dissection for a tumor mass that measured 7.5 cm in diameter in the right lobe, with regional lymphadenopathy. Histologically, the hepatic tumor was composed of predominantly small-cell NEC, but admixed with a small island of moderately differentiated HCC. We speculate that the NEC originated from a poorly differentiated tumor clone of an HCC that underwent neuroendocrine differentiation, and that this tumor was now at the end stage of the transitional period from HCC to NEC, based on the small amount of disappearing HCC. Ki-67 and p53 expression were higher in the NEC than in the HCC, and the lymph nodes showed only metastatic NEC. Therefore, this kind of tumor had a more aggressive clinical course in accordance with being an NEC rather than a conventional HCC. Three months after operation, the patient had multiple recurrent tumor nodules within the liver, spreading the metastasis to the adrenal glands and para-aortic lymph nodes. The patient died 1 year after operation.

  3. Ethyl pyruvate inhibits proliferation and induces apoptosis of hepatocellular carcinoma via regulation of the HMGB1–RAGE and AKT pathways

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Cheng, Ping; Dai, Weiqi; Wang, Fan; Lu, Jie; Shen, Miao; Chen, Kan; Li, Jingjing; Zhang, Yan; Wang, Chengfen; Yang, Jing; Zhu, Rong; Zhang, Huawei; Zheng, Yuanyuan; Guo, Chuan-Yong, E-mail: guochuanyong@hotmail.com; Xu, Ling, E-mail: xuling606@sina.com

    2014-01-24

    Highlights: • Ethyl pyruvate inhibits liver cancer. • Promotes apoptosis. • Decreased the expression of HMGB1, p-Akt. - Abstract: Ethyl pyruvate (EP) was recently identified as a stable lipophilic derivative of pyruvic acid with significant antineoplastic activities. The high mobility group box-B1 (HMGB1)–receptor for advanced glycation end-products (RAGE) and the protein kinase B (Akt) pathways play a crucial role in tumorigenesis and development of many malignant tumors. We tried to observe the effects of ethyl pyruvate on liver cancer growth and explored its effects in hepatocellular carcinoma model. In this study, three hepatocellular carcinoma cell lines were treated with ethyl pyruvate. An MTT colorimetric assay was used to assess the effects of EP on cell proliferation. Flow cytometry and TUNEL assays were used to analyze apoptosis. Real-time PCR, Western blotting and immunofluorescence demonstrated ethyl pyruvate reduced the HMGB1–RAGE and AKT pathways. The results of hepatoma orthotopic tumor model verified the antitumor effects of ethyl pyruvate in vivo. EP could induce apoptosis and slow the growth of liver cancer. Moreover, EP decreased the expression of HMGB1, RAGE, p-AKT and matrix metallopeptidase-9 (MMP9) and increased the Bax/Bcl-2 ratio. In conclusion, this study demonstrates that ethyl pyruvate induces apoptosis and cell-cycle arrest in G phase in hepatocellular carcinoma cells, plays a critical role in the treatment of cancer.

  4. Prebiotics: A Novel Approach to Treat Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fatima, Naz; Akhtar, Tasleem; Sheikh, Nadeem

    2017-01-01

    Hepatocellular carcinoma is one of the fatal malignancies and is considered as the third leading cause of death. Mutations, genetic modifications, dietary aflatoxins, or impairments in the regulation of oncogenic pathways may bring about liver cancer. An effective barrier against hepatotoxins is offered by gut-liver axis as a change in gut permeability and expanded translocation of lipopolysaccharides triggers the activation of Toll-like receptors which stimulate the process of hepatocarcinogenesis. Prebiotics, nondigestible oligosaccharides, have a pivotal role to play when it comes to inducing an antitumor effect. A healthy gut flora balance is imperative to downregulation of inflammatory cytokines and reducing lipopolysaccharides induced endotoxemia, thus inducing the antitumor effect.

  5. Specific diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma by delayed hepatobiliary imaging

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hasegawa, Y.; Nakano, S.; Ibuka, K.

    1986-01-01

    For assessment of the value of delayed hepatobiliary imaging with technetium 99m (/sup 99m/Tc)-(Sn)-N-pyridoxyl-5-methyltryptophan (/sup 99m/Tc-PMT) for specific diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma, 88 patients with various malignant and benign liver diseases (49 with hepatocellular carcinoma, 4 with cholangiocellular carcinoma, 10 with metastatic liver carcinoma, 2 with liver cysts, 2 with liver hemangioma, 1 with liver abscess, 2 with intrahepatic lithiasis, 12 with liver cirrhosis, and 6 with chronic hepatitis) were studied. In 20 (41%) of the 49 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma, greater uptake of /sup 99m/Tc-PMT by the tumor than by the surrounding liver tissue was seen in delayed hepatobiliary images, whereas in eight patients (16%), equilibrated uptake was seen. No increased uptake of the radioisotope by hepatic lesions was seen in 21 patients with localized liver diseases other than hepatoma. Moreover, in 18 patients with diffuse liver diseases, no focal accumulation of the radioisotope was seen in delayed /sup 99m/Tc-PMT images. In addition, of 28 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma in whom the serum alpha-fetoprotein level showed little or no increase, 12 showed increased uptake of /sup 99m/Tc-PMT by the tumor. In assessing delayed /sup 99m/Tc-PMT images, however, it was necessary to consider following complications: accumulation of tracer in obstructed and dilated biliary trees; retention of radioactivity in nonneoplastic liver tissues; difficulties in evaluating /sup 99m/Tc-PMT uptake by small hepatic tumors; overlapping of radioactivity in the gut and gallbladder in delayed /sup 99m/Tc-PMT images of tumors. This study indicates that delayed /sup 99m/Tc-PMT images can be useful in the diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma

  6. Janus Kinase 2 (JAK2) Dissociates Hepatosteatosis from Hepatocellular Carcinoma in Mice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shi, Sally Yu; Luk, Cynthia T; Schroer, Stephanie A; Kim, Min Jeong; Dodington, David W; Sivasubramaniyam, Tharini; Lin, Lauren; Cai, Erica P; Lu, Shun-Yan; Wagner, Kay-Uwe; Bazinet, Richard P; Woo, Minna

    2017-03-03

    Hepatocellular carcinoma is an end-stage complication of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Inflammation plays a critical role in the progression of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and the development of hepatocellular carcinoma. However, whether steatosis per se promotes liver cancer, and the molecular mechanisms that control the progression in this disease spectrum remain largely elusive. The Janus kinase signal transducers and activators of transcription (JAK-STAT) pathway mediates signal transduction by numerous cytokines that regulate inflammation and may contribute to hepatocarcinogenesis. Mice with hepatocyte-specific deletion of JAK2 (L-JAK2 KO) develop extensive fatty liver spontaneously. We show here that this simple steatosis was insufficient to drive carcinogenesis. In fact, L-JAK2 KO mice were markedly protected from chemically induced tumor formation. Using the methionine choline-deficient dietary model to induce steatohepatitis, we found that steatohepatitis development was completely arrested in L-JAK2 KO mice despite the presence of steatosis, suggesting that JAK2 is the critical factor required for inflammatory progression in the liver. In line with this, L-JAK2 KO mice exhibited attenuated inflammation after chemical carcinogen challenge. This was associated with increased hepatocyte apoptosis without elevated compensatory proliferation, thus thwarting expansion of transformed hepatocytes. Taken together, our findings identify an indispensable role of JAK2 in hepatocarcinogenesis through regulating critical inflammatory pathways. Targeting the JAK-STAT pathway may provide a novel therapeutic option for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma. © 2017 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.

  7. Small hepatocellular carcinomas in chronic liver disease: Detection with SPECT

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kudo, M.; Hirasa, M.; Takakuwa, H.; Ibuki, Y.; Fujimi, K.; Miyamura, M.; Tomita, S.; Komori, H.; Todo, A.; Kitaura, Y.

    1986-06-01

    Single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) performed using a rotating gamma camera was compared with ..cap alpha../sub 1/-fetoprotein (AFP) assay, conventional liver scintigraphy, ultrasound (US) imaging, computed tomography (CT), and selective celiac angiography in 40 patients with a total of 50 small hepatocellular carcinomas (HCCs;<5 cm). The detection rates of US and CT were determined on an initial screening study and on a second, more precisely focused study. The detection rate of small HCCs by the various modalities was as follows: AFP, 13%; liver scintigraphy, 36%; SPECT, 72%; initial screening US, 80%; second, more precise US studies, 94%; initial screening CT, 64%; second, more precise CT study, 82%; angiography, 88%. Although SPECT was inferior to the initial screening US examination in detecting HCCs less than 2 cm in size, its sensitivity was identical to that of the initial screening US study for detecting HCCs of 2-5 cm. The combination of SPECT and US was an excellent method for the early detection of HCCs, yielding a detection rate of 94%.

  8. Sorafenib tosylate, Ribavirn and Sofosbuvir combination therapy for HCV virus infected patients with decompensated liver cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Munir, Bushra; Ahmed, Bilal; Kiran, Shumaila; Jalal, Fatima; Zahoor, Muhammad Kashif; Shehzadi, Saba; Oranab, Sadaf; Kamran, Sayed Kashif; Ghaffar, Abdul

    2017-11-01

    Hepatitis C is the most common health problem worldwide and is major cause of death due to proliferation of hepatocellular carcinoma. The medicines available for HCV treatment overcome up-to 95% complications of HCV. However, liver cancer needs some additional care. Normally Sorafenib tosylate 200 mg is recommended for liver cancer. There is no such trial in which this drug could effectively be used in combination of direct acting antivirals for HCV. The study was conducted for HCV patients (n=30) with liver cancer having decompensated stage. Combination of Sorafenib tosylate, Ribavirn and Sofosbuvir were used for the pharmacokinetics of these medicines. Child pugh score less then 7 (CP A) in adults during treatment phase (received 12 weeks of Sorafenib tosylate 200 mg, Ribavirn and Sofosbuvir 400 mg once daily) have no side effect while child pugh score 7-9 (CP B) have evidence of hypertension. The main efficiency end point sustained virology response with overcoming liver cancer as well in 12 weeks after end treatment (SVR-LLC 12). Mean pharmacokinetic exposure to Sorafenib tosylate 200 mg, Ribavirn and Sofosbuvir at week 8th was 2.1, 1.5,1.2 times greater in CP B than in CP A. Adverse effects (AEs) were observed in 12 out of 30 patients but not severe as lethal for life. Treatment with Sorafenib tosylate, Ribavirn and Sofosbuvir for twelve weeks was harmless and well accepted, 100 % patients achieve (SVR LLC 12) with 10-fold cure rate more than previous ones. The combination therapy of Sorafenib tosylate, Ribavirn and Sofosbuvir was found helpful for the management of decompensated liver cancer.

  9. Haemodynamic changes in hepatocellular carcinoma and liver parenchyma under balloon occlusion of the hepatic artery

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sugihara, Fumie; Murata, Satoru; Ueda, Tatsuo; Yasui, Daisuke; Yamaguchi, Hidenori; Miki, Izumi; Kumita, Shin-ichiro [Nippon Medical School, Department of Radiology, Center for Advanced Medical Technology, Tokyo (Japan); Kawamoto, Chiaki [Nippon Medical School, Department of Internal Medicine, Tokyo (Japan); Uchida, Eiji [Nippon Medical School, Department of Surgery, Tokyo (Japan)

    2017-06-15

    To investigate haemodynamic changes in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and liver under hepatic artery occlusion. Thirty-eight HCC nodules in 25 patients were included. Computed tomography (CT) during hepatic arteriography (CTHA) with and without balloon occlusion of the hepatic artery was performed. CT attenuation and enhancement volume of HCC and liver with and without balloon occlusion were measured on CTHA. Influence of balloon position (segmental or subsegmental branch) was evaluated based on differences in HCC-to-liver attenuation ratio (H/L ratio) and enhancement volume of HCC and liver. In the segmental group (n = 20), H/L ratio and enhancement volume of HCC and liver were significantly lower with balloon occlusion than without balloon occlusion. However, in the subsegmental group (n = 18), H/L ratio was significantly higher and liver enhancement volume was significantly lower with balloon occlusion; HCC enhancement volume was similar with and without balloon occlusion. Rate of change in H/L ratio and enhancement volume of HCC and liver were lower in the segmental group than in the subsegmental group. There were significantly more perfusion defects in HCC in the segmental group. Hepatic artery occlusion causes haemodynamic changes in HCC and liver, especially with segmental occlusion. (orig.)

  10. Deep convolutional neural network for the classification of hepatocellular carcinoma and intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma

    Science.gov (United States)

    Midya, Abhishek; Chakraborty, Jayasree; Pak, Linda M.; Zheng, Jian; Jarnagin, William R.; Do, Richard K. G.; Simpson, Amber L.

    2018-02-01

    Liver cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide.1 Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common primary liver cancer accounting for approximately 80% of cases. Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) is a rare liver cancer, arising in patients with the same risk factors as HCC, but treatment options and prognosis differ. The diagnosis of HCC is based primarily on imaging but distinguishing between HCC and ICC is challenging due to common radiographic features.2-4 The aim of the present study is to classify HCC and ICC in portal venous phase CT. 107 patients with resected ICC and 116 patients with resected HCC were included in our analysis. We developed a deep neural network by modifying a pre-trained Inception network by retraining the final layers. The proposed method achieved the best accuracy and area under the receiver operating characteristics curve of 69.70% and 0.72, respectively on the test data.

  11. Prevalence of hepatocellular carcinoma in patients of liver cirrhosis: an experience in North West Frontier province (NWFP)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Farooqi, J.I.; Farooqi, R.J.

    2000-01-01

    A study was conducted to find out the prevalence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in 410 patients of liver cirrhosis. Hepatocellular carcinoma was found in 45 (10.98%) patients with predominance of males. (P < 0.05). Most of HCC patients (77.78% P <0.05) were seropositive for hepatitis C virus (HCV), whereas only 2 patients (4.44%) for hepatitis B virus (HBC) infections. Eight (17.78%) patients were seronegative for both HBC and HCV infections. Out of these 8 patients, one (2.22%) was associated with haemochromatosis. We concluded that HCC is a common complication of cirrhosis (occurrence rate = 10.98%), especially HCV associated cirrhosis. (author)

  12. Oldenlandia diffusa Promotes Antiproliferative and Apoptotic Effects in a Rat Hepatocellular Carcinoma with Liver Cirrhosis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yun-Young Sunwoo

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Oldenlandia diffusa (OD is commonly used with various diseases such as cancer, arthritis, and autoimmune disease. Liver cirrhosis is a predominant risk factor for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC. Here, we show that the therapeutic effect of OD, which was investigated both in vitro and chemically, induced HCC model. OD significantly enhanced apoptosis and antiproliferative activity and reduced migration ability of HCC cells. In vivo, OD was treated twice a day for 28 days after confirmed HCC model through 2-[18F]-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose (18F-FDG imaging. The survival in OD treated groups was shown to have a greater therapeutic effect than the control group. 28 days after OD treatment, OD treated groups resulted in a significant reduction in tumor number, size, 18F-FDG uptake, and serum levels such as alanine transaminase, aspartate transaminase, and alkaline phosphate compared to the control group. Also, proliferated cells in tumor sites by OD were reduced compared to the control group. Furthermore, several rats in OD treated group survived over 60 days and liver morphology of these rats showed the difference between tumor mass and normal tissue. These results suggest that OD may have antiproliferative activity, inhibition of metastasis, and apoptotic effects in chemically induced HCC model and can have the potential use for clinical application as anticancer drug of the herbal extract.

  13. Hep par-1: a novel immunohistochemical marker for differentiating hepatocellular carcinoma from metastatic carcinoma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hanif, R.

    2014-01-01

    To evaluate the diagnostic utility of Hep par-1 in differentiating hepatocellular carcinoma from metastatic carcinoma taking histopathology as a gold standard. Study Design: Comparative cross-sectional study. Place and Duration of Study: Pathology Department, Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre, Lahore, from April 2007 to February 2008. Methodology: Hep par-1 immunohistochemical stain was performed on 60 cases of liver carcinoma, 30 cases each of metastatic and hepatocellular carcinoma. Information regarding patient age, gender, sign and symptoms, radiographic findings, histological grade of tumour, and expression of Hep par-1 on hepatocellular and metastatic carcinoma were recorded on proforma sheet. Sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values, and accuracy of Hep par-1 were calculated using the formulas. Results: Hep par-1 expression was noted in 25 out of 30 cases of hepatocellular carcinoma (83%). Out of 30 cases of metastatic carcinoma, only one case expressed staining in < 5% tumour cells and remaining 29 cases showed no reactivity. The age of the patients with hepatocellular carcinoma ranged from 40 to 76 years with a median age of 60.5 years and 40 - 75 years for metastatic carcinomas with a median age of 57.5 years. Conclusion: Hep par-1 is a reliable immunohistochemical marker for cases of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). It can be used along with other markers in morphologically difficult cases when differential diagnosis lies between poorly differentiated HCC and metastatic carcinoma of liver. (author)

  14. Transcatheter embolization therapy in liver cancer: an update of clinical evidences.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wáng, Yì-Xiáng J; De Baere, Thierry; Idée, Jean-Marc; Ballet, Sébastien

    2015-04-01

    Transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) is a form of intra-arterial catheter-based chemotherapy that selectively delivers high doses of cytotoxic drug to the tumor bed combining with the effect of ischemic necrosis induced by arterial embolization. Chemoembolization and radioembolization are at the core of the treatment of liver hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients who cannot receive potentially curative therapies such as transplantation, resection or percutaneous ablation. TACE for liver cancer has been proven to be useful in local tumor control, to prevent tumor progression, prolong patients' life and control patient symptoms. Recent evidence showed in patients with single-nodule HCC of 3 cm or smaller without vascular invasion, the 5-year overall survival (OS) with TACE was similar to that with hepatic resection and radiofrequency ablation. Although being used for decades, Lipiodol(®) (Lipiodol(®) Ultra Fluid(®), Guerbet, France) remains important as a tumor-seeking and radio-opaque drug delivery vector in interventional oncology. There have been efforts to improve the delivery of chemotherapeutic agents to tumors. Drug-eluting bead (DEB) is a relatively novel drug delivery embolization system which allows for fixed dosing and the ability to release the anticancer agents in a sustained manner. Three DEBs are available, i.e., Tandem(®) (CeloNova Biosciences Inc., USA), DC-Beads(®) (BTG, UK) and HepaSphere(®) (BioSphere Medical, Inc., USA). Transarterial radioembolization (TARE) technique has been developed, and proven to be efficient and safe in advanced liver cancers and those with vascular complications. Two types of radioembolization microspheres are available i.e., SIR-Spheres(®) (Sirtex Medical Limited, Australia) and TheraSphere(®) (BTG, UK). This review describes the basic procedure of TACE, properties and efficacy of some chemoembolization systems and radioembolization agents which are commercially available and/or currently under clinical

  15. Aberrant Lipid Metabolism in Hepatocellular Carcinoma Revealed by Liver Lipidomics

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zhao Li

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available Background: The aim of this study was to characterize the disorder of lipid metabolism in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC. HCC is a worldwide disease. The research into the disorder of lipid metabolism in HCC is very limited. Study of lipid metabolism in liver cancer tissue may have the potential to provide new insight into HCC mechanisms. Methods: A lipidomics study of HCC based on Ultra high performance liquid chromatography-electronic spray ionization-QTOF mass spectrometer (UPLC-ESI-QTOF MS and Matrix assisted laser desorption ionization-fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometer (MALDI-FTICR MS was performed. Results: Triacylglycerols (TAGs with the number of double bond (DB > 2 (except 56:5 and 56:4 TAG were significantly down-regulated; conversely, others (except 52:2 TAG were greatly up-regulated in HCC tissues. Moreover, the more serious the disease was, the higher the saturated TAG concentration and the lower the polyunsaturated TAG concentration were in HCC tissues. The phosphatidylcholine (PC, phosphatidylethanolamine (PE and phosphatidylinositol (PI were altered in a certain way. Sphingomyelin (SM was up-regulated and ceramide (Cer were down-regulated in HCC tissues. Conclusions: To our knowledge, this is the first such report showing a unique trend of TAG, PC, PE and PI. The use of polyunsaturated fatty acids, like eicosapentanoic and docosahexanoic acid, as supplementation, proposed for the treatment of Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH, may also be effective for the treatment of HCC.

  16. Performance of Alpha Fetoprotein in Combination with Alpha-1-acid Glycoprotein for Diagnosis of Hepatocellular Carcinoma Among Liver Cirrhosis Patients

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rino A Gani

    2016-05-01

    Full Text Available Aim: to evaluate the use of alpha-1-acid glycoprotein (AAG for diagnosing hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC, and to combine with alpha fetoprotein (AFP as part of routine examination in liver cirrhosis patients. Methods: this is a diagnostic study using cross-sectional design. A hundred and six patients were included in this study. Baseline data such as age, gender, AFP, AAG, peripheral blood count, AST and ALT were consecutively collected from liver cirrhosis patients with or without HCC. Serum AAG were measured quantitatively using immunoturboditimetric assay and AFP with enzyme immune assay (EIA. Statistical analysis were done using SPSS 13.0. Data comparisons between group were done using Mann-Whitney test. Diagnostic performance for each marker alone was compared to the surrogate use of both markers (combined parallel approach in HCC cases. Results: receiver operating characteristic (ROC analysis showed that area under the curve for AFP AAG combination was 88.1% and higher than AFP only (86.2% or AAG only (76.5% with sensitivity of 83%, 73% and 44%, respectively, at specificity of >80%. Conclusion: our study showed that combination of AFP and AAG is superior than either marker alone in diagnosing HCC in liver cirrhosis patients. Combination of AFP and AAG may be used to prompt early diagnosis screening of HCC. Key words: alpha fetoprotein, alpha-1-acid glycoprotein, biomarker, liver cancer

  17. Lin28b is sufficient to drive liver cancer and necessary for its maintenance in murine models

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nguyen, Liem H.; Robinton, Daisy A.; Seligson, Marc; Wu, Linwei; Li, Lin; Rakheja, Dinesh; Comerford, Sarah; Ramezani, Saleh; Sun, Xiankai; Parikh, Monisha; Yang, Erin; Powers, John T.; Shinoda, Gen; Shah, Samar; Hammer, Robert; Daley, George Q.; Zhu, Hao

    2014-01-01

    SUMMARY Lin28a/b are RNA-binding proteins that influence stem cell maintenance, metabolism, and oncogenesis. Poorly differentiated, aggressive cancers often overexpress Lin28, but its role in tumor initiation or maintenance has not been definitively addressed. We report that LIN28B overexpression is sufficient to initiate hepatoblastoma and hepatocellular carcinoma in murine models. We also detected Lin28b overexpression in MYC-driven hepatoblastomas, and liver-specific deletion of Lin28a/b reduced tumor burden, extended latency, and prolonged survival. Both intravenous siRNA against Lin28b and conditional Lin28b deletion reduced tumor burden and prolonged survival. Igf2bp proteins are upregulated and Igf2bp3 is required in the context of LIN28B overexpression to promote growth. Thus, multiple murine models demonstrate that Lin28b is both sufficient to initiate liver cancer and necessary for its maintenance. PMID:25117712

  18. Autophagy‑mediated adaptation of hepatocellular carcinoma cells to hypoxia‑mimicking conditions constitutes an attractive therapeutic target.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Owada, Satoshi; Endo, Hitoshi; Shida, Yukari; Okada, Chisa; Ito, Kanako; Nezu, Takahiro; Tatemichi, Masayuki

    2018-04-01

    Hepatocellular carcinoma has extremely poor prognosis. In cancerous liver tissues, aberrant proliferation of cancer cells leads to the creation of an area where an immature vascular network is formed. Since oxygen is supplied to cancer tissues through the bloodstream, a part of the tumor is exposed to hypoxic conditions. As hypoxia is known to severely reduce the effectiveness of existing anticancer agents, novel valid therapeutic targets must be identified for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma. Generally, autophagy has been reported to play an important role in the adaptation of cancer cells to hypoxia. However, the exact role and significance of this process vary depending on the cancer type, requiring detailed analysis in individual primary tumors and cell lines. In the present study, we examined autophagy induced by cobalt chloride, a hypoxia‑mimicking agent, in hepatocellular carcinoma cells with the aim to evaluate the validity of this process as a potential therapeutic target. We observed that treatment with cobalt chloride induced autophagy, including the intracellular quality control mechanism, in an AMPK‑dependent manner. Furthermore, treatment with autophagy inhibitors (bafilomycin and LY294002) resulted in significant, highly‑selective cytotoxicity and apoptosis activation under hypoxia‑mimicking conditions. The knockdown of AMPK also revealed significant cytotoxicity in hypoxia‑mimicking conditions. These results clearly demonstrated that autophagy, especially mitophagy, was induced by the AMPK pathway when hepatocellular carcinoma cells were subjected to hypoxic conditions and played an important role in the adaptation of these cells to such conditions. Thus, autophagy may constitute an attractive therapeutic target for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma.

  19. High MRPS23 expression contributes to hepatocellular carcinoma proliferation and indicates poor survival outcomes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pu, Meng; Wang, Jianlin; Huang, Qike; Zhao, Ge; Xia, Congcong; Shang, Runze; Zhang, Zhuochao; Bian, Zhenyuan; Yang, Xishegn; Tao, Kaishan

    2017-07-01

    Hepatocellular carcinoma is one of the most prevalent neoplasms and the leading cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide. Mitochondrial ribosomal protein S23 is encoded by a nuclear gene and participates in mitochondrial protein translation. Mitochondrial ribosomal protein S23 overexpression has been found in many types of cancer. In this study, we explored mitochondrial ribosomal protein S23 expression in primary hepatocellular carcinoma tissues compared with matched adjacent non-tumoral liver tissues using mitochondrial ribosomal protein S23 messenger RNA and protein levels collected from public databases and clinical samples. Immunohistochemistry was performed to analyze the relationship between mitochondrial ribosomal protein S23 and various clinicopathological features. The results indicated that mitochondrial ribosomal protein S23 was significantly overexpressed in hepatocellular carcinoma. High mitochondrial ribosomal protein S23 expression was correlated with the tumor size and tumor-metastasis-node stage. Moreover, patients with high mitochondrial ribosomal protein S23 expression levels presented poorer survival rates. Mitochondrial ribosomal protein S23 was an independent prognostic factor for survival, especially at the early stage of hepatocellular carcinoma. In addition, the downregulation of mitochondrial ribosomal protein S23 decreased the proliferation of hepatocellular carcinoma in vitro and in vivo. In conclusion, we verified for the first time that mitochondrial ribosomal protein S23 expression was upregulated in hepatocellular carcinoma. High mitochondrial ribosomal protein S23 levels can predict poor clinical outcomes in hepatocellular carcinoma, and this protein plays a key role in tumor proliferation. Therefore, mitochondrial ribosomal protein S23 may be a potential therapeutic target for hepatocellular carcinoma.

  20. Natural History of Untreated Hepatocellular Carcinoma in a US Cohort and the Role of Cancer Surveillance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Khalaf, Natalia; Ying, Jun; Mittal, Sahil; Temple, Sarah; Kanwal, Fasiha; Davila, Jessica; El-Serag, Hashem B

    2017-02-01

    Determining the natural history and predictors of survival in patients with untreated hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in the United States is useful to test existing tumor classifications, identify subgroups of patients likely to benefit from treatment, and estimate lead time related to HCC surveillance. We identified a national cohort of 518 veterans diagnosed with HCC from 2004 through 2011, with follow-up ending in 2014, who received no palliative or curative treatment. We examined the association between postdiagnosis survival and patient factors, tumor characteristics, and prediagnosis surveillance. The mean age at HCC diagnosis was 65.7 years and most patients had hepatitis C (60.6%). Almost all patients (99%) died within the observation period; the median overall survival time was 3.6 months and survival times were 13.4, 9.5, 3.4, and 1.6 months for patients of Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer stages 0/A, B, C, and D, respectively. In addition, model for end-stage liver disease and levels of α-fetoprotein were predictive of survival. Nearly 28% received prediagnosis HCC surveillance, which was associated with detection of disease at an earlier stage (Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer 0/A/B; 26.4% vs 14.4%; P = .0006) and slightly longer survival than patients with no surveillance overall (5.2 months vs 3.4 months; P = .021); there was no difference in survival times of patients with 0/A stage who did versus did not receive surveillance (10.3 months vs 10.5 months). Patients with HCCs, including those detected through surveillance, survived for short time periods in the absence of treatment, irrespective of their initial stage at diagnosis. Model for end-stage liver disease scores and levels of α-fetoprotein were prognostic factors, independent of Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer stage. The lead time related to detection by surveillance was modest (<2 months) and therefore unlikely to explain the survival benefit associated with surveillance in previous studies

  1. Prebiotics: A Novel Approach to Treat Hepatocellular Carcinoma

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Naz Fatima

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Hepatocellular carcinoma is one of the fatal malignancies and is considered as the third leading cause of death. Mutations, genetic modifications, dietary aflatoxins, or impairments in the regulation of oncogenic pathways may bring about liver cancer. An effective barrier against hepatotoxins is offered by gut-liver axis as a change in gut permeability and expanded translocation of lipopolysaccharides triggers the activation of Toll-like receptors which stimulate the process of hepatocarcinogenesis. Prebiotics, nondigestible oligosaccharides, have a pivotal role to play when it comes to inducing an antitumor effect. A healthy gut flora balance is imperative to downregulation of inflammatory cytokines and reducing lipopolysaccharides induced endotoxemia, thus inducing the antitumor effect.

  2. The role of IL6 in liver cancer linked to metabolic liver disease ...

    International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

    The role of IL6 in liver cancer linked to metabolic liver disease. Liver cancer is highly fatal, it has very few treatment options, and it is one of the few cancers whose incidence is rising worldwide. One poorly understood risk factor for liver cancer is obesity/metabolic disease (such as diabetes and fatty liver disease).

  3. Dihydromyricetin promotes hepatocellular carcinoma regression via a p53 activation-dependent mechanism

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Qingyu; Liu, Jie; Liu, Bin; Xia, Juan; Chen, Nianping; Chen, Xiaofeng; Cao, Yi; Zhang, Chen; Lu, Caijie; Li, Mingyi; Zhu, Runzhi

    2014-04-01

    The development of antitumor chemotherapy drugs remains a key goal for oncologists, and natural products provide a vast resource for anti-cancer drug discovery. In the current study, we found that the flavonoid dihydromyricetin (DHM) exhibited antitumor activity against liver cancer cells, including primary cells obtained from hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients. In contrast, DHM was not cytotoxic to immortalized normal liver cells. Furthermore, DHM treatment resulted in the growth inhibition and remission of xenotransplanted tumors in nude mice. Our results further demonstrated that this antitumor activity was caused by the activation of the p53-dependent apoptosis pathway via p53 phosphorylation at serine (15Ser). Moreover, our results showed that DHM plays a dual role in the induction of cell death when administered in combination with cisplatin, a common clinical drug that kills primary hepatoma cells but not normal liver cells.

  4. Laparoscopic versus Open Liver Resection: Differences in Intraoperative and Early Postoperative Outcome among Cirrhotic Patients with Hepatocellular Carcinoma—A Retrospective Observational Study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Antonio Siniscalchi

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Introduction. Laparoscopic liver resection is considered risky in cirrhotic patients, even if minor surgical trauma of laparoscopy could be useful to prevent deterioration of a compromised liver function. This study aimed to identify the differences in terms of perioperative complications and early outcome in cirrhotic patients undergoing minor hepatic resection for hepatocellular carcinoma with open or laparoscopic technique. Methods. In this retrospective study, 156 cirrhotic patients undergoing liver resection for hepatocellular carcinoma were divided into two groups according to type of surgical approach: laparoscopy (LS group: 23 patients or laparotomy (LT group: 133 patients. Perioperative data, mortality, and length of hospital stay were recorded. Results. Groups were matched for type of resection, median number of nodules, and median diameter of largest lesions. Groups were also homogeneous for preoperative liver and renal function tests. Intraoperative haemoglobin decrease and transfusions of red blood cells and fresh frozen plasma were significantly lower in LS group. MELD score lasted stable after laparoscopic resection, while it increased in laparotomic group. Postoperative liver and renal failure and mortality were all lower in LS group. Conclusions. Lower morbidity and mortality, maintenance of liver function, and shorter hospital stay suggest the safety and benefit of laparoscopic approach.

  5. Mini-review. Liver transplantation for hepatocellular carcinoma

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    V. Visag-Castillo

    2018-04-01

    Full Text Available Liver transplantation is the gold standard treatment for end stage liver disease, including patients with cirrhosis and hepatocarcinoma falling within Milan criteria. HCC is the sixth most common cancer around the world, and leading cause of death among cirrhotic patients. Diagnosis is based upon radiological characteristics and rarely biopsy results; the Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer staging system is the most used guideline for treatment. With several treatment options available transplantation and resection continue to be the major curative therapeutic option for this patients. However treatment must be individualized to each patient to improve recurrences and outcomes. The aim of this paper is to review the present role of liver transplantation in the management of hepatocarcinoma. Resumen: El trasplante hepático es el estándar de oro en el tratamiento de enfermedad hepática avanzada, incluyendo pacientes cirróticos que han desarrollado hepatocarcinoma pero que se encuentran dentro de los criterios de Milán. El hepatocarcinoma es el sexto tumor más común alrededor del mundo y es la principal causa de muerte en pacientes cirróticos. El diagnóstico se basa principalmente en las características radiológicas del tumor y raras veces en resultados de patología. El sistema de estatificación desarrollado por el Clinic de Barcelona es la guía más usada para el tratamiento. Existen diferentes opciones terapéuticas para el hepatocarcinoma; sin embargo, el trasplante y la resección quirúrgica siguen siendo la opción curativa con mejores resultados. El tratamiento debe de ser individualizado para cada paciente con el fin de mejorar los resultados y minimizar recurrencias. El objetivo de este artículo es revisar el rol actual del trasplante hepático en el manejo del hepatocarcinoma. Keywords: Chronic hepatitis C, End stage liver disease, Recurrence, Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, Cirrhosis, Palabras clave: Hepatitis C cr

  6. Elevated serum levels of Chromogranin A in hepatocellular carcinoma.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Biondi, Antonio; Malaguarnera, Giulia; Vacante, Marco; Berretta, Massimiliano; D'Agata, Velia; Malaguarnera, Michele; Basile, Francesco; Drago, Filippo; Bertino, Gaetano

    2012-01-01

    During the past three decades, the incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma in the United States has tripled. The neuroendocrine character has been observed in some tumor cells within some hepatocellular carcinoma nodules and elevated serum chromogranin A also been reported in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma. The aim of this work was to investigate the role of serum concentration of chromogranin A in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma at different stages. The study population consisted of 96 patients (63 males and 33 females age range 52-84) at their first hospital admission for hepatocellular carcinoma. The control group consisted of 35 volunteers (20 males and 15 females age range 50-80). The hepatocellular carcinoma patients were stratified according the Barcelona-Clinic Liver Cancer classification. Venous blood samples were collected before treatment from each patients before surgery, centrifuged to obtain serum samples and stored at -80° C until assayed. The chromogranin A serum levels were elevated (> 100 ng/ml) in 72/96 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma. The serum levels of chromogranin A were significantly correlated (p<0.05) with alpha-fetoprotein. In comparison with controls, the hepatocellular carcinoma patients showed a significant increase (p<0.001) vs controls. The chromogranin A levels in the Barcelona staging of hepatocellular carcinoma was higher in stage D compared to stage C (p<0.01), to stage B (p<0.001), and to stage A (p<0.001). Molecular markers, such as chromogranin A, could be very useful tools for hepatocellular carcinoma diagnosis. However the molecular classification should be incorporated into a staging scheme, which effectively separated patients into groups with homogeneous prognosis and response to treatment, and thus serves to aid in the selection of appropriate therapy.

  7. Hyper-IL-15 suppresses metastatic and autochthonous liver cancer by promoting tumour-specific CD8+ T cell responses.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cheng, Liang; Du, Xuexiang; Wang, Zheng; Ju, Jianqi; Jia, Mingming; Huang, Qibin; Xing, Qiao; Xu, Meng; Tan, Yi; Liu, Mingyue; Du, Peishuang; Su, Lishan; Wang, Shengdian

    2014-12-01

    Liver cancer has a very dismal prognosis due to lack of effective therapy. Here, we studied the therapeutic effects of hyper-interleukin15 (hyper-IL-15), which is composed of IL-15 and the sushi domain of the IL-15 receptor α chain, on metastatic and autochthonous liver cancers. Liver metastatic tumour models were established by intraportally injecting syngeneic mice with murine CT26 colon carcinoma cells or B16-OVA melanoma cells. Primary hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) was induced by diethylnitrosamine (DEN). A hydrodynamics-based gene delivery method was used to achieve sustained hyper-IL-15 expression in the liver. Liver gene delivery of hyper-IL-15 robustly expanded CD8(+) T and NK cells, leading to a long-term (more than 40 days) accumulation of CD8(+) T cells in vivo, especially in the liver. Hyper-IL-15 treatment exerted remarkable therapeutic effects on well-established liver metastatic tumours and even on DEN-induced autochthonous HCC, and these effects were abolished by depletion of CD8(+) T cells but not NK cells. Hyper-IL-15 triggered IL-12 and interferon-γ production and reduced the expression of co-inhibitory molecules on dendritic cells in the liver. Adoptive transfer of T cell receptor (TCR) transgenic OT-1 cells showed that hyper-IL-15 preferentially expanded tumour-specific CD8(+) T cells and promoted their interferon-γ synthesis and cytotoxicity. Liver delivery of hyper-IL-15 provides an effective therapy against well-established metastatic and autochthonous liver cancers in mouse models by preferentially expanding tumour-specific CD8(+) T cells and promoting their anti-tumour effects. Copyright © 2014 European Association for the Study of the Liver. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  8. Trends in Incidences and Risk Factors for Hepatocellular Carcinoma and Other Liver Events in HIV and Hepatitis C Virus-coinfected Individuals From 2001 to 2014

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Gjærde, Lars Iversen; Shepherd, Leah; Jablonowska, Elzbieta

    2016-01-01

    BACKGROUND: While liver-related deaths in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV)-coinfected individuals have declined over the last decade, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) may have increased. We describe the epidemiology of HCC and other liver events in a multicohort...

  9. Liver damage and senescence increases in patients developing hepatocellular carcinoma.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rey, Silvia; Quintavalle, Cristina; Burmeister, Katharina; Calabrese, Diego; Schlageter, Manuel; Quagliata, Luca; Cathomas, Gieri; Diebold, Joachim; Molinolo, Alfredo; Heim, Markus H; Terracciano, Luigi M; Matter, Matthias S

    2017-08-01

    Most patients with a hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) have an underlying chronic liver inflammation, which causes a continuous damage leading to liver cirrhosis and eventually HCC. However, only a minority of cirrhotic patients develop HCC. To assess a possible differential impact of liver inflammation in patients developing HCC versus patients remaining tumor-free, we designed a longitudinal study and analysed liver tissue of the same patients (n = 33) at two points in time: once when no HCC was present and once several years later when an HCC was present. As a control group, we followed cirrhotic patients (n = 37) remaining tumor-free over a similar time frame. We analysed cell damage and senescence of hepatocytes by measuring γ-H2AX positivity, p16 INK4 and p21 WAF/Cip1 expression, nuclear size, and telomere length. γ-H2AX positivity, p16 INK4 and p21 WAF/Cip1 expression, in the first liver biopsy was similar in patients developing HCC later on and cirrhotic patients remaining tumor free. In contrast, γ-H2AX positivity, p16 INK4 and p21 WAF/Cip1 expression, was significantly higher in the second non-tumoral liver biopsy of HCC patients than in the control patients. Consequently, the individual increase in γ-H2AX positivity, p16 INK4 and p21 WAF/Cip1 expression, from the first biopsy to the second biopsy was significantly higher in patients developing HCC than in patients remaining tumor free. In addition, changes in nuclear size and telomere length revealed a more pronounced cell aging in patients developing HCC than in patients remaining tumor free. Hepatocytes from patients developing HCC go through more pronounced cell damage and senescence in contrast to cirrhotic patients remaining tumor free. © 2017 Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology Foundation and John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.

  10. Aqueous extract of Tribulus terrestris Linn induces cell growth arrest and apoptosis by down-regulating NF-κB signaling in liver cancer cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Hye Jin; Kim, Jin Chul; Min, Jung Sun; Kim, Mi-Jee; Kim, Ji Ae; Kor, Myung Ho; Yoo, Hwa Seung; Ahn, Jeong Keun

    2011-06-14

    A medicinal herb Tribulus terrestris Linn has been used to treat various diseases including hepatocellular carcinoma. The aim of the present study was to investigate the anticancer activity of Tribulus terrestris Linn (TT) in liver cancer cells. The antitumor activity of aqueous TT extract was analyzed by testing the cytotoxicity and the effect on clonogenecity in HepG2 cells. Apoptosis and cell cycle arrest induced by TT were dissected by flow cytometry and its inhibitory effect on NF-κB activity was determined by analyzing the expression levels of NF-κB/IκB subunit proteins. The suppression of NF-κB-regulated gene expression by TT was assessed by RT-PCR. TT extract repressed clonogenecity and proliferation, induced apoptosis, and enhanced accumulation in the G0/G1 phase of liver cancer cells. It also turned out that TT extract inhibited NF-κB-dependent reporter gene expression and NF-κB subunit p50 expression, while it enhanced the cellular level of IκBα by inhibiting the phosphorylation and degradation of IκBα. In addition, IKK activity was inhibited in a dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, TT extract suppressed the transcription of genes associated with cell cycle regulation, anti-apoptosis, and invasion. These data showed that TT extract blocks proliferation and induces apoptosis in human liver cancer cells through the inhibition of NF-κB signaling. Aqueous TT extract can be used as an anticancer drug for hepatocellular carcinoma patients. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  11. Discovery and validation of DNA hypomethylation biomarkers for liver cancer using HRM-specific probes.

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    Barbara Stefanska

    Full Text Available Poor prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC associated with late diagnosis necessitates the development of early diagnostic biomarkers. We have previously delineated the landscape of DNA methylation in HCC patients unraveling the importance of promoter hypomethylation in activation of cancer- and metastasis-driving genes. The purpose of the present study was to test the feasibility that genes that are hypomethylated in HCC could serve as candidate diagnostic markers. We use high resolution melting analysis (HRM as a simple translatable PCR-based method to define methylation states in clinical samples. We tested seven regions selected from the shortlist of genes hypomethylated in HCC and showed that HRM analysis of several of them distinguishes methylation states in liver cancer specimens from normal adjacent liver and chronic hepatitis in the Shanghai area. Such regions were identified within promoters of neuronal membrane glycoprotein M6-B (GPM6B and melanoma antigen family A12 (MAGEA12 genes. Differences in HRM in the immunoglobulin superfamily Fc receptor (FCRL1 separated invasive tumors from less invasive HCC. The identified biomarkers differentiated HCC from chronic hepatitis in another set of samples from Dhaka. Although the main thrust in DNA methylation diagnostics in cancer is on hypermethylated genes, our study for the first time illustrates the potential use of hypomethylated genes as markers for solid tumors. After further validation in a larger cohort, the identified DNA hypomethylated regions can become important candidate biomarkers for liver cancer diagnosis and prognosis, especially in populations with high risk for HCC development.

  12. Worldwide incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma cases attributable to major risk factors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Baecker, Aileen; Liu, Xing; La Vecchia, Carlo; Zhang, Zuo-Feng

    2018-05-01

    To facilitate regionally specific liver cancer prevention and control, this study estimates the fraction of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cases attributable to five major liver cancer risk factors by geographic region. Prevalence estimates of major HCC risk factors, including chronic infection with hepatitis B and hepatitis C, alcohol drinking, tobacco smoking, obesity, and diabetes, were extracted for each country from the literature, along with recent incidence and risk estimate data, to calculate regionally specific population attributable fractions. Overall, 44% of HCC cases worldwide were attributable to chronic hepatitis B infection, with the majority of cases occurring in Asia. Hepatitis C was responsible for 21% of cases. Lifestyle risk factors such as alcohol drinking and obesity were responsible for a larger percentage of cases in North America and Western, Central, and Eastern Europe. In addition, strong sex disparities were observed when looking at lifestyle risk factors, particularly tobacco smoking, in Asia and Africa. Prominent risk factors for HCC vary depending on the region. Our findings provide useful data for developing regionally specific guidelines for liver cancer prevention and control worldwide.

  13. Chemotherapeutic potential of curcumin-bearing microcells against hepatocellular carcinoma in model animals

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Farazuddin M

    2014-03-01

    Full Text Available Mohammad Farazuddin,1 Bhavyata Dua,2 Qamar Zia,1 Aijaz Ahmad Khan,3 Beenu Joshi,2 Mohammad Owais1 1Interdisciplinary Biotechnology Unit, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, 2Immunology Division, National JALMA Institute for Leprosy and Other Mycobacterial Diseases (NJIL, Agra, 3Department of Anatomy, Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, India Abstract: Curcumin (diferuloylmethane is found in large quantities in the roots of Curcuma longa. It possesses strong antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, and inhibits chemically-induced carcinogenesis in the skin, forestomach, colon, and liver. Unfortunately, the poor bioavailability and hydrophobicity of curcumin pose a major hurdle to its use as a potent anticancer agent. To circumvent some of these problems, we developed a novel, dual-core microcell formulation of curcumin. The encapsulation of curcumin in microcells increases its solubility and bioavailability, and facilitates slow release kinetics over extended periods. Besides being safe, these formulations do not bear any toxicity constraints, as revealed by in vitro and in vivo studies. Histopathological analysis revealed that curcumin-bearing microcells helped in regression of hepatocellular carcinoma and the maintenance of cellular architecture in liver tissue. Free curcumin had a very mild effect on cancer suppression. Empty (sham microcells and microparticles failed to inhibit cancer cells. The novel curcumin formulation was found to suppress hepatocellular carcinoma efficiently in Swiss albino mice. Keywords: diferuloylmethane, carcinogenesis, microparticle, nanocells, cancer, Curcuma longa

  14. Anticancer effects of deproteinized asparagus polysaccharide on hepatocellular carcinoma in vitro and in vivo.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xiang, Jianfeng; Xiang, Yanjie; Lin, Shengming; Xin, Dongwei; Liu, Xiaoyu; Weng, Lingling; Chen, Tao; Zhang, Minguang

    2014-04-01

    Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most aggressive malignancies in the world whose chemoprevention became increasingly important in HCC treatment. Although the anticancer effects of asparagus constituents have been investigated in several cancers, its effects on hepatocellular carcinoma have not been fully studied. In this study, we investigated the anticancer effects of the deproteinized asparagus polysaccharide on the hepatocellular carcinoma cells using the in vitro and in vivo experimental model. Our data showed that deproteinized asparagus polysaccharide might act as an effective inhibitor on cell growth in vitro and in vivo and exert potent selective cytotoxicity against human hepatocellular carcinoma Hep3B and HepG2 cells. Further study showed that it could potently induce cell apoptosis and G2/M cell cycle arrest in the more sensitive Hep3B and HepG2 cell lines. Moreover, deproteinized asparagus polysaccharide potentiated the effects of mitomycin both in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistic studies revealed that deproteinized asparagus polysaccharide might exert its activity through an apoptosis-associated pathway by modulating the expression of Bax, Bcl-2, and caspase-3. In conclusion, deproteinized asparagus polysaccharide exhibited significant anticancer activity against hepatocellular carcinoma cells and could sensitize the tumoricidal effects of mitomycin, indicating that it is a potential therapeutic agent (or chemosensitizer) for liver cancer therapy.

  15. Thyroid metastasis in a patient with hepatocellular carcinoma: case report and review of literature

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chai Chiah-Yang

    2007-12-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Despite the apparent low incidence of cancer metastatic to the thyroid, autopsy and clinical series suggest it is more common than generally. Although lung, renal, and breast cancer are probably the most common primary sites, a number of cancers have been reported to metastasize to the thyroid synchronously with diagnosis of primary tumor or years after apparently curative treatment. Case presentation We report a rare case of a hepatocellular carcinoma metasatic to the thyroid. The patient presented seven months after original diagnosis and treatment with hepatic lobectomy with multiple neck lesions producing a mass effect on the trachea and bilateral lymphadenopathy. Fine-needle aspiration revealed highly anaplastic carcinoma, and immunohistochemistry confirmed hepatocellular carcinoma. The patient received total thyroidectomy as palliative therapy because of the presence of multiple recurrent lesions in the liver. Conclusion Clinicians should consider the possibility of metastatic cancer in each patient who presents with a new thyroid mass, especially those with a history of cancer, however remote. In cases where cytology or histology is not diagnostic, immunohistochemistry may be definitive in making the diagnosis.

  16. Histological heterogeneity in primary and metastatic classic combined hepatocellular-cholangiocarcinoma: a case series.

    Science.gov (United States)

    De Vito, Claudio; Sarker, Debashis; Ross, Paul; Heaton, Nigel; Quaglia, Alberto

    2017-11-01

    Combined hepatocellular-cholangiocarcinoma (cHCC-CC) is a rare and aggressive primary liver cancer with both hepatocellular and cholangiocellular differentiation. Due to its bi-phenotypic component, cHCC-CC is a heterogeneous tumour and histopathological analysis of metastatic deposits is poorly characterized. In this retrospective study, we describe four patients in whom the histology from resected specimens of both primary and recurrent and/or metastatic tumour was available for comparison and immunohistochemical characterization. Our study shows that recurrent or metastatic deposits replicate the heterogeneity of the primary cHCC-CC, that even originally small foci of divergent differentiation can become predominant later on and that hepatocellular and cholangiocellular components can show different tropism in distant organs. In our experience, the behaviour of recurrent/metastatic cHCC-CC is unpredictable and histological examination is necessary to guide treatment options at present.

  17. Imaging of hepatocellular carcinoma; Bildgebung des hepatozellulaeren Karzinoms

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lincke, Therese; Zech, Christoph [Universitaetsspital Basel (Switzerland). Klinik fuer Radiologie und Nuklearmedizin; Boll, Daniel

    2016-12-15

    Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Besides the improvement in diagnostics and therapy the quantity of new cases and fatalities per year are equal. The main risk factors for HCC developing are liver cirrhosis (causing 90% of HCCs), non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and chronic hepatitis B infection. Therefore, it is recommended to perform an ultrasound screening on patients at risk every 6 month to detect HCC-lesions early. HCC can be definitely diagnosed by imaging techniques using contrast agent such as contrast-enhanced-ultrasound (CEUS), contrast-enhanced-MRI (CE-MRI) and contrast-enhanced-CT (CE-CT). MRI has several advantages compared to the other modalities due to the multi-parametric approach and a higher sensitivity for tumor detection.

  18. Safety and efficacy of Y-90 microsphere treatment in patients with primary and metastatic liver cancer: The tumor selectivity of the treatment as a function of tumor to liver flow ratio

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dezarn William A

    2007-03-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Treatment records and follow-up data on 40 patients with primary and metastatic liver malignancies who underwent a single whole-liver treatment with Y-90 resin microspheres (SIR-Spheres® Sirtex Medical, Lake Forest, IL were retrospectively reviewed. The objective of the study was to evaluate the anatomic and physiologic determinants of radiation dose distribution, and the dose response of tumor and liver toxicity in patients with liver malignancies who underwent hepatic arterial Y-90 resin microsphere treatment. Methods Liver and tumor volume calculations were performed on pre-treatment CT scans. Fractional tumor and liver flow characteristics and lung shunt fractions were determined using hepatic arterial Tc-99m MAA imaging. Absorbed dose calculations were performed using the MIRD equations. Liver toxicity was assessed clinically and by liver function tests. Tumor response to therapy was assessed by CT and/or tumor markers. Results Of the 40 patients, 5 had hepatocellular cancer (HCC, and 35 had metastatic liver tumors (15 colorectal cancer, 10 neuroendocrine tumors, 4 breast cancer, 2 lung cancer, 1 ovarian cancer, 1 endometrial cancer, and 2 unknown primary adenocarcinoma. All patients were treated in a salvage setting with a 3 to 80 week follow-up (mean: 19 weeks. Tumor volumes ranged from 15.0 to 984.2 cc (mean: 294.9 cc and tumor to normal liver uptake ratios ranged from 2.8 to 15.4 (mean: 5.4. Average administered activity was 1.2 GBq (0.4 to 2.4 GBq. Liver absorbed doses ranged from 0.7 to 99.5 Gy (mean: 17.2 Gy. Tumor absorbed doses ranged from 40.1 to 494.8 Gy (mean: 121.5 Gy. None of the patients had clinical venoocclusive disease or therapy-induced liver failure. Seven patients (17.5 % had transient and 7 patients (17.5 % had persistent LFT abnormalities. There were 27 (67.5% responders (complete response, partial response, and stable disease. Tumor response correlated with higher tumor flow ratio as measured by

  19. Prophylactic Role of Averrhoa carambola (Star Fruit) Extract against Chemically Induced Hepatocellular Carcinoma in Swiss Albino Mice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Singh, Ritu; Sharma, Jyoti; Goyal, P K

    2014-01-01

    Liver cancer remains one of the severe lethal malignancies worldwide and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common form. The current study was designed to evaluate the prophylactic role of the fruit of Averrhoa carambola (star fruit or Kamrak) on diethylnitrosamine- (DENA-) induced (15 mg/kg b.wt.; single i.p. injection) and CCl4-promoted (1.6 g/kg b.wt. in corn oil thrice a week for 24 weeks) liver cancer in Swiss albino mice. Administration of ACE was made orally at a dose of 25 mg/kg b.wt/day for 5 consecutive days and it was withdrawn 48 hrs before the first administration of DENA (preinitiational stage). CCl4 was given after 2 weeks of DENA administration. A cent percent tumor incidence was noted in carcinogen treated animals while ACE administration resulted in a considerable reduction in tumor incidence, tumor yield, and tumor burden. Further, ACE treatment brings out a significant reduction in lipid peroxidation (P carambola against hepatocellular carcinoma in mice; therefore, it could be employed for the further screening as a good chemopreventive natural supplement against cancer.

  20. Human immunodeficiency virus infection and the liver.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Crane, Megan; Iser, David; Lewin, Sharon R

    2012-03-27

    Liver disease in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected individuals encompasses the spectrum from abnormal liver function tests, liver decompensation, with and without evidence of cirrhosis on biopsy, to non-alcoholic liver disease and its more severe form, non-alcoholic steatohepatitis and hepatocellular cancer. HIV can infect multiple cells in the liver, leading to enhanced intrahepatic apoptosis, activation and fibrosis. HIV can also alter gastro-intestinal tract permeability, leading to increased levels of circulating lipopolysaccharide that may have an impact on liver function. This review focuses on recent changes in the epidemiology, pathogenesis and clinical presentation of liver disease in HIV-infected patients, in the absence of co-infection with hepatitis B virus or hepatitis C virus, with a specific focus on issues relevant to low and middle income countries.

  1. Acute Exacerbation of Hepatitis in Liver Cirrhosis with Very High Levels of alpha-Fetoprotein But No Occurrence of Hepatocellular Carcinoma

    Science.gov (United States)

    Park, Sang Jong; Park, Kwang Bo; Paik, So Ya; Ryu, Jin Kyung; Choi, Chang Kyu; Hwang, Tae Joon

    2005-01-01

    Aminotransferase levels do not always increase during acute hepatitis or during an acute flare-up of chronic hepatitis. Persistently increased levels of serum alpha-Fetoprotein in an adult with liver disease suggest not only the presence or progression of hepatocellular carcinoma or its recurrence after hepatic resection or after other therapeutic approaches such as chemotherapy or chemoembolization, but also it suggests that there is an acute exacerbation of hepatitis or liver cirrhosis. We report here on two unusual cases of HBV- & HCV-related liver cirrhosis with acute exacerbation of hepatitis in which there was an insignificant elevation of the aminotransferase levels, but there were markedly increased alpha-Fetoprotein levels observed. The levels of alpha-Fetoprotein decreased gradually in both cases since the beginning of antiviral therapy, which implies that the increased levels were due to aggravation of the accompanying hepatitis. These cases also emphasize that using only the measurement of alpha-Fetoprotein is not sufficient for the diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma, and that this diagnosis also requires a more specific measurement such as AFP L3 along with the standard imaging studies. PMID:15906959

  2. Embolotherapy in the management of hepatocellular carcinoma.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mojtahedi, Alireza; Yang, Xiaoming; Goswami, Gaurav K

    2008-09-01

    Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) ranks fifth in frequency of cancers worldwide. The incidence of HCC in the United States is rising, primarily due to the number of patients who were infected by hepatitis in the 1960s and 1970s coupled with the rising migrant population from Asia, where hepatitis is widely prevalent. Up to 80% of the patients present with multicentric HCC and advanced liver disease or comorbidities that restrict the option of resection or liver transplantation. The dual blood supply (arterial and portal) to the liver with predominantly arterial supply to the tumor has made embolotherapy a cornerstone in the management of inoperable HCC. The techniques have become refined not only due to the development of microcatheter angiographic capabilities, but also in the ability to deliver a wide variety of therapeutic agents to these tumors. This article reviews the fundamental principles of bland embolization, chemoembolization, and radioembolization in the management of HCC.

  3. Automatic liver contouring for radiotherapy treatment planning

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li, Dengwang; Kapp, Daniel S; Xing, Lei; Liu, Li

    2015-01-01

    To develop automatic and efficient liver contouring software for planning 3D-CT and four-dimensional computed tomography (4D-CT) for application in clinical radiation therapy treatment planning systems.The algorithm comprises three steps for overcoming the challenge of similar intensities between the liver region and its surrounding tissues. First, the total variation model with the L1 norm (TV-L1), which has the characteristic of multi-scale decomposition and an edge-preserving property, is used for removing the surrounding muscles and tissues. Second, an improved level set model that contains both global and local energy functions is utilized to extract liver contour information sequentially. In the global energy function, the local correlation coefficient (LCC) is constructed based on the gray level co-occurrence matrix both of the initial liver region and the background region. The LCC can calculate the correlation of a pixel with the foreground and background regions, respectively. The LCC is combined with intensity distribution models to classify pixels during the evolutionary process of the level set based method. The obtained liver contour is used as the candidate liver region for the following step. In the third step, voxel-based texture characterization is employed for refining the liver region and obtaining the final liver contours.The proposed method was validated based on the planning CT images of a group of 25 patients undergoing radiation therapy treatment planning. These included ten lung cancer patients with normal appearing livers and ten patients with hepatocellular carcinoma or liver metastases. The method was also tested on abdominal 4D-CT images of a group of five patients with hepatocellular carcinoma or liver metastases. The false positive volume percentage, the false negative volume percentage, and the dice similarity coefficient between liver contours obtained by a developed algorithm and a current standard delineated by the expert group

  4. Small hepatocellular carcinoma versus small cavernous hemangioma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Choi, B.I.; Park, H.W.; Kim, S.H.; Han, M.C.; Kim, C.W.

    1989-01-01

    To determine the optimal pulse sequence for detection and differential diagnosis of small hepatocellular carcinomas and cavernous hemangiomas less than 5 cm in diameter, the authors have analyzed spin-echo (SE) images of 15 small hepatocellular carcinomas and 31 small cavernous hemangiomas obtained at 2.0 T. Pulse sequences used included repetition times (TRs) of 500 and 2,000 msec and echo times (TEs) of 30,60,90,120,150, and 180 msec. Mean tumor-liver contrast-to-noise ratios on the SE 2,000/60 (TR msec/TE msec) sequence were 23.90 ± 16.33 and 62.10 ± 25.94 for small hepatocellular carcinomas and hemangiomas, respectively, and were significantly greater than for all other pulse sequences. Mean tumor-liver signal intensity ratios on the SE 2,000/150 sequence were 2.34 ± 1.72 and 6.04 ± 2.72 for small hepatocellular carcinomas and hemangiomas, respectively, and were significantly greater than for all other pulse sequences in hemangiomas

  5. Factors Predicting Survival after Transarterial Chemoembolization of Unresectable Hepatocellular Carcinoma

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Farina M. Hanif

    2014-10-01

    Full Text Available Background: Transarterial chemoembolization is the preferred treatment for unresectable, intermediate-stage hepatocellular carcinoma. Survival after transarterial chemoembolization can be highly variable. The purpose of this study is to identify the factors that predict overall survival of patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma who undergo transarterial chemoembolization as the initial therapy. Methods:We included patients who underwent transarterial chemoembolization from 2007 to 2012 in this study. Patient’s age, gender, cause of cirrhosis, Child-Turcotte-Pugh score, model of end-stage liver disease score, Cancer of the Liver Italian Program score, Okuda stage, alpha- fetoprotein level, site, size and number of tumors were recorded. Radiological response to transarterial chemoembolization was assessed by computerized tomography scan at 1 and 3 months after the procedure. Repeat sessions of transarterial chemoembolization were performed according to the response. We performed survival assessment and all patients were assessed for survival at the last follow-up. Results: Included in this study were 71 patients of whom there were 57 (80.3 % males, with a mean age of 51.9±12.1 years (range: 18-76 years. The mean follow-up period was 12.5±10.7 months. A total of 31 (43.7% patients had only one session of transarterial chemoembolization, 17 (23.9% underwent 2 and 11 (15.5% had 3 or more sessions. On univariate analysis, significant factors that predicted survival included serum bilirubin (P=0.02, esophageal varices (P=0.002, Cancer of the Liver Italian Program score (P=0.003, tumor size (P=0.005, >3 sessions of transarterial chemoembolization (P=0.006 and patient's age (P=0.001. Cox regression analysis showed that tumor size of 1 transarterial chemoembolization session (P=0.004 were associated with better survival. Conclusion: Our study demonstrates that survival after transarterial chemoem- bolization is predicted by tumor size

  6. Research advances in proton beam therapy for hepatocellular carcinoma

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    DAI Shuyang

    2013-10-01

    Full Text Available Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC, one of the most common malignancies with high prevalence and mortality rate, usually results in poor prognosis and limited survival. A comprehensive analysis on the number and location of tumors, Child-Pugh grade, and Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer stage will help the development of suitable treatment programs and improve prediction of prognosis. A majority of patients are complicated by cirrhosis, enlarged tumor, multiple lesions, vascular invasion, and even cancer embolus in the portal vein. With the growth of knowledge about the radiation tolerance of normal tissue and the advances in radiotherapy techniques, radiotherapy has become an important tool for step-down therapy and adjuvant therapy for liver cancer. Proton beam therapy (PBT is emerging as a novel radiotherapy for the management of HCC, which, benefiting from the effect of Bragg Peak from PBT, effectively decreases the toxicity of traditional radiotherapies to the liver and does little harm to the uninvolved liver tissue or the surrounding structures while intensifying the destruction in targeted malignant lesions. Furthermore, several previous studies on the treatment of HCC with PBT revealed excellent local control. The distinctive biophysical attributes of PBT in the treatment of HCC, as well as the available literature regarding clinical outcomes and toxicity of using PBT for HCC, are reviewed. Current evidence provides limited indications for PBT, which suggests that further study on the relationship between liver function and PBT is required to gain further insight into its indication and standardization.

  7. Clinical usefulness of positron emission tomography with fluorine-18-fluorodeoxyglucose in the diagnosis of liver tumors

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Iwata, Yoshinori; Shiomi, Susumu; Sasaki, Nobumitsu; Jomura, Hisato; Nishiguchi, Shuhei; Seki, Shuichi; Kawabe, Joji; Ochi, Hironobu [Osaka City Univ. (Japan). Medical School

    2000-04-01

    We studied various liver tumors by positron emission tomography with fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG-PET) to examine the diagnostic usefulness of this technique. We also examined the relation between findings on FDG-PET and the characteristics of hepatocellular carcinoma. FDG-PET was performed in 78 patients with liver tumors, including 53 with primary liver cancer [48 hepatocellular carcinomas (HCC) and 5 cholangiocellular carcinomas (CCC)], 20 with metastatic liver cancer, 2 with liver hemangioma, and 3 with focal nodular hyperplasia. For quantitative evaluation, a region of interest (ROI) was placed over the entire tumor region, at the level of the maximum diameter of the tumor. A background ROI was then placed over the non-tumor region of the liver. The average activity within each ROI was subsequently corrected for radioactive decay, and the standardized uptake value (SUV) was calculated by dividing the tissue activity by the injected dose of radioactivity per unit body weight. SUV ratio was expressed as the tumor-to-non-tumor ratio of the SUV. The median SUV was significantly lower in HCC than in metastatic live cancer or CCC, and the median SUV ratio was significantly lower in HCC than in metastatic liver cancer or CCC. The median SUV was not higher in multiple HCC than in single HCC, but the median SUV ratio was significantly higher in multiple HCC than in single HCC. The median SUV and the median SUV ratio were significantly higher in the presence of portal vein thrombosis than in the absence of such thrombosis. The Cancer of the Liver Italian Program score and the {alpha}-fetoprotein value correlated significantly with both the SUV and SUV ratio. These results suggest that FDG-PET is clinically useful not only for the differential diagnosis of liver tumors but also for evaluation of the clinical characteristics of HCC. (author)

  8. File list: Unc.Liv.05.AllAg.Carcinoma,_Hepatocellular [Chip-atlas[Archive

    Lifescience Database Archive (English)

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  10. Development of hepatocellular adenomas and carcinomas in mice with liver-specific G6Pase-α deficiency

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Roberta Resaz

    2014-09-01

    Full Text Available Glycogen storage disease type 1a (GSD-1a is caused by a deficiency in glucose-6-phosphatase-α (G6Pase-α, and is characterized by impaired glucose homeostasis and a high risk of developing hepatocellular adenomas (HCAs. A globally G6Pase-α-deficient (G6pc−/− mouse model that shows pathological features similar to those of humans with GSD-1a has been developed. These mice show a very severe phenotype of disturbed glucose homeostasis and rarely live beyond weaning. We generated liver-specific G6Pase-α-deficient (LS‑G6pc−/− mice as an alternative animal model for studying the long-term pathophysiology of the liver and the potential treatment strategies, such as cell therapy. LS‑G6pc−/− mice were viable and exhibited normal glucose profiles in the fed state, but showed significantly lower blood glucose levels than their control littermates after 6 hours of fasting. LS‑G6pc−/− mice developed hepatomegaly with glycogen accumulation and hepatic steatosis, and progressive hepatic degeneration. Ninety percent of the mice analyzed developed amyloidosis by 12 months of age. Finally, 25% of the mice sacrificed at age 10–20 months showed the presence of multiple HCAs and in one case late development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC. In conclusion, LS‑G6pc−/− mice manifest hepatic symptoms similar to those of human GSD-1a and, therefore, represent a valid model to evaluate long-term liver pathogenesis of GSD-1a.

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  15. File list: Pol.Liv.10.AllAg.Carcinoma,_Hepatocellular [Chip-atlas[Archive

    Lifescience Database Archive (English)

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  16. A qualitative signature for early diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma based on relative expression orderings.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ao, Lu; Zhang, Zimei; Guan, Qingzhou; Guo, Yating; Guo, You; Zhang, Jiahui; Lv, Xingwei; Huang, Haiyan; Zhang, Huarong; Wang, Xianlong; Guo, Zheng

    2018-04-23

    Currently, using biopsy specimens to confirm suspicious liver lesions of early hepatocellular carcinoma are not entirely reliable because of insufficient sampling amount and inaccurate sampling location. It is necessary to develop a signature to aid early hepatocellular carcinoma diagnosis using biopsy specimens even when the sampling location is inaccurate. Based on the within-sample relative expression orderings of gene pairs, we identified a simple qualitative signature to distinguish both hepatocellular carcinoma and adjacent non-tumour tissues from cirrhosis tissues of non-hepatocellular carcinoma patients. A signature consisting of 19 gene pairs was identified in the training data sets and validated in 2 large collections of samples from biopsy and surgical resection specimens. For biopsy specimens, 95.7% of 141 hepatocellular carcinoma tissues and all (100%) of 108 cirrhosis tissues of non-hepatocellular carcinoma patients were correctly classified. Especially, all (100%) of 60 hepatocellular carcinoma adjacent normal tissues and 77.5% of 80 hepatocellular carcinoma adjacent cirrhosis tissues were classified to hepatocellular carcinoma. For surgical resection specimens, 99.7% of 733 hepatocellular carcinoma specimens were correctly classified to hepatocellular carcinoma, while 96.1% of 254 hepatocellular carcinoma adjacent cirrhosis tissues and 95.9% of 538 hepatocellular carcinoma adjacent normal tissues were classified to hepatocellular carcinoma. In contrast, 17.0% of 47 cirrhosis from non-hepatocellular carcinoma patients waiting for liver transplantation were classified to hepatocellular carcinoma, indicating that some patients with long-lasting cirrhosis could have already gained hepatocellular carcinoma characteristics. The signature can distinguish both hepatocellular carcinoma tissues and tumour-adjacent tissues from cirrhosis tissues of non-hepatocellular carcinoma patients even using inaccurately sampled biopsy specimens, which can aid early

  17. Accuracy of hepatocellular carcinoma detection on multidetector CT in a transplant liver population with explant liver correlation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Addley, H.C.; Griffin, N.; Shaw, A.S.; Mannelli, L.; Parker, R.A.; Aitken, S.; Wood, H.; Davies, S.; Alexander, G.J.; Lomas, D.J.

    2011-01-01

    Aim: To evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in cirrhotic patients undergoing liver transplantation. Secondary aims were to examine the effect of radiologist experience and lesion size on diagnostic accuracy. Materials and methods: Thirty-nine patients (72% male with a mean age of 56.5 years) underwent liver transplantation following preoperative triple-phase MDCT examination of the liver. MDCT examinations were retrospectively independently reviewed by three radiologists for the presence and location of suspected HCCs, with the diagnostic confidence recorded using a five-point confidence scale. MDCT examinations were compared with explant specimens for histopathological correlation. Results: Histopathological results demonstrated 46 HCCs in 29 of the 39 patients. Analysis demonstrated a sensitivity of 65-75% and specificity of 47-88% for detection of HCC lesions. The sensitivity dropped to 48-57% for lesions of size ≤20 mm. As the diagnostic confidence increased, there was a further decrease in the sensitivity (4-26%). The radiologist with the greatest number of years experience was found to have a significantly higher accuracy of detection of HCC lesions compared with the least experienced radiologist. Conclusion: Larger lesion size of HCC and greater number of years experience of the radiologist resulted in significantly higher accuracy of HCC lesion detection. The overall sensitivity and specificity results for MDCT detection of HCC are comparable to previous helical CT imaging.

  18. Findings in multidetector computed tomography in the diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma in patients with cirrhosis and correlation with pathology of liver explants

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Haberman, D.; Castignola, M.; Mela, M.; Paladini, H.; Santilli, J.P.; Gruz, F.; Gondolesi, G.

    2013-01-01

    Objectives: To describe the imagenological behavior of hepatocellular carcinoma in cirrhotic patients using a dynamic multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) technique, and correlate these findings with histological tumor grades. Materials and methods: A retrospective, descriptive observational study was conducted to evaluate 51 nodules in 32 liver transplant patients diagnosed with liver cirrhosis. The pathology of liver explants was used as a reference. Nodules with hepatocellular carcinoma histopathology were retrospectively analyzed by computed tomography scans performed pre-transplant. Using a dynamic multidetector computed tomography technique, we evaluated the most common imagenological behavior reported in the literature: arterial enhancement, washout, capsule, and intratumoral arterial vessels. Results: Forty-six of 51 (90%) tumors showed arterial enhancement. Of the 46 tumors with arterial enhancement, 39 (85%) had washout in portal-late phase. Five of 51 (10%) were hypovascular. Twenty-two of 51 (43%) had capsule and 12 of 51 (24%) showed intratumoral arterial vessels. The more frequent image combination was the combination of arterial enhancement and washout (39 of 51 tumors or 76%). The most frequent histological grade was II (35 of 51 tumors or 69%). Statistically significant relationships were found between histological grade tumors and imagenological behavior: arterial enhancement and hypovascular. Conclusion: In our population, arterial enhancement with washout in portal-late phases was observed in most of the tumors. Our results are consistent with previously reported studies, demonstrating the high reliability of this imaging pattern for the diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma. (authors) [es

  19. Salvage liver transplantation for patients with recurrent hepatocellular carcinoma after curative resection.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    LinWei Wu

    Full Text Available OBJECTIVE: To summarize the experience with salvage liver transplantation (SLT for patients with recurrent hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC after primary hepatic resection in a single center. METHODS: A total of 376 adult patients with HCC underwent orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT at Organ Transplantation Center, the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, between 2004 and 2008. Among these patients, 36 underwent SLT after primary liver curative resection due to intrahepatic recurrence. During the same period, one hundred and forty-seven patients with HCC within Milan criteria underwent primary OLT (PLTW group, the intra-operative and post-operative parameters were compared between these two groups. Furthermore, we compared tumor recurrence and patient survival of patients with SLT to 156 patients with HCC beyond Milan criteria (PLTB group. Cox Hazard regression was made to identify the risk factors for tumor recurrence. RESULTS: The median interval between initial liver resection and SLT was 35 months (1-63 months. The intraoperative blood loss (P0.05. When compared to those patients with HCC beyond Milan criteria undergoing primary OLT, patients undergoing SLT achieved a better survival and a lower tumor recurrence. Cox Proportional Hazards model showed that vascular invasion, including macrovascular and microvascular invasion, as well as AFP level >400 IU/L were risk factors for tumor recurrence after LT. CONCLUSIONS: In comparison with primary OLT, although SLT is associated with increased operation difficulties, it provides a good option for patients with HCC recurrence after curative resection.

  20. Bone mineral density predicts posttransplant survival among hepatocellular carcinoma liver transplant recipients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sharma, Pratima; Parikh, Neehar D; Yu, Jessica; Barman, Pranab; Derstine, Brian A; Sonnenday, Christopher J; Wang, Stewart C; Su, Grace L

    2016-08-01

    Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a common indication for liver transplantation (LT). Recent data suggest that body composition features strongly affect post-LT mortality. We examined the impact of body composition on post-LT mortality in patients with HCC. Data on adult LT recipients who received Model for End-Stage Liver Disease exception for HCC between February 29, 2002, and December 31, 2013, and who had a computed tomography (CT) scan any time 6 months prior to LT were reviewed (n = 118). All available CT scan Digital Imaging and Communication in Medicine files were analyzed using a semiautomated high throughput methodology with algorithms programmed in MATLAB. Analytic morphomics measurements including dorsal muscle group (DMG) area, visceral and subcutaneous fat, and bone mineral density (BMD) were taken at the bottom of the eleventh thoracic vertebral level. Thirty-two (27%) patients died during the median follow-up of 4.4 years. The number of HCC lesions (hazard ratio [HR], 2.81; P DMG area did not affect post-LT survival. In conclusion, in addition to number of HCC lesions and pre-LT locoregional therapy, low BMD, a surrogate for bone loss rather than DMG area, was independently associated with post-LT mortality in HCC patients. Bone loss may be an early marker of deconditioning that precedes sarcopenia and may affect transplant outcomes. Liver Transplantation 22 1092-1098 2016 AASLD. © 2016 American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases.

  1. Treatment of unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma with intrahepatic yttrium 90 microspheres: factors associated with liver toxicities.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Goin, James E; Salem, Riad; Carr, Brian I; Dancey, Janet E; Soulen, Michael C; Geschwind, Jean Francois H; Goin, Kathleen; Van Buskirk, Mark; Thurston, Kenneth

    2005-02-01

    Intraarterial injection of yttrium 90 microspheres (TheraSpheres) is used in the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). This article presents an analysis of the incidence of liver toxicities (liver-related events) and pretreatment factors associated with liver toxicities after TheraSphere treatment. Eighty-eight TheraSphere-treated patients with low 90-day mortality risk were selected for analysis, with liver toxicities coded with use of standard oncology criteria. Descriptive and inferential statistical methods were applied to estimate the incidence of liver toxicities and to evaluate the influence of liver radiation dose and various pretreatment factors on the risk of their occurrence. Sixty-eight liver toxicities occurred in 37 of the 88 patients (42%). Thirty-two patients (36%) experienced 50 liver toxicities after the first treatment and nine of 23 patients (39%) who received a second treatment experienced 18 liver toxicities. Pretreatment total bilirubin and liver radiation dose were found to be associated with the risk of at least one liver toxicity and with the time to first occurrence of a liver toxicity after first treatment. Pretreatment total bilirubin also was associated with liver toxicities after the second treatment. Most of the toxicities resolved; however, those that did not resolve were attributed to tumor progression or advancing cirrhosis. The risk of liver toxicities in patients with unresectable HCC treated with TheraSpheres increases with increasing pretreatment total bilirubin level and liver radiation dose to a maximum of 150 Gy for a single administration. The toxicities attributed to treatment resolved over time, and none of the patients studied had confirmed radiation-induced liver disease. Consequently, doses as high as 150 Gy on a single administration and as high as 268 Gy on repeated administrations were well tolerated.

  2. Incidence and mortality of primary liver cancer in England and Wales: changing patterns and ethnic variations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ladep, Nimzing G; Khan, Shahid A; Crossey, Mary Me; Thillainayagam, Andrew V; Taylor-Robinson, Simon D; Toledano, Mireille B

    2014-02-14

    To explore recent trends, modes of diagnosis, ethnic distribution and the mortality to incidence ratio of primary liver cancer by subtypes in England and Wales. We obtained incidence (1979-2008) and mortality (1968-2008) data for primary liver cancer for England and Wales and calculated age-standardised incidence and mortality rates. Trends in age-standardised mortality (ASMR) and incidence (ASIR) rates and basis of diagnosis of primary liver cancer and subcategories: hepatocellular carcinoma, intrahepatic bile duct and unspecified liver tumours, were analysed over the study period. Changes in guidelines for the diagnosis of primary liver cancer (PLC) may impact changing trends in the rates that may be obtained. We thus explored changes in the mode of diagnosis as reported to cancer registries. Furthermore, we examined the distribution of these tumours by ethnicity. Most of the statistical manipulations of these data was carried out in Microsoft excel® (Seattle, Washington, United Sttaes). Additional epidemiological statistics were done in Epi Info software (Atlanta, GA, United Sttaes). To define patterns of change over time, we evaluated trends in ASMR and ASIR of PLC and intrahepatic bile duct carcinoma (IHBD) using a least squares regression line fitted to the natural logarithm of the mortality and incidence rates. We estimated the patterns of survival over subsequent 5 and 10 years using complement of mortality to incidence ratio (1-MIR). Age-standardised mortality rate of primary liver cancer increased in both sexes: from 2.56 and 1.29/100000 in 1968 to 5.10 and 2.63/100000 in 2008 for men and women respectively. The use of histology for diagnostic confirmation of primary liver cancer increased from 35.7% of registered cases in 1993 to plateau at about 50% during 2005 to 2008. Reliance on cytology as a basis of diagnosis has maintained a downward trend throughout the study period. Although approximately 30% of the PLC registrations had information on

  3. Perfusion computed tomography for detection of hepatocellular carcinoma in patients with liver cirrhosis

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Fischer, Michael A.; Kartalis, Nikolaos; Grigoriadis, Aristeidis; Loizou, Louiza; Leidner, Bertil; Aspelin, Peter; Brismar, Torkel B. [Karolinska Institute, Department of Clinical Science, Intervention and Technology, Division of Medical Imaging and Technology, Stockholm (Sweden); Karolinska University Hospital, Department of Radiology, Stockholm (Sweden); Staal, Per [Karolinska University Hospital, Department of Hepatology, Stockholm (Sweden)

    2015-11-15

    To evaluate the diagnostic performance of dynamic perfusion CT (P-CT) for detection of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in the cirrhotic liver. Twenty-six cirrhotic patients (19 men, aged 69 ± 10 years) with suspicion of HCC prospectively underwent P-CT of the liver using the 4D spiral-mode (100/80 kV; 150/175mAs/rot) of a dual-source system. Two readers assessed: (1) arterial liver-perfusion (ALP), portal-venous liver-perfusion (PLP) and hepatic perfusion-index (HPI) maps alone; and (2) side-by-side with maximum-intensity-projections of arterial time-points (art-MIP) for detection of HCC using histopathology and imaging follow-up as standard of reference. Another reader quantitatively assessed perfusion maps of detected lesions. A total of 48 HCCs in 21/26 (81 %) patients with a mean size of 20 ± 10 mm were detected by histopathology (9/48, 19 %) or imaging follow-up (39/48, 81 %). Detection rates (Reader1/Reader2) of HPI maps and side-by-side analysis of HPI combined with arterial MIP were 92/88 % and 98/96 %, respectively. Positive-predictive values were 63/63 % and 68/71 %, respectively. A cut-off value of ≥85 % HPI and ≥99 % HPI yielded a sensitivity and specificity of 100 %, respectively, for detection of HCC. P-CT shows a high sensitivity for detection of HCC in the cirrhotic liver. Quantitative assessment has the potential to reduce false-positive findings improving the specificity of HCC diagnosis. (orig.)

  4. Hypervascular hyperplastic nodules appearing in chronic alcoholic liver disease: benign intrahepatic nodules mimicking hepatocellular carcinoma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Park, Won Kyu; Chang, Jay Chun; Kim, Jae Woon

    2006-01-01

    Hypervascular hyperplastic nodules in those patients with chronic alcoholic liver disease and who are hepatitis B and C negative have recently been reported on. The purpose of this study was to correlate the radiologic and pathologic findings with the clinical significance of these hypervascular hyperplastic nodules in chronic alcoholic liver disease. The study included eight hypervascular nodules of seven patients with chronic alcoholic liver disease, and these patients abused alcohol for more than 20 years. Eight hypervascular nodules were seen on the arterial phase of dynamic CT scans, but the possibility of HCC was excluded pathologically (n=4) or clinically. The radiologic and pathologic findings, and the changes of these nodules on follow up CT scans were retrospectively analyzed. All nodules showed good enhancement on the arterial phase. The tissue equilibrium phase of the dynamic CT scans showed isodensity in seven patients and low density in one patient. Ultrasound scans revealed hypoechoic findings for three nodules, isoechoic findings for two nodules, hyperechoic findings for one nodules, and two nodules were not detected. Angiograms (n=6) showed late incremental tumor staining, and all the nodules were well seen on the sinusoidal phase. CT during hepatic angiography (n=4) showed well stained tumor. CT during arterial portography (n=4) showed no defect in three nodules and nodular defect in on nodule. The MR images (n=3) showed low signal intensity in two nodules and iso-signal intensity in one nodule on T2WI. Five of six cases for which follow up CT scans were performed showed decrease in size and one was disappeared. Radiologically, it is often difficult to differentiate the hypervascular hyperplastic nodules seen in the chronic alcoholic liver disease from hepatocellular carcinoma, and histological confirmation is needed for excluded hepatocellular carcinoma. However, late tumor staining during the sinusoidal phase without any blood supply by feeding

  5. Hypervascular hyperplastic nodules appearing in chronic alcoholic liver disease: benign intrahepatic nodules mimicking hepatocellular carcinoma

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Park, Won Kyu; Chang, Jay Chun; Kim, Jae Woon [College of Medicine, Yeungnam University, Daegu (Korea, Republic of)] (and others)

    2006-02-15

    Hypervascular hyperplastic nodules in those patients with chronic alcoholic liver disease and who are hepatitis B and C negative have recently been reported on. The purpose of this study was to correlate the radiologic and pathologic findings with the clinical significance of these hypervascular hyperplastic nodules in chronic alcoholic liver disease. The study included eight hypervascular nodules of seven patients with chronic alcoholic liver disease, and these patients abused alcohol for more than 20 years. Eight hypervascular nodules were seen on the arterial phase of dynamic CT scans, but the possibility of HCC was excluded pathologically (n=4) or clinically. The radiologic and pathologic findings, and the changes of these nodules on follow up CT scans were retrospectively analyzed. All nodules showed good enhancement on the arterial phase. The tissue equilibrium phase of the dynamic CT scans showed isodensity in seven patients and low density in one patient. Ultrasound scans revealed hypoechoic findings for three nodules, isoechoic findings for two nodules, hyperechoic findings for one nodules, and two nodules were not detected. Angiograms (n=6) showed late incremental tumor staining, and all the nodules were well seen on the sinusoidal phase. CT during hepatic angiography (n=4) showed well stained tumor. CT during arterial portography (n=4) showed no defect in three nodules and nodular defect in on nodule. The MR images (n=3) showed low signal intensity in two nodules and iso-signal intensity in one nodule on T2WI. Five of six cases for which follow up CT scans were performed showed decrease in size and one was disappeared. Radiologically, it is often difficult to differentiate the hypervascular hyperplastic nodules seen in the chronic alcoholic liver disease from hepatocellular carcinoma, and histological confirmation is needed for excluded hepatocellular carcinoma. However, late tumor staining during the sinusoidal phase without any blood supply by feeding

  6. The potential of cell sheet technique on the development of hepatocellular carcinoma in rat models.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alaa T Alshareeda

    Full Text Available Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC is considered the 3rd leading cause of death by cancer worldwide with the majority of patients were diagnosed in the late stages. Currently, there is no effective therapy. The selection of an animal model that mimics human cancer is essential for the identification of prognostic/predictive markers, candidate genes underlying cancer induction and the examination of factors that may influence the response of cancers to therapeutic agents and regimens. In this study, we developed a HCC nude rat models using cell sheet and examined the effect of human stromal cells (SCs on the development of the HCC model and on different liver parameters such as albumin and urea.Transplanted cell sheet for HCC rat models was fabricated using thermo-responsive culture dishes. The effect of human umbilical cord mesenchymal stromal cells (UC-MSCs and human bone marrow mesenchymal stromal cells (BM-MSCs on the developed tumour was tested. Furthermore, development of tumour and detection of the liver parameter was studied. Additionally, angiogenesis assay was performed using Matrigel.HepG2 cells requires five days to form a complete cell sheet while HepG2 co-cultured with UC-MSCs or BM-MSCs took only three days. The tumour developed within 4 weeks after transplantation of the HCC sheet on the liver of nude rats. Both UC-MSCs and BM-MSCs improved the secretion of liver parameters by increasing the secretion of albumin and urea. Comparatively, the UC-MSCs were more effective than BM-MSCs, but unlike BM-MSCs, UC-MSCs prevented liver tumour formation and the tube formation of HCC.Since this is a novel study to induce liver tumour in rats using hepatocellular carcinoma sheet and stromal cells, the data obtained suggest that cell sheet is a fast and easy technique to develop HCC models as well as UC-MSCs have therapeutic potential for liver diseases. Additionally, the data procured indicates that stromal cells enhanced the fabrication of HepG2

  7. Living-donor vs deceased-donor liver transplantation for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Akamatsu, Nobuhisa; Sugawara, Yasuhiko; Kokudo, Norihiro

    2014-09-27

    With the increasing prevalence of living-donor liver transplantation (LDLT) for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), some authors have reported a potential increase in the HCC recurrence rates among LDLT recipients compared to deceased-donor liver transplantation (DDLT) recipients. The aim of this review is to encompass current opinions and clinical reports regarding differences in the outcome, especially the recurrence of HCC, between LDLT and DDLT. While some studies report impaired recurrence - free survival and increased recurrence rates among LDLT recipients, others, including large database studies, report comparable recurrence - free survival and recurrence rates between LDLT and DDLT. Studies supporting the increased recurrence in LDLT have linked graft regeneration to tumor progression, but we found no association between graft regeneration/initial graft volume and tumor recurrence among our 125 consecutive LDLTs for HCC cases. In the absence of a prospective study regarding the use of LDLT vs DDLT for HCC patients, there is no evidence to support the higher HCC recurrence after LDLT than DDLT, and LDLT remains a reasonable treatment option for HCC patients with cirrhosis.

  8. A high level of liver-specific expression of oncogenic KrasV12 drives robust liver tumorigenesis in transgenic zebrafish

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anh Tuan Nguyen

    2011-11-01

    Human liver cancer is one of the deadliest cancers worldwide, with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC being the most common type. Aberrant Ras signaling has been implicated in the development and progression of human HCC, but a complete understanding of the molecular mechanisms of this protein in hepatocarcinogenesis remains elusive. In this study, a stable in vivo liver cancer model using transgenic zebrafish was generated to elucidate Ras-driven tumorigenesis in HCC. Using the liver-specific fabp10 (fatty acid binding protein 10 promoter, we overexpressed oncogenic krasV12 specifically in the transgenic zebrafish liver. Only a high level of krasV12 expression initiated liver tumorigenesis, which progressed from hyperplasia to benign and malignant tumors with activation of the Ras-Raf-MEK-ERK and Wnt–β-catenin pathways. Histological diagnosis of zebrafish tumors identified HCC as the main lesion. The tumors were invasive and transplantable, indicating malignancy of these HCC cells. Oncogenic krasV12 was also found to trigger p53-dependent senescence as a tumor suppressive barrier in the pre-neoplastic stage. Microarray analysis of zebrafish liver hyperplasia and HCC uncovered the deregulation of several stage-specific and common biological processes and signaling pathways responsible for krasV12-driven liver tumorigenesis that recapitulated the molecular hallmarks of human liver cancer. Cross-species comparisons of cancer transcriptomes further defined a HCC-specific gene signature as well as a liver cancer progression gene signature that are evolutionarily conserved between human and zebrafish. Collectively, our study presents a comprehensive portrait of molecular mechanisms during progressive Ras-induced HCC. These observations indicate the validity of our transgenic zebrafish to model human liver cancer, and this model might act as a useful platform for drug screening and identifying new therapeutic targets.

  9. File list: Oth.Liv.50.AllAg.Carcinoma,_Hepatocellular [Chip-atlas[Archive

    Lifescience Database Archive (English)

    Full Text Available Oth.Liv.50.AllAg.Carcinoma,_Hepatocellular mm9 TFs and others Liver Carcinoma, Hepa...tocellular SRX467209 http://dbarchive.biosciencedbc.jp/kyushu-u/mm9/assembled/Oth.Liv.50.AllAg.Carcinoma,_Hepatocellular.bed ...

  10. File list: Oth.Liv.10.AllAg.Carcinoma,_Hepatocellular [Chip-atlas[Archive

    Lifescience Database Archive (English)

    Full Text Available Oth.Liv.10.AllAg.Carcinoma,_Hepatocellular mm9 TFs and others Liver Carcinoma, Hepa...tocellular SRX467209 http://dbarchive.biosciencedbc.jp/kyushu-u/mm9/assembled/Oth.Liv.10.AllAg.Carcinoma,_Hepatocellular.bed ...

  11. File list: Oth.Liv.05.AllAg.Carcinoma,_Hepatocellular [Chip-atlas[Archive

    Lifescience Database Archive (English)

    Full Text Available Oth.Liv.05.AllAg.Carcinoma,_Hepatocellular mm9 TFs and others Liver Carcinoma, Hepa...tocellular SRX467209 http://dbarchive.biosciencedbc.jp/kyushu-u/mm9/assembled/Oth.Liv.05.AllAg.Carcinoma,_Hepatocellular.bed ...

  12. File list: Oth.Liv.20.AllAg.Carcinoma,_Hepatocellular [Chip-atlas[Archive

    Lifescience Database Archive (English)

    Full Text Available Oth.Liv.20.AllAg.Carcinoma,_Hepatocellular mm9 TFs and others Liver Carcinoma, Hepa...tocellular SRX467209 http://dbarchive.biosciencedbc.jp/kyushu-u/mm9/assembled/Oth.Liv.20.AllAg.Carcinoma,_Hepatocellular.bed ...

  13. Negative correlation of LIV-1 and E-cadherin expression in hepatocellular carcinoma cells.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rongxi Shen

    Full Text Available LIV-1, a zinc transporter, is a mediator downstream of STAT3 both in zebrafish and mammalian cells, and is involved in epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT. Despite LIV-1 participates in cancer growth and metastasis, little is known about the association of LIV-1 with human liver cancer development. Therefore, the expression of LIV-1 mRNA was analyzed by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR in 4 cultured cell lines (3 carcinoma and 1 normal liver cell lines, and the localization of LIV-1 protein was investigated by immunohistochemistry. Expression of LIV-1 protein was analyzed by Western blot both in 4 cultured cell lines and 120 liver tissues (100 carcinoma and 20 histologically normal tissues, and the relationship between its expression and clinicopathological finding was investigated in 100 hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC tissues. Then stable siRNA expressing Hep-G2 cells were generated to assess the function of LIV-1 in liver cancer cells. We found that LIV-1 mRNA was more highly expressed in liver cancer cell lines compared to normal liver cell line. Western blot showed the expression of LIV-1 was higher in 61% liver carcinoma tissues than that in normal liver tissues. Down-regulated LIV-1 cells showed significant inhibition of proliferation in vitro and reduction of tumor growth in vivo. Furthermore, E-cadherin expression increased in LIV-1 siRNA expressing Hep-G2. These findings indicated that LIV-1 may induce the EMT in HCC cells.

  14. Splenectomy suppresses growth and metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma through decreasing myeloid-derived suppressor cells in vivo.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Long, Xin; Wang, Jian; Zhao, Jian-Ping; Liang, Hui-Fang; Zhu, Peng; Cheng, Qi; Chen, Qian; Wu, Yan-Hui; Zhang, Zhan-Guo; Zhang, Bi-Xiang; Chen, Xiao-Ping

    2016-10-01

    The function of the spleen in tumor development has been investigated for years. The relationship of the spleen with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), a huge health burden worldwide, however, remains unknown. The present study aimed to examine the effect of splenectomy on the development of HCC and the possible mechanism. Mouse hepatic carcinoma lines H22 and Hepa1-6 as well as BALB/c and C57 mice were used to establish orthotopic and metastatic mouse models of liver cancer. Mice were divided into four groups, including control group, splenectomy control group (S group), tumor group (T group) and tumor plus splenectomy group (T+S group). Tumor growth, metastases and overall survival were assessed at determined time points. Meanwhile, myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) were isolated from the peripheral blood (PB), the spleen and liver tumors, and then measured by flow cytometery. It was found that liver cancer led to splenomegaly, and increased the percentage of MDSCs in the PB and spleen in the mouse models. Splenectomy inhibited the growth and progression of liver cancer and prolonged the overall survival time of orthotopic and metastatic models, which was accompanied by decreased proportion of MDSCs in the PB and tumors of liver cancer-bearing mouse. It was suggested that splenectomy could be considered an adjuvant therapy to treat liver cancer.

  15. File list: ALL.Liv.20.AllAg.Carcinoma,_Hepatocellular [Chip-atlas[Archive

    Lifescience Database Archive (English)

    Full Text Available ALL.Liv.20.AllAg.Carcinoma,_Hepatocellular mm9 All antigens Liver Carcinoma, Hepato...cellular SRX467209,SRX467208 http://dbarchive.biosciencedbc.jp/kyushu-u/mm9/assembled/ALL.Liv.20.AllAg.Carcinoma,_Hepatocellular.bed ...

  16. Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) Crosstalks in Liver Cancer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Berasain, Carmen; Latasa, María Ujue; Urtasun, Raquel; Goñi, Saioa; Elizalde, María; Garcia-Irigoyen, Oihane; Azcona, María; Prieto, Jesús; Ávila, Matías A.

    2011-01-01

    Hepatocarcinogenesis is a complex multistep process in which many different molecular pathways have been implicated. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is refractory to conventional chemotherapeutic agents, and the new targeted therapies are meeting with limited success. Interreceptor crosstalk and the positive feedback between different signaling systems are emerging as mechanisms of targeted therapy resistance. The identification of such interactions is therefore of particular relevance to improve therapeutic efficacy. Among the different signaling pathways activated in hepatocarcinogenesis the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) system plays a prominent role, being recognized as a “signaling hub” where different extracellular growth and survival signals converge. EGFR can be transactivated in response to multiple heterologous ligands through the physical interaction with multiple receptors, the activity of intracellular kinases or the shedding of EGFR-ligands. In this article we review the crosstalk between the EGFR and other signaling pathways that could be relevant to liver cancer development and treatment

  17. Rising Rates of Hepatocellular Carcinoma Leading to Liver Transplantation in Baby Boomer Generation with Chronic Hepatitis C, Alcohol Liver Disease, and Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis-Related Liver Disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cholankeril, George; Yoo, Eric R; Perumpail, Ryan B; Liu, Andy; Sandhu, Jeevin S; Nair, Satheesh; Hu, Menghan; Ahmed, Aijaz

    2017-09-26

    We aim to study the impact of the baby boomer (BB) generation, a birth-specific cohort (born 1945-1965) on hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC)-related liver transplantation (LT) in patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV), alcoholic liver disease (ALD), and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). We performed a retrospective analysis using the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS)/Organ Procurement Transplant Network (OPTN) database from 2003 to 2014 to compare HCC-related liver transplant surgery trends between two cohorts-the BB and non-BB-with a secondary diagnosis of HCV, ALD, or NASH. From 2003-2014, there were a total of 8313 liver transplant recipients for the indication of HCC secondary to HCV, ALD, or NASH. Of the total, 6658 (80.1%) HCC-related liver transplant recipients were BB. The number of liver transplant surgeries for the indication of HCC increased significantly in NASH (+1327%), HCV (+382%), and ALD (+286%) during the study period. The proportion of BB who underwent LT for HCC was the highest in HCV (84.7%), followed by NASH (70.3%) and ALD (64.7%). The recommendations for birth-cohort specific HCV screening stemmed from a greater understanding of the high prevalence of chronic HCV and HCV-related HCC within BB. The rising number of HCC-related LT among BB with ALD and NASH suggests the need for increased awareness and improved preventative screening/surveillance measures within NASH and ALD cohorts as well.

  18. Current radiologic interventions in hepatocellular carcinoma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Masoud, I.; Naeem, M.Q.T.; Saeed, F.; Mirza, S.A.M.; Khan, A.; Bhatti, M.A.

    2006-01-01

    With the rising incidence of chronic liver disease caused by viral hepatitis, hepatocellular carcinoma is showing a corresponding rise worldwide. Surgery remains the mainstay of treatment, but patients unfit for surgery or liver transplantation form the bulk of those presenting with this disease. Palliative treatments are being used to treat those and radiological modalities form the mainstay of the treatment. Radiology plays a major role in the diagnosis, treatment and follow-up of hepatocellular carcinoma. Current radiological treatment modalities include percutaneous ethanol ablation, radiofrequency ablation and trans-arterial chemoembolization. This update highlights the recent advancements in the field and compares their relative merits and demerits. (author)

  19. Asparagus polysaccharide and gum with hepatic artery embolization induces tumor growth and inhibits angiogenesis in an orthotopic hepatocellular carcinoma model.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Weng, Ling-Ling; Xiang, Jian-Feng; Lin, Jin-Bo; Yi, Shang-Hui; Yang, Li-Tao; Li, Yi-Sheng; Zeng, Hao-Tao; Lin, Sheng-Ming; Xin, Dong-Wei; Zhao, Hai-Liang; Qiu, Shu-Qi; Chen, Tao; Zhang, Min-Guang

    2014-01-01

    Liver cancer is one of leading digestive malignancies with high morbidity and mortality. There is an urgent need for the development of novel therapies for this deadly disease. It has been proven that asparagus polysaccharide, one of the most active derivates from the traditional medicine asparagus, possesses notable antitumor properties. However, little is known about the efficacy of asparagus polysaccharide as an adjuvant for liver cancer chemotherapy. Herein, we reported that asparagus polysaccharide and its embolic agent form, asparagus gum, significantly inhibited liver tumor growth with transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) therapy in an orthotopic hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) tumor model, while significantly inhibiting angiogenesis and promoting tumor cell apoptosis. Moreover, asparagine gelatinous possessed immunomodulatory functions and showed little toxicity to the host. These results highlight the chemotherapeutic potential of asparagus polysaccharide and warrant a future focus on development as novel chemotherapeutic agent for liver cancer TACE therapy.

  20. Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator-1 alpha acts as a tumor suppressor in hepatocellular carcinoma.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Rui; Zhang, Haiyang; Zhang, Yan; Li, Shuang; Wang, Xinyi; Wang, Xia; Wang, Cheng; Liu, Bin; Zen, Ke; Zhang, Chen-Yu; Zhang, Chunni; Ba, Yi

    2017-04-01

    Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator-1 alpha plays a crucial role in regulating the biosynthesis of mitochondria, which is closely linked to the energy metabolism in various tumors. This study investigated the regulatory role of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator-1 alpha in the pathogenesis of hepatocellular carcinoma. In this study, the changes of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator-1 alpha messenger RNA levels between normal human liver and hepatocellular carcinoma tissue were examined by quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. Knockdown of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator-1 alpha was conducted by RNA interference in the human liver cell line L02, while overexpression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator-1 alpha was conducted by adenovirus encoding peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator-1 alpha complementary DNA in the human hepatocarcinoma cell line HepG2. Cellular morphological changes were observed via optical and electron microscopy. Cellular apoptosis was determined by Hoechst 33258 staining. In addition, the expression levels of 21,400 genes in tissues and cells were detected by microarray. It was shown that peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator-1 alpha expression was significantly downregulated in hepatocellular carcinoma compared with normal liver tissues. After knockdown of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator-1 alpha expression in L02 cells, cells reverted to immature and dedifferentiated morphology exhibiting cancerous tendency. Apoptosis occurred in the HepG2 cells after transfection by adenovirus encoding peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator-1 alpha. Microarray analysis showed consistent results. The results suggest that peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator-1 alpha acts as a tumor

  1. Analysis of the factors affecting the safety of robotic stereotactic body radiation therapy for hepatocellular carcinoma patients

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Liu XJ

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available Xiaojie Liu,1,* Yongchun Song,1,* Ping Liang,2 Tingshi Su,2 Huojun Zhang,3 Xianzhi Zhao,3 Zhiyong Yuan,1 Ping Wang1 1Department of Radiotherapy,Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Therapy, Tianjin’s Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Tianjin, 2Cyberknife Center, Ruikang Hospital, Guangxi Traditional Chinese Medical University, Nanning, 3Department of Radiotherapy, Shanghai Changhai Hospital, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China *These authors contributed equally to this work Objective: The objective of this study was to investigate the safety of robotic stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC patients and its related factors.Methods: A total of 74 HCC patients with Child–Turcotte–Pugh (CTP Class A were included in a multi-institutional, single-arm Phase II trial (NCT 02363218 between February 2013 and August 2016. All patients received SBRT treatment at a dose of 45 Gy/3f. The liver function was compared before and after SBRT treatment by the analysis of adverse hepatic reactions and changes in CTP classification.Results: After SBRT treatment, eight patients presented with decreases in CTP classification and 13 patients presented with ≥ grade 2 hepatic adverse reactions. For patients presenting with ≥ grade 2 hepatic adverse reactions, the total liver volume of ≤1,162 mL and a normal liver volume (total liver volume – gross tumor volume [GTV] of ≤1,148 mL were found to be independent risk factors and statistically significant (P<0.05.Conclusion: The total liver volume and normal liver volume are associated with the occurrence of ≥ grade 2 hepatic adverse reactions after SBRT treatment on HCC patients. Therefore, if the fractionated scheme of 45 Gy/3f is applied in SBRT for HCC patients, a total liver volume >1,162 mL and a normal liver

  2. Surgical Treatment of Hepatocellular Carcinoma

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zamora-Valdes, Daniel; Taner, Timucin; Nagorney, David M.

    2017-01-01

    Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a major cause of cancer-related death worldwide. In select patients, surgical treatment in the form of either resection or transplantation offers a curative option. The aims of this review are to (1) review the current American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases/European Association for the Study of the Liver guidelines on the surgical management of HCC and (2) review the proposed changes to these guidelines and analyze the strength of evidence underlying these proposals. Three authors identified the most relevant publications in the literature on liver resection and transplantation for HCC and analyzed the strength of evidence according to the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) classification. In the United States, the liver allocation system provides priority for liver transplantation to patients with HCC within the Milan criteria. Current evidence suggests that liver transplantation may also be indicated in certain patient groups beyond Milan criteria, such as pediatric patients with large tumor burden or adult patients who are successfully downstaged. Patients with no underlying liver disease may also benefit from liver transplantation if the HCC is unresectable. In patients with no or minimal (compensated) liver disease and solitary HCC ≥2 cm, liver resection is warranted. If liver transplantation is not available or contraindicated, liver resection can be offered to patients with multinodular HCC, provided that the underlying liver disease is not decompensated. Many patients may benefit from surgical strategies adapted to local resources and policies (hepatitis B prevalence, organ availability, etc). Although current low-quality evidence shows better overall survival with aggressive surgical strategies, this approach is limited to select patients. Larger and well-designed prospective studies are needed to better define the benefits and limits of such approach. PMID:28975836

  3. Fasting inhibits hepatic stellate cells activation and potentiates anti-cancer activity of Sorafenib in hepatocellular cancer cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lo Re, Oriana; Panebianco, Concetta; Porto, Stefania; Cervi, Carlo; Rappa, Francesca; Di Biase, Stefano; Caraglia, Michele; Pazienza, Valerio; Vinciguerra, Manlio

    2018-02-01

    Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has a poor outcome. Most HCCs develop in the context of liver fibrosis and cirrhosis caused by chronic inflammation. Short-term fasting approaches enhance the activity of chemotherapy in preclinical cancer models, other than HCC. Multi-tyrosine kinase inhibitor Sorafenib is the mainstay of treatment in HCC. However, its benefit is frequently short-lived. Whether fasting can alleviate liver fibrosis and whether combining fasting with Sorafenib is beneficial remains unknown. A 24 hr fasting (2% serum, 0.1% glucose)-induced changes on human hepatic stellate cells (HSC) LX-2 proliferation/viability/cell cycle were assessed by MTT and flow cytometry. Expression of lypolysaccharide (LPS)-induced activation markers (vimentin, αSMA) was evaluated by qPCR and immunoblotting. Liver fibrosis and inflammation were evaluated in a mouse model of steatohepatitis exposed to cycles of fasting, by histological and biochemical analyses. A 24 hr fasting-induced changes were also analyzed on the proliferation/viability/glucose uptake of human HCC cells exposed to Sorafenib. An expression panel of genes involved in survival, inflammation, and metabolism was examined by qPCR in HCC cells exposed to fasting and/or Sorafenib. Fasting decreased the proliferation and the activation of HSC. Repeated cycles of short term starvation were safe in mice but did not improve fibrosis. Fasting synergized with Sorafenib in hampering HCC cell growth and glucose uptake. Finally, fasting normalized the expression levels of genes which are commonly altered by Sorafenib in HCC cells. Fasting or fasting-mimicking diet diets should be evaluated in preclinical studies as a mean to potentiate the activity of Sorafenib in clinical use. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  4. Regorafenib delays the proliferation of hepatocellular carcinoma by inducing autophagy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Han, Rui; Li, Shixin

    2018-04-02

    The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of regorafenib on hepatocellular carcinoma autophagy, thereby supressing the malignancy of HCC. First, HepG2 and Hep3B cell autophagy was investigated using GFP-LC3 transfection after the treatment of regorafenib. Then, the activation of Akt/mTOR signaling was analyzed using western blot. Our data showed that liver cancer cell autophagy was significantly induced by 20 μM regorafenib using GFP-LC3 transfection. Meanwhile, regorafenib-induced cell death could largely be abolished by 3-MA or CQ treatment, suggesting that regorafenib-induced HepG2 cell death was partially dependent on autophagy. Moreover, the activation of Akt/mTOR signaling was inhibited by regorafenib pre-incubation. MTT assay showed the combination use of regorafenib and CDDP led to a stronger growth inhibitory effect on HepG2 and Hep3B cells. In summary, regorafenib may acts an adjunctive therapy for liver cancer patients via modulating autophagy-dependent cell death even when apoptosis resistance is induced in cancer cells.

  5. File list: NoD.Liv.10.AllAg.Carcinoma,_Hepatocellular [Chip-atlas[Archive

    Lifescience Database Archive (English)

    Full Text Available NoD.Liv.10.AllAg.Carcinoma,_Hepatocellular mm9 No description Liver Carcinoma, Hepa...tocellular http://dbarchive.biosciencedbc.jp/kyushu-u/mm9/assembled/NoD.Liv.10.AllAg.Carcinoma,_Hepatocellular.bed ...

  6. File list: NoD.Liv.05.AllAg.Carcinoma,_Hepatocellular [Chip-atlas[Archive

    Lifescience Database Archive (English)

    Full Text Available NoD.Liv.05.AllAg.Carcinoma,_Hepatocellular mm9 No description Liver Carcinoma, Hepa...tocellular http://dbarchive.biosciencedbc.jp/kyushu-u/mm9/assembled/NoD.Liv.05.AllAg.Carcinoma,_Hepatocellular.bed ...

  7. Identification of imaging predictors discriminating different primary liver tumours in patients with chronic liver disease on gadoxetic acid-enhanced MRI: a classification tree analysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Park, Hyun Jeong; Jang, Kyung Mi; Kang, Tae Wook; Song, Kyoung Doo; Kim, Seong Hyun; Kim, Young Kon; Cha, Dong Ik; Kim, Joungyoun; Goo, Juna

    2016-01-01

    To identify predictors for the discrimination of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (IMCC) and combined hepatocellular-cholangiocarcinoma (CHC) from hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) for primary liver cancers on gadoxetic acid-enhanced MRI among high-risk chronic liver disease (CLD) patients using classification tree analysis (CTA). A total of 152 patients with histopathologically proven IMCC (n = 40), CHC (n = 24) and HCC (n = 91) were enrolled. Tumour marker and MRI variables including morphologic features, signal intensity, and enhancement pattern were used to identify tumours suspicious for IMCC and CHC using CTA. On CTA, arterial rim enhancement (ARE) was the initial splitting predictor for assessing the probability of tumours being IMCC or CHC. Of 43 tumours that were classified in a subgroup on CTA based on the presence of ARE, non-intralesional fat, and non-globular shape, 41 (95.3 %) were IMCCs (n = 29) or CHCs (n = 12). All 24 tumours showing fat on MRI were HCCs. The CTA model demonstrated sensitivity of 84.4 %, specificity of 97.8 %, and accuracy of 92.3 % for discriminating IMCCs and CHCs from HCCs. We established a simple CTA model for classifying a high-risk group of CLD patients with IMCC and CHC. This model may be useful for guiding diagnosis for primary liver cancers in patients with CLD. (orig.)

  8. Proteome Characteristics of Non-Alcoholic Steatohepatitis Liver Tissue and Associated Hepatocellular Carcinomas

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anna Kakehashi

    2017-02-01

    Full Text Available To uncover mechanisms of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH associated hepatocarcinogenesis, we compared the proteomes of human NASH-associated liver biopsies, resected hepatocellular carcinomas (HCCs and HCCs of HCV+ patients with normal liver tissue of patients with gastrointestinal tumor metastasis, in formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded samples obtained after surgery in our hospital during the period from 2006 to 2011. In addition, proteome analysis of liver tumors in male STAM NASH-model mice was performed. Similar changes in the proteome spectrum such as overexpression of enzymes involved in lipid, cholesterol and bile acid biosynthesis and examples associated with suppression of fatty acid oxidation and catabolism, alcohol metabolism, mitochondrial function as well as low expression levels of cytokeratins 8 and 18 were observed in both human NASH biopsies and NASH HCCs, but not HCV+ HCCs. Alterations in downstream protein expression pointed to significant activation of transforming growth factor β, SMAD family member 3, β-catenin, Nrf2, SREBP-LXRα and nuclear receptor-interacting protein 1 (NRIP1, and inhibition of PPARs and p53 in human NASH biopsies and/or HCCs, suggesting their involvement in accumulation of lipids, development of fibrosis, oxidative stress, cell proliferation and suppression of apoptosis in NASH hepatocarcinogenesis. In STAM mice, PPARs inhibition was not obvious, while expression of cytokeratins 8 and 18 was elevated, indicative of essential differences between human and mouse NASH pathogenesis.

  9. AFP, PIVKAII, GP3, SCCA-1 and follisatin as surveillance biomarkers for hepatocellular cancer in non-alcoholic and alcoholic fatty liver disease

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Beale, Gary; Reeves, Helen; Chattopadhyay, Dipankar; Gray, Joe; Stewart, Stephen; Hudson, Mark; Day, Christopher; Trerotoli, Paolo; Giannelli, Gianluigi; Manas, Derek

    2008-01-01

    The incidence and mortality of hepatocellular cancer (HCC) complicating alcoholic and non-alcoholic fatty liver diseases (ALD and NAFLD) is rising in western societies. Despite knowing the at risk populations for HCC development, the lack of sensitive and specific means of surveillance hampers disease detection at curable stages. The most widely used serum HCC marker is alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), while PIVKA-II, glypican-3 (GP3) and Squamous Cell Carcinoma Antigen -1 (SCCA-1) have been proposed as new biomarkers. Assessment of these HCC biomarkers has largely been performed in patients with viral hepatitis. We conducted a cross sectional study assessing the value of these serum proteins, as well a novel candidate biomarker -follistatin – in patients with HCC arising on a background of ALD or NAFLD. Pre-treatment serum samples from 50 patients with HCC arising on a background of ALD (n = 31) or NAFLD (n = 19) were assessed by specific ELISA assay for PIVKAII, Glypican-3, SCCA-1 and Follistatin. Results were compared and contrasted with a control patient group with biopsy proven steatohepatitis-related cirrhosis (n = 41). The diagnostic accuracy of each of the candidate biomarkers was evaluated using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis, reporting the area under the curve (AUC) and its 95% confidence interval (CI). Performance was compared to that of the established biomarker, AFP. Serum levels of all proteins were assessed by specific ELISA assays. GP3, SCCA-1 and follistatin had no HCC surveillance benefit in these patients. AFP and PIVKAII were superior to the other markers, particularly in combination. We conclude that while novel means of surveillance are urgently required, the combination of AFP and PIVKAII for HCC is an improvement on AFP alone in ALD/NAFLD patients. Furthermore, our data in this homogenous subset of patients- particularly that confirming no role for SCCA-1 – suggests that the choice of optimal biomarkers for HCC

  10. Constitutional and functional genetics of human alcohol-related hepatocellular carcinoma.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nahon, Pierre; Nault, Jean-Charles

    2017-11-01

    Exploration of the constitutional genetics of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has identified numerous variants associated with a higher risk of liver cancer in alcoholic cirrhotic patients. Although Genome-Wide Association studies have not been carried out in the field of alcohol-related HCC, common single nucleotide polymorphisms conferring a small increase in the risk of liver cancer risk have been identified and shown to modulate ethanol metabolism, inflammation, oxidative stress, iron or lipid metabolism. Specific patterns of gene mutations including CTNNB1, TERT, ARID1A and SMARCA2 exist in alcohol-related HCC. Moreover, a specific mutational process observed at the nucleotide level by next generation sequencing has revealed cooperation between alcohol and tobacco in the development of HCC. Combining this genetic information with epidemiological and clinical data that might define specific HCC risk classes and refine surveillance strategies needs to be assessed in large prospective cohorts of patients with alcoholic cirrhosis. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  11. File list: InP.Liv.10.AllAg.Carcinoma,_Hepatocellular [Chip-atlas[Archive

    Lifescience Database Archive (English)

    Full Text Available InP.Liv.10.AllAg.Carcinoma,_Hepatocellular mm9 Input control Liver Carcinoma, Hepat...ocellular SRX467208 http://dbarchive.biosciencedbc.jp/kyushu-u/mm9/assembled/InP.Liv.10.AllAg.Carcinoma,_Hepatocellular.bed ...

  12. File list: InP.Liv.50.AllAg.Carcinoma,_Hepatocellular [Chip-atlas[Archive

    Lifescience Database Archive (English)

    Full Text Available InP.Liv.50.AllAg.Carcinoma,_Hepatocellular mm9 Input control Liver Carcinoma, Hepat...ocellular SRX467208 http://dbarchive.biosciencedbc.jp/kyushu-u/mm9/assembled/InP.Liv.50.AllAg.Carcinoma,_Hepatocellular.bed ...

  13. Case of small hepatocellular carcinoma detected only by dynamic sequential computed tomography with table incrementation during arterial portography (DSCTI-AP)

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Nishijima, Hiroshi; Ida, Masahiro; Takayama, Shigeru; Yanaghi, Sekiya; Kuroda, Yuzuru [Fukui Saiseikai Hospital (Japan)

    1984-05-01

    A 62 years old woman was admitted for liver cirrhosis with esophageal varix. Radionuclide liver scintigram, ultrasonogram, computed tomography and infusion hepatic angiography showed no signs of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). But DSCTI-AP detected a small solid mass lesion about 1.5cm in diameter in the right lobe of the liver. It was difficult to diagnose this lesion as HCC because of low titer of serum ..cap alpha../sub 1/-fetoprotein. After the esophageal transection for esophageal varices, she was followed as an outpatient. Six months later, serum ..cap alpha../sub 1/-fetoprotein was slightly elevated (130 ng/ml), and all imaging methods were carried out for the detection of HCC. Ultrasonogram, computed tomography, infusion hepatic angiography, DSCTI-AP all showed hepatocellular carcinoma, about 4.5cm in diameter in the same site where a small nodule was visualized by DSCTI-AP performed 5 months ago. This case suggests that DSCTI-AP is a sensitive and useful method for detection of some type of small liver cancer.

  14. Liver Transplantation for Hepatocellular Carcinoma beyond Milan Criteria: Multidisciplinary Approach to Improve Outcome

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kornberg, A.

    2014-01-01

    The implementation of the Milan criteria (MC) in 1996 has dramatically improved prognosis after liver transplantation (LT) in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Liver transplantation has, thereby, become the standard therapy for patients with “early-stage” HCC on liver cirrhosis. The MC were consequently adopted by United Network of Organ Sharing (UNOS) and Eurotransplant for prioritization of patients with HCC. Recent advancements in the knowledge about tumor biology, radiographic imaging techniques, locoregional interventional treatments, and immunosuppressive medications have raised a critical discussion, if the MC might be too restrictive and unjustified keeping away many patients from potentially curative LT. Numerous transplant groups have, therefore, increasingly focussed on a stepwise expansion of selection criteria, mainly based on tumor macromorphology, such as size and number of HCC nodules. Against the background of a dramatic shortage of donor organs, however, simple expansion of tumor macromorphology may not be appropriate to create a safe extended criteria system. In contrast, rather the implementation of reliable prognostic parameters of tumor biology into selection process prior to LT is mandatory. Furthermore, a multidisciplinary approach of pre-, peri-, and posttransplant modulating of the tumor and/or the patient has to be established for improving prognosis in this special subset of patients. PMID:27335840

  15. Survival of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma in the San Joaquin Valley: a comparison with California Cancer Registry data.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Atla, Pradeep R; Sheikh, Muhammad Y; Mascarenhas, Ranjan; Choudhury, Jayanta; Mills, Paul

    2012-01-01

    Variation in the survival of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is related to racial differences, socioeconomic disparities and treatment options among different populations. A retrospective review of the data from medical records of patients diagnosed with HCC were analyzed at an urban tertiary referral teaching hospital and compared to patients in the California Cancer Registry (CCR) - a participant in the Survival Epidemiology and End Results (SEER)program of the National Cancer Institute (NCI). The main outcome measure was overall survival rates. 160 patients with the diagnosis of HCC (M/F=127/33), mean age 59.7±10 years, 32% white, 49% Hispanic, 12% Asian and 6% African American. Multivariate analysis identified tumor size, model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) score, portal vein invasion and treatment offered as the independent predictors of survival (p <0.05). Survival rates across racial groups were not statistically significant. 5.6% received curative treatments (orthotopic liver transplantation, resection, rediofrequency ablation) (median survival 69 months), 34.4% received nonsurgical treatments (trans-arterial chemoembolization, systemic chemotherapy) (median survival 9 months), while 60% received palliative or no treatment (median survival 3 months) (p <0.001). There was decreased survival in our patient population with HCC beyond 2 years. 60% of our study population received only palliative or no treatment suggesting a possible lack of awareness of chronic liver disease as well as access to appropriate surveillance modalities. Ethnic disparities such as Hispanic predominance in this study in contrast to the CCR/SEER database may have been a contributing factor for poorer outcome.

  16. Determination of hepatocellular carcinoma grade by needle biopsy is unreliable for liver transplant candidate selection.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Court, Colin M; Harlander-Locke, Michael P; Markovic, Daniela; French, Samuel W; Naini, Bita V; Lu, David S; Raman, Steven S; Kaldas, Fady M; Zarrinpar, Ali; Farmer, Douglas G; Finn, Richard S; Sadeghi, Saeed; Tomlinson, James S; Busuttil, Ronald W; Agopian, Vatche G

    2017-09-01

    The objective of this article is to evaluate the utility of preoperative needle biopsy (PNB) grading of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) as a biomarker for liver transplantation (LT) candidate selection. Given the prognostic significance of HCC tumor grade, PNB grading has been proposed as a biomarker for LT candidate selection. Clinicopathologic characteristics of HCC LT recipients (1989-2014) with a PNB were analyzed, and the concordance of PNB grade to explant grade and vascular invasion was assessed to determine whether incorporation of PNB grade to accepted transplant criteria improved candidate selection. Of 965 patients undergoing LT for HCC, 234 (24%) underwent PNB at a median of 280 days prior to transplant. Grade by PNB had poor concordance to final explant pathology (κ = 0.22; P = 0.003), and low sensitivity (29%) and positive predictive value (35%) in identifying poorly differentiated tumors. Vascular invasion was predicted by explant pathologic grade (r s = 0.24; P Liver Transplantation 23 1123-1132 2017 AASLD. © 2017 by the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases.

  17. Chromophobe hepatocellular carcinoma with abrupt anaplasia: a proposal for a new subtype of hepatocellular carcinoma with unique morphological and molecular features.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wood, Laura D; Heaphy, Christopher M; Daniel, Hubert Darius-J; Naini, Bita V; Lassman, Charles R; Arroyo, May R; Kamel, Ihab R; Cosgrove, David P; Boitnott, John K; Meeker, Alan K; Torbenson, Michael S

    2013-12-01

    Hepatocellular carcinomas exhibit heterogeneous morphologies by routine light microscopy. Although some morphologies represent insignificant variations in growth patterns, others may represent unrecognized subtypes of hepatocellular carcinoma. Identification of these subtypes could lead to separation of hepatocellular carcinomas into discrete groups with unique underlying genetic changes, prognosis, or therapeutic responses. In order to identify potential subtypes, two pathologists independently screened a cohort of 219 unselected hepatocellular carcinoma resection specimens and divided cases into potential subtypes. One of these promising candidate subtypes was further evaluated using histological and molecular techniques. This subtype was characterized by a unique and consistent set of histological features: smooth chromophobic cytoplasm, abrupt focal nuclear anaplasia (small clusters of tumor cells with marked nuclear anaplasia in a background of tumor cells with bland nuclear cytology), and scattered microscopic pseudocysts--we designate this variant as 'chromophobe hepatocellular carcinoma with abrupt anaplasia'. Thirteen cases were identified (6% of all hepatocellular carcinomas), including 6 men and 7 women with an average age of 61 years. Six cases occurred in cirrhotic livers. Serum AFP was elevated in 6 out of 10 cases. There were a variety of underlying liver diseases, but cases were enrichment for chronic hepatitis B, P=0.006. Interestingly, at the molecular level, this variant was strongly associated with the alternative lengthening of telomere (ALT) phenotype by telomere FISH. ALT is a telomerase-independent mechanism of telomere maintenance and is found in approximately 8% of unselected hepatocellular carcinomas. In contrast, 11/12 (92%) of the cases of chromophobe hepatocellular carcinoma with abrupt anaplasia were ALT-positive. In summary, we propose that chromophobe hepatocellular carcinoma with abrupt anaplasia represents a new subtype of

  18. [A rare differential diagnosis of a somatoform autonomous disorder of the gastro-intestinal tract: the hepatocellular liver carcinoma in childhood].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Voll, Renate

    2008-07-01

    A severely ill 11-year-old boy came to the child psychiatric outpatient department of the Fachkrankenhaus Neckargemünd with the diagnosis of a somatoform disorder. Main symptoms included nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain and diarrhoea. He wished to be examined in order to enter the Stephen-Hawking-School for physically handicapped children in the town of Neckargemünd. Manual examination revealed a palpable mass in the right upper quadrant of the abdomen, which was imaged as a tumour of the liver. During the subsequent operation, a 500 ml hepatocellular carcinoma was found. The symptoms of the hepatocellular carcinoma, which rarely occurs in childhood, can perfectly mimic those of a somatoform disorder of the gastro-intestinal tract.

  19. Orthotopic liver transplantation after the combined use of locoregional therapy and sorafenib for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yoo EJ

    2013-06-01

    Full Text Available Eun Jin Yoo,1,* Hye Sun Shin,1,* Seung Up Kim,1,2,7 Dong Jin Joo,3,4 Jun Yong Park,1,2,7 Gi Hong Choi,3 Do Young Kim,1,2,7 Sang Hoon Ahn,1,2,7 Jinsil Seong,5 Myung Joo Koh,6 Kwang-Hyub Han,1,2,7 Chae Yoon Chon1,2,7 1Department of Internal Medicine, 2Institute of Gastroenterology, 3Department of Surgery, 4Research Institute for Transplantation, 5Department of Radiation Oncology, 6Department of Pathology, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea; 7Liver Cirrhosis Clinical Research Center, Seoul, South Korea *These authors contributed equally to this work Abstract: We herein report a patient with advanced hepatitis B virus-related hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC beyond the Milan criteria. He underwent orthotopic liver transplantation after successful HCC downstaging that satisfied the University of California, San Francisco criteria, using concurrent chemoradiation therapy with a combination of repeated hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy (HAIC and sorafenib. A 52-year-old male was diagnosed with advanced hepatitis B virus-related HCC beyond the Milan criteria. He underwent concurrent chemoradiation therapy (50 Gy with 20 fractions over 5 weeks with HAIC using 5-fluorouracil at a dose of 500 mg/day, which was administered during the first and fifth weeks of radiation therapy as an initial treatment modality. This was followed by the combined use of HAIC using 5-fluorouracil (500 mg/m2 for 5 hours on days 1–3 and cisplatin (60 mg/m2 for 2 hours on day 2 every 4 weeks (twelve cycles and sorafenib (from the third to the twelfth cycle of HAIC to treat the remaining HCC. Because a remarkable decrease in the tumor burden that satisfied the University of California, San Francisco criteria was observed after these combination treatments, the patient underwent orthotopic liver transplantation with curative aim and survived for 11 months without evidence of HCC recurrence. Keywords: hepatocellular carcinoma, liver transplantation

  20. Hepatitis B Virus Infection, Genetic Susceptibility and Hepatocellular Carcinoma

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Juan Wen

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available Liver cancer is a sever cancer burden in the world, especially in developing countries. Its late diagnosis and high mortality rate urges early prediction. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC is the major histopathological type of liver cancer. Chronic infection with hepatitis B virus (HBV is a well-established risk factor for HCC. On one side, HBV sequence variation may influence the outcome of HBV infection and the development of HCC. At least ten HBV genotypes (A to J are identified. Several HBV genotypes and mutations in pre-S and pre-core/core promoter regions are closely associated with HCC pathogenesis, and have been regarded as biomarkers to predict the occurrence of HCC. On the other side, only a small fraction of chronic hepatitis B patients developed HCC, and some HCC cases were diagnosed with no known predisposing risk factors, suggesting host genetic variations may also play important roles in the carcinogenesis. In this review, we summarized current findings of HBV genotypes and mutations, host genetic variations and their interactions involved in HCC carcinogenesis. Understanding the key viral and host genetic variations is essential for generating effective predictive biomarkers for HCC development.

  1. Diagnostic Approaches to Metastatic Hepatocellular Carcinoma of the Orbit.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Geske, Michael J; Bloomer, Michele M; Kersten, Robert C; Vagefi, M Reza

    Orbital metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma is exceedingly rare and caries a grave prognosis. Three cases of metastatic orbital hepatocellular carcinoma in which the primary tumor was initially unknown and the diagnostic challenges encountered are presented. With hepatocellular carcinoma, open biopsy and palliative tumor debulking has an increased bleeding risk due to the highly vascular nature of the tumor and coagulopathy associated with chronic liver disease. As an alternative, fine needle aspiration biopsy should be considered for hepatocellular carcinoma with a readily accessible mass and the availability of an experienced cytopathologist.

  2. Docetaxel (DTX)-loaded polydopamine-modified TPGS-PLA nanoparticles as a targeted drug delivery system for the treatment of liver cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhu, Dunwan; Tao, Wei; Zhang, Hongling; Liu, Gan; Wang, Teng; Zhang, Linhua; Zeng, Xiaowei; Mei, Lin

    2016-01-01

    Polydopamine-based surface modification is a simple way to functionalize polymeric nanoparticle (NP) surfaces with ligands and/or additional polymeric layers. In this work, we developed DTX-loaded formulations using polydopamine-modified NPs synthesized using D-α-tocopherol polyethylene glycol 1000 succinate-poly(lactide) (pD-TPGS-PLA/NPs). To target liver cancer cells, galactosamine was conjugated on the prepared NPs (Gal-pD-TPGS-PLA/NPs) to enhance the delivery of DTX via ligand-mediated endocytosis. The size and morphology of pD-TPGS-PLA/NPs and Gal-pD-TPGS-PLA/NPs changed obviously compared with TPGS-PLA/NPs. In vitro studies showed that TPGS-PLA/NPs, pD-TPGS-PLA/NPs and Gal-pD-TPGS-PLA/NPs had similar release profiles of DTX. Both confocal laser scanning microscopy and flow cytometric results showed that coumarin 6-loaded Gal-pD-TPGS-PLA/NPs had the highest cellular uptake efficiency in liver cancer cell line HepG2. Moreover, DTX-loaded Gal-pD-TPGS-PLA/NPs inhibited the growth of HepG2 cells more potently than TPGS-PLA/NPs, pD-TPGS-PLA/NPs, and a clinically available DTX formulation (Taxotere®). The in vivo biodistribution experiments show that the Gal-pD-TPGS-PLA/NPs are specifically targeted to the tumor. Furthermore, the in vivo anti-tumor effects study showed that injecting DTX-loaded Gal-pD-TPGS-PLA/NPs reduced the tumor size most significantly on hepatoma-bearing nude mice. These results suggest that Gal-pD-TPGS-PLA/NPs prepared in the study specifically interacted with the hepatocellular carcinoma cells through ligand-receptor recognition and they may be used as a potentially eligible drug delivery system targeting liver cancers. Polydopamine-based surface modification is a simple way to functionalize polymeric nanoparticle surfaces with ligands and/or additional polymeric layers. In this work, we developed docetaxel (DTX)-loaded formulations using polydopamine-modified NPs synthesized from D-α-tocopherol polyethylene glycol 1000 succinate

  3. Liver transplantation for HCV cirrhosis at Karolinska University Hospital Huddinge, Stockholm.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gjertsen, H; Weiland, O; Oksanen, A; Söderdahl, G; Broomé, U; Ericzon, B-G

    2006-10-01

    Hepatitis C virus (HCV)-induced cirrhosis is the major indication for liver transplantation globally, and an increasing indication for liver transplantation in Sweden. We have retrospectively examined the 120 patients transplanted for HCV cirrhosis from 1987 through 2005, including 11 who received more than one graft. The 1-, 3-, and 5-year postoperative survivals for all patients transplanted for HCV with or without hepatocellular cancer (HCC) were 77%, 66%, and 53%, respectively. HCV patients without HCC had a 1-, 3-, and 5-year survivals of 78%, 73%, and 61%, compared with 84%, 79% and 74%, respectively, for patients transplanted with chronic liver diseases without cancer or HCV. The number of patients with HCV cirrhosis transplanted in our center is increasing. Compared with patients transplanted for other chronic liver diseases, we experienced inferior results among patients with HCV cirrhosis.

  4. Usefulness of Pure Laparoscopic Hepatectomy for Hepatocellular Carcinoma in a Severely Cirrhotic Patient

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Isamu Hosokawa

    2013-07-01

    Full Text Available The number of patients undergoing laparoscopic hepatectomy has rapidly increased in recent years, and indications for this procedure are gradually expanding. Pure laparoscopic hepatectomy is reportedly useful in cases with severe liver cirrhosis. A 55-year-old woman under observation for liver cirrhosis was found to have hepatocellular carcinoma in liver segment III and was referred to our hospital for surgery. The tumor was located in the edge of liver segment III, where percutaneous ablation therapy was unsuitable. Since her hepatic functional reserve was poor, pure laparoscopic partial hepatectomy was performed. The postoperative course was favorable, with no ascites retention, edema or weight gain. The greatest advantage of pure laparoscopic hepatectomy for hepatocellular carcinoma with concomitant liver cirrhosis is that postoperative ascites retention is minimal, meaning that there is little risk of water-electrolyte imbalance associated with ascites retention or hypoproteinemia. This is believed to be because the abdominal incision is small and mobilization of the liver is minimized, reducing the destruction of the routes of collateral lymph flow and blood flow generated in patients with liver cirrhosis. Pure laparoscopic hepatectomy may be a treatment choice for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma and concomitant severe liver cirrhosis.

  5. Changing incidence patterns of hepatocellular carcinoma among age groups in Taiwan.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hung, Giun-Yi; Horng, Jiun-Lin; Yen, Hsiu-Ju; Lee, Chih-Ying; Lin, Li-Yih

    2015-12-01

    This study examined and compared the incidence patterns of hepatocellular carcinoma among age groups in Taiwan, 30 years after a universal hepatitis B virus immunization program was launched. Data for hepatocellular carcinoma diagnosed in 2003-2011 were collected from the population-based Taiwan Cancer Registry. Age-standardized incidence rates were calculated to analyze and compare the changes in incidence rates and trends. More specific analyses were performed on four age groups separated by sex. A total of 82,856 patients were diagnosed with hepatocellular carcinoma in 2003-2011 in Taiwan, yielding an age-standardized incidence rate of 32.97 per 100,000 person-years. Hepatocellular carcinoma was predominantly diagnosed in middle-aged adults (50.1%) and elderly people (49.1%), in contrast to the low incidences in children (0.04%) and adolescents and young adults (0.8%). Striking variations in trends were found for children (annual percent change: -16.6%, 2003-2010) and adolescents and young adults (annual percent change: -7.9%, 2003-2011). The incidence rate of hepatocellular carcinoma in children decreased to zero in 2011; only a slight decline in trends occurred for the middle-aged group (annual percent change: -2%, 2003-2011), and a slight upward trend was observed for elderly people (1.3%), specifically in women (1.7%). In Taiwan, hepatitis B virus-related hepatocellular carcinoma was nearly eradicated in children in 2011. The findings on age-specific incidence patterns and trends of hepatocellular carcinoma suggest that different control strategies for treating this devastating disease in the future be made according to age. Copyright © 2015 European Association for the Study of the Liver. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  6. Curative Intent Treatment of Hepatocellular Carcinoma - 844 Cases Treated in a General Surgery and Liver Transplantation Center.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grigorie, Răzvan; Alexandrescu, Sorin; Smira, Gabriela; Ionescu, Mihnea; Hrehoreţ, Doina; Braşoveanu, Vladislav; Dima, Simona; Ciurea, Silviu; Boeţi, Patricia; Dudus, Ionut; Picu, Nausica; Zamfir, Radu; David, Leonard; Botea, Florin; Gheorghe, Liana; Tomescu, Dana; Lupescu, Ioana; Boroş, Mirela; Grasu, Mugur; Dumitru, Radu; Toma, Mihai; Croitoru, Adina; Herlea, Vlad; Pechianu, Cătălin; Năstase, Anca; Popescu, Irinel

    2017-01-01

    Background: The objective of this study is to assess the outcome of the patients treated for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in a General Surgery and Liver Transplantation Center. Methods: This retrospective study includes 844 patients diagnosed with HCC and surgically treated with curative intent methods. Curative intent treatment is mainly based on surgery, consisting of liver resection (LR), liver transplantation (LT). Tumor ablation could become the choice of treatment in HCC cases not manageable for surgery (LT or LR). 518 patients underwent LR, 162 patients benefited from LT and in 164 patients radiofrequency ablation (RFA) was performed. 615 patients (73%) presented liver cirrhosis. Results: Mordidity rates of patient treated for HCC was 30% and mortality was 4,3% for the entire study population. Five year overall survival rate was 39 % with statistically significant differences between transplanted, resected, or ablated patients (p 0.05) with better results in case of LT followed by LR and RFA. Conclusions: In HCC patients without liver cirrhosis, liver resection is the treatment of choice. For early HCC occurred on cirrhosis, LT offers the best outcome in terms of overall and disease free survival. RFA colud be a curative method for HCC patients not amenable for LT of LR. Celsius.

  7. How to interpret liver function tests

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Christina Levick

    2017-05-01

    Full Text Available Careful interpretation of liver function tests within the clinical context can help elucidate the cause and severity of the underlying pathology. Predominantly raised alkaline phosphatase represents the cholestatic pattern of biliary pathology, whilst predominantly raised alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase represent the hepatocellular pattern of hepatocellular pathology. The severity of liver dysfunction or biliary obstruction is reflected in the bilirubin level and the degree of liver synthetic function can also be indicated by the albumin level. Beyond the liver function tests, prothrombin time provides another marker of liver synthetic function and a low platelet count suggests portal hypertension.

  8. Diagnostic Value of Early-Phase-Enhanced Computed Tomography for the Differentiation of Pulmonary Metastases from Hepatocellular Carcinoma and Primary Lung Cancer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Choi, Joon-Il; Jung, Dae Chul; Kim, Min-Ju; Hong, Eun Kyung; Park, Joong-Won; Kim, Chang-Min; Choi, Hyuck Jae; Jang, Yun-Jin

    2009-01-01

    Background: The lung is the most common site of distant metastases from hepatocellular carcinoma. Correct differentiation between metastatic hepatocellular carcinoma of the lung and primary lung cancer is sometimes difficult without biopsy. Purpose: To evaluate the usefulness of measuring the attenuations of pulmonary nodules on early-phase contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) for the differentiation of pulmonary metastases from hepatocellular carcinoma and primary lung cancer. Material and Methods: Thirteen patients with pulmonary metastases from hepatocellular carcinoma (nine men, four women; age 53.9±14.2 years, range 16-70 years) and 25 patients with primary lung cancer (14 men, 11 women; age 62.2±9.4 years, range 43-72 years) were retrospectively evaluated. Contrast-enhanced scans were obtained 35 s after commencing intravenous injection of contrast medium. Attenuation values and the size of the pulmonary nodules were measured on contrast-enhanced CT scans. CT and clinical features were analyzed with regard to age, sex, body surface area of the patients, the attenuation values and size of the nodules, and CT machines using univariate analysis (Fisher's exact test for binary data sets and the Mann-Whitney U test for continuous data sets). Multiple linear regression analysis was used to eliminate confounding factors. Results: The mean attenuation value of metastatic pulmonary nodules from hepatocellular carcinoma (75.7±24.9 HU) was higher than that of primary lung cancer nodules (45.8±14.4 HU) (P<0.01). Other variables such as age, sex, body surface area of the patients, CT device, and nodule size were not significant variables on multiple regression analysis. When a cut-off value of 75 HU was applied, the positive predictive value for diagnosing metastatic nodules from hepatocellular carcinoma was 100%. Conclusion: Pending confirmation in a large study, our findings suggest that there is a difference in contrast enhancement between pulmonary

  9. Imaging findings of mimickers of hepatocellular carcinoma

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tae Kyoung Kim

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available Radiological imaging plays a crucial role in the diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC as the noninvasive diagnosis of HCC in high-risk patients by typical imaging findings alone is widely adopted in major practice guidelines for HCC. While imaging techniques have markedly improved in detecting small liver lesions, they often detect incidental benign liver lesions and non-hepatocellular malignancy that can be misdiagnosed as HCC. The most common mimicker of HCC in cirrhotic liver is nontumorous arterioportal shunts that are seen as focal hypervascular liver lesions on dynamic contrast-enhanced cross-sectional imaging. Rapidly enhancing hemangiomas can be easily misdiagnosed as HCC especially on MR imaging with liver-specific contrast agent. Focal inflammatory liver lesions mimic HCC by demonstrating arterial-phase hypervascularity and subsequent washout on dynamic contrast-enhanced imaging. It is important to recognize the suggestive imaging findings for intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (CC as the management of CC is largely different from that of HCC. There are other benign mimickers of HCC such as angiomyolipomas and focal nodular hyperplasia-like nodules. Recognition of their typical imaging findings can reduce false-positive HCC diagnosis.

  10. MicroRNAs and liver cancer associated with iron overload: Therapeutic targets unravelled

    Science.gov (United States)

    Greene, Catherine M; Varley, Robert B; Lawless, Matthew W

    2013-01-01

    Primary liver cancer is a global disease that is on the increase. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) accounts for most primary liver cancers and has a notably low survival rate, largely attributable to late diagnosis, resistance to treatment, tumour recurrence and metastasis. MicroRNAs (miRNAs/miRs) are regulatory RNAs that modulate protein synthesis. miRNAs are involved in several biological and pathological processes including the development and progression of HCC. Given the poor outcomes with current HCC treatments, miRNAs represent an important new target for therapeutic intervention. Several studies have demonstrated their role in HCC development and progression. While many risk factors underlie the development of HCC, one process commonly altered is iron homeostasis. Iron overload occurs in several liver diseases associated with the development of HCC including Hepatitis C infection and the importance of miRNAs in iron homeostasis and hepatic iron overload is well characterised. Aberrant miRNA expression in hepatic fibrosis and injury response have been reported, as have dysregulated miRNA expression patterns affecting cell cycle progression, evasion of apoptosis, invasion and metastasis. In 2009, miR-26a delivery was shown to prevent HCC progression, highlighting its therapeutic potential. Several studies have since investigated the clinical potential of other miRNAs with one drug, Miravirsen, currently in phase II clinical trials. miRNAs also have potential as biomarkers for the diagnosis of HCC and to evaluate treatment efficacy. Ongoing studies and clinical trials suggest miRNA-based treatments and diagnostic methods will have novel clinical applications for HCC in the coming years, yielding improved HCC survival rates and patient outcomes. PMID:23983424

  11. Quantitative evaluation of RASSF1A methylation in the non-lesional, regenerative and neoplastic liver

    Science.gov (United States)

    Di Gioia, Sonia; Bianchi, Paolo; Destro, Annarita; Grizzi, Fabio; Malesci, Alberto; Laghi, Luigi; Levrero, Massimo; Morabito, Alberto; Roncalli, Massimo

    2006-01-01

    Background Epigenetic changes during ageing and their relationship with cancer are under the focus of intense research. RASSF1A and NORE1A are novel genes acting in concert in the proapoptotic pathway of the RAS signalling. While NORE1A has not been previously investigated in the human liver, recent reports have suggested that RASSF1A is frequently epigenetically methylated not only in HCC but also in the cirrhotic liver. Methods To address whether epigenetic changes take place in connection to age and/or to the underlying disease, we investigated RASSF1A and NORE1A gene promoter methylation by conventional methylation specific PCR and Real-Time MSP in a series of hepatitic and non-hepatitic livers harboring regenerative/hyperplastic (cirrhosis/focal nodular hyperplasia), dysplastic (large regenerative, low and high grade dysplastic nodules) and neoplastic (hepatocellular adenoma and carcinoma) growths. Results In the hepatitic liver (chronic hepatitic/cirrhosis, hepatocellular nodules and HCC) we found widespread RASSF1A gene promoter methylation with a methylation index that increased from regenerative conditions (cirrhosis) to hepatocellular nodules (p < 0.01) to HCC (p < 0.001). In the non-hepatitic liver a consistent pattern of gene methylation was also found in both lesional (focal nodular hyperplasia and hepatocellular adenoma) and non-lesional tissue. Specifically, hepatocellular adenomas (HA) showed a methylation index significantly higher than that detected in focal nodular hyperplasia (FNH) (p < 0.01) and in non-lesional tissue (p < 0.001). In non-lesional liver also the methylation index gradually increased by ageing (p = 0.002), suggesting a progressive spreading of methylated cells over time. As opposed to RASSF1A gene promoter methylation, NORE1A gene was never found epigenetically alterated in both hepatitic and non-hepatitic liver. Conclusion We have shown that in non-lesional, regenerative and neoplastic liver the RASSF1A gene is increasingly

  12. Using the marker CD34 as tool to discriminate adenoma versus hepatocellular

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mohs Alfaro, Monica

    2011-01-01

    The CD34 marker is used as immunohistochemistry technique to detect and differentiate between the hepatocellular adenoma of the hepatocellular carcinoma. The liver lesions are described. The hepatic angiogenesis is explained [es

  13. Drugs Approved for Liver Cancer

    Science.gov (United States)

    This page lists cancer drugs approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for liver cancer. The list includes generic names and brand names. The drug names link to NCI’s Cancer Drug Information summaries.

  14. Expression of toll-like receptors in hepatic cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sun, L; Dai, J J; Hu, W F; Wang, J

    2016-07-14

    Toll-like receptors (TLRs) can specifically identify pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) by recognizing structural patterns in diverse microbial molecules, and can provide an effective defense against multiple microbial infectious. A variety of TLRs can be expressed on the surface of liver parenchymal as well as nonparenchymal cells. Kupffer cells are a type of hepatic nonparenchymal macrophage, and are positively associated with the severity of liver fibrosis. They play an important role in the synthesis and deposition of the extracellular matrix by upregulating the expression of tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases and downregulating the activity of matrix metalloproteinases. Cirrhosis, a chronic diffuse lesion usually accompanying extensive liver fibrosis and nodular regeneration, is caused by liver parenchymal cells repeating injury-repair following reconstruction of organizational structure in the hepatic lobules. Hepatocellular carcinoma is caused by repeated and persistent chronic severe liver injury, and partial hepatocytes can eventually transform into hepatoma cells. Multiple TLRs such as TLR2, TLR3, TLR4, and TLR9, as well as other receptors, can be expressed in cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. About 53 and 85% of hepatocellular carcinoma patients frequently express TLR3 and TLR9, respectively. The chronic and repeated liver injury caused by alcohol, and HBV, HCV, or other pathogens can be recognized by TLRs through the PAMP pathway, which directly increases the risk for hepatic cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. In this review, we briefly present evidence that the novel cellular molecular mechanisms of TLRs may provide more information about new therapeutics targets of the anti-inflammatory immune response.

  15. Serum anti-Ku86 is a potential biomarker for early detection of hepatitis C virus-related hepatocellular carcinoma

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Nomura, Fumio, E-mail: fnomura@faculty.chiba-u.jp [Department of Molecular Diagnosis, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University and Divisions of Laboratory Medicine, Clinical Genetics and Proteomics, Chiba University Hospital, Chiba (Japan); Sogawa, Kazuyuki; Noda, Kenta; Seimiya, Masanori; Matsushita, Kazuyuki; Miura, Toshihide [Department of Molecular Diagnosis, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University and Divisions of Laboratory Medicine, Clinical Genetics and Proteomics, Chiba University Hospital, Chiba (Japan); Tomonaga, Takeshi [Laboratory of Proteome Research, National Institute of Biomedical Innovation, Ibaraki (Japan); Yoshitomi, Hideyuki [Department of General Surgery, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, Chiba (Japan); Imazeki, Fumio [Department of Medicine and Clinical Oncology, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, Chiba (Japan); Takizawa, Hirotaka [Kashiwado Clinic in Port-Square of the Kashiwado Memorial Foundation, Chiba (Japan); Mogushi, Kaoru [Information Center for Medical Sciences, Tokyo Dental and Medical University, Tokyo (Japan); Miyazaki, Masaru [Department of General Surgery, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, Chiba (Japan); Yokosuka, Osamu [Department of Medicine and Clinical Oncology, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, Chiba (Japan)

    2012-05-18

    Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Overexpression of Ku86 in human liver cancer was shown by immunohistochemistry. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Serum anti-Ku86 was significantly elevated in early hepatocellular carcinoma. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Anti-Ku86 may be more sensitive than the conventional markers for early detection. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Serum anti-Ku86 significantly decreased after surgical resection of liver tumors. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Elevation of serum anti-Ku86 in other non-liver solid tumors was minimal. -- Abstract: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the predominant form of primary liver cancer, is one of the most common cancers worldwide and the third most common cause of cancer-related death. Imaging studies including ultrasound and computed tomography are recommended for early detection of HCC, but they are operator dependent, costly and involve radiation. Therefore, there is a need for simple and sensitive serum markers for the early detection of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). In our recent proteomic studies, a number of proteins overexpressed in HCC tissues were identified. We thought if the serum autoantibodies to these overexpressed proteins were detectable in HCC patients. Of these proteins, we focused on Ku86, a nuclear protein involved in multiple biological processes and aimed to assess the diagnostic value of serum anti-Ku86 in the early detection of HCC. Serum samples were obtained prior to treatment from 58 consecutive patients with early or relatively early hepatitis C virus (HCV)-related HCC and 137 patients with HCV-related liver cirrhosis without evidence of HCC. Enzyme immunoassays were used to measure serum levels of autoantibodies. Serum levels of anti-Ku86 antibodies were significantly elevated in HCC patients compared to those in liver cirrhosis patients (0.41 {+-} 0.28 vs. 0.18 {+-} 0.08 Abs at 450 nm, P < 0001). Setting the cut-off level to give 90% specificity, anti-Ku86 was positive in 60.7% of

  16. Intravenous miR-144 inhibits tumor growth in diethylnitrosamine-induced hepatocellular carcinoma in mice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    He, Quan; Wang, Fangfei; Honda, Takashi; Lindquist, Diana M; Dillman, Jonathan R; Timchenko, Nikolai A; Redington, Andrew N

    2017-10-01

    Previous in vitro studies have demonstrated that miR-144 inhibits hepatocellular carcinoma cell proliferation, invasion, and migration. We have shown that miR-144, injected intravenously, is taken up by the liver and induces endogenous hepatic synthesis of miR-144. We hypothesized that administered miR-144 has tumor-suppressive effects on liver tumor development in vivo. The effects of miR-144 on tumorigenesis and tumor growth were tested in a diethylnitrosamine-induced hepatocellular carcinoma mouse model. MiR-144 injection had no effect on body weight but significantly reduced diethylnitrosamine-induced liver enlargement compared with scrambled microRNA. MiR-144 had no effect on diethylnitrosamine-induced liver tumor number but reduced the tumor size above 50%, as evaluated by magnetic resonance imaging (scrambled microRNA 23.07 ± 5.67 vs miR-144 10.38 ± 2.62, p hepatocellular carcinoma tumorigenesis. Exogenously delivered miR-144 may be a therapeutic strategy to suppress tumor growth in hepatocellular carcinoma.

  17. A pilot systematic genomic comparison of recurrence risks of hepatitis B virus-associated hepatocellular carcinoma with low- and high-degree liver fibrosis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yoo, Seungyeul; Wang, Wenhui; Wang, Qin; Fiel, M Isabel; Lee, Eunjee; Hiotis, Spiros P; Zhu, Jun

    2017-12-07

    Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection leads to liver fibrosis, which is a major risk factor in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and an independent risk factor of recurrence after HCC tumor resection. The HBV genome can be inserted into the human genome, and chronic inflammation may trigger somatic mutations. However, how HBV integration and other genomic changes contribute to the risk of tumor recurrence with regards to the different degree of liver fibrosis is not clearly understood. We sequenced mRNAs of 21 pairs of tumor and distant non-neoplastic liver tissues of HBV-HCC patients and performed comprehensive genomic analyses of our RNAseq data and public available HBV-HCC sequencing data. We developed a robust pipeline for sensitively identifying HBV integration sites based on sequencing data. Simulations showed that our method outperformed existing methods. Applying it to our data, 374 and 106 HBV host genes were identified in non-neoplastic liver and tumor tissues, respectively. When applying it to other RNA sequencing datasets, consistently more HBV integrations were identified in non-neoplastic liver than in tumor tissues. HBV host genes identified in non-neoplastic liver samples significantly overlapped with known tumor suppressor genes. More significant enrichment of tumor suppressor genes was observed among HBV host genes identified from patients with tumor recurrence, indicating the potential risk of tumor recurrence driven by HBV integration in non-neoplastic liver tissues. We also compared SNPs of each sample with SNPs in a cancer census database and inferred samples' pathogenic SNP loads. Pathogenic SNP loads in non-neoplastic liver tissues were consistently higher than those in normal liver tissues. Additionally, HBV host genes identified in non-neoplastic liver tissues significantly overlapped with pathogenic somatic mutations, suggesting that HBV integration and somatic mutations targeting the same set of genes are important to tumorigenesis. HBV

  18. A Selenium Containing Inhibitor for the Treatment of Hepatocellular Cancer

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hephzibah Rani S. Tagaram

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC is the third most deadly cancer in the world. New treatment strategies are desperately needed due to limited standard therapies. Activation of the Erk, Akt, and STAT3pathways is implicated in the prognosis of HCC. The Se,Se′-1,4-phenylenebis(1,2-ethanediyl bisisoselenourea (PBISe, is a selenium-containing MAPK and PI3 kinase inhibitor, effectively inhibit tumorigenesis in a variety of experimental models. The aim of our study is to demonstrate the potential role of PBISe in the treatment of HCC. The anti-proliferative and pro-apoptotic ability of PBISe is studied in vitro in four human HCC cell lines and in vivo in a spontaneous murine HCC model. Inhibition of cancer growth was performed by cell viability assay and apoptosis by caspase 3/7, PARP cleavage, annexin-V, and TUNEL assays. Role of PBISe on PI3 kinase, MAPK and STAT3 signaling is determined by Western blotting. In vivo effects of PBISe on tumor sizes were monitored using MRI in a spontaneous murine HCC. Liver tissues from the PBISe-treated mice are analyzed for angiogenesis, proliferation, and signaling pathway markers. Overall, PBISe activated caspase-3/7 and increased DNA fragmentation, which is positively correlated with the increased PARP cleavage. PBISe promoted apoptosis by inhibiting PI3K, MAPK, and STAT3 signaling with significant reduction in the tumor sizes (p < 0.007. PBISe-treated tumors reduced survival marker PCNA, and angiogenesis markers Vegf-A, Vegf-R3 and CD34. These results demonstrate the chemotherapeutic effects of PBISe, by inhibiting tumor growth and facilitating tumor apoptosis for HCC treatment.

  19. Differential metabonomic profiles of primary hepatocellular carcinoma tumors from alcoholic liver disease, HBV-infected, and HCV-infected cirrhotic patients

    OpenAIRE

    Cao, Ding; Cai, Can; Ye, Mingxin; Gong, Junhua; Wang, Menghao; Li, Jinzheng; Gong, Jianping

    2017-01-01

    Our objective was to comparatively profile the metabolite composition of primary hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) tumors from alcoholic liver disease (ALD), hepatitis B virus (HBV)-infected, and hepatitis C virus (HCV)-infected cirrhotic patients. Primary HCC tumors were collected from ALD, HBV-infected, and HCV-infected cirrhotic patients (n=20 each). High-resolution magic-angle spinning proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and metabonomic data analysis were performed to compare HCC ...

  20. Synchronous gastric neuroendocrine carcinoma and hepatocellular carcinoma

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ewertsen, Caroline; Henriksen, Birthe Merete; Hansen, Carsten Palnæs

    2009-01-01

    of synchronous gastric NEC and hepatocellular carcinoma in a patient with several other precancerous lesions is presented. The patient had anaemia, and a gastric tumour and two duodenal polyps were identified on upper endoscopy. A CT scan of the abdomen revealed several lesions in the liver. The lesions were...... invisible on B-mode sonography and real-time sonography fused with CT was used to identify and biopsy one of the lesions. Histology showed hepatocellular carcinoma. A literature search showed that only one case of a hepatocellular carcinoma synchronous with a gastric NEC has been reported previously. TRIAL...

  1. Transcriptomic profiling of trichloroethylene exposure in male mouse liver

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yan Jiang

    2015-03-01

    Full Text Available Chronic Trichloroethylene (TCE exposure could induce hepatocellular carcinoma in mice, and occupational exposure in humans was suggested to be associated with liver cancer. To understand the role of non-genotoxic mechanism(s for TCE action, we examined the gene expression and DNA methylation changes in the liver of B6C3F1 mice orally administered with TCE for 5 days. As a beginning step, we profiled gene expression alterations induced by the TCE in mouse livers. Here we describe in detail the experimental methods, quality controls, and other information associated with our data deposited into Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO under GSE58819. Our data provide useful information for gene expression responses to TCE in mouse liver.

  2. Metronomic capecitabine as second-line treatment in hepatocellular carcinoma after sorafenib failure.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Granito, Alessandro; Marinelli, Sara; Terzi, Eleonora; Piscaglia, Fabio; Renzulli, Matteo; Venerandi, Laura; Benevento, Francesca; Bolondi, Luigi

    2015-06-01

    No standard second-line treatments are available for hepatocellular carcinoma patients who fail sorafenib therapy. We assessed the safety and efficacy of metronomic capecitabine after first-line sorafenib failure. Retrospective analysis of consecutive hepatocellular carcinoma patients receiving metronomic capecitabine between January 2012 and November 2014. The primary end-point was safety, secondary end-point was efficacy, including time-to-progression and overall survival. Twenty-six patients (80% Child-Pugh A, 80% Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer stage C) received metronomic capecitabine (500 mg/bid). Median treatment duration was 3.2 months (range 0.6-31). Fourteen (53%) patients experienced at least one adverse event. The most frequent drug-related adverse events were bilirubin elevation (23%), fatigue (15%), anaemia (11%), lymphoedema (11%), and hand-foot syndrome (7.6%). Treatment was interrupted in 19 (73%) for disease progression, in 4 (15%) for liver deterioration, and in 1 (3.8%) for adverse event. Disease control was achieved in 6 (23%) patients. Median time-to-progression was 4 months (95% confidence interval 3.2-4.7). Median overall survival was 8 months (95% confidence interval 3.7-12.3). Metronomic capecitabine was well tolerated in hepatocellular carcinoma patients who had been treated with sorafenib. Preliminary data show potential anti-tumour activity with long-lasting disease control in a subgroup of patients that warrants further evaluation in a phase III study. Copyright © 2015 Editrice Gastroenterologica Italiana S.r.l. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  3. NKD1 marks intestinal and liver tumors linked to aberrant Wnt signaling

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Stančíková, Jitka; Krausová, Michaela; Kolář, Michal; Fafílek, Bohumil; Švec, Jiří; Sedláček, Radislav; Neroldová, M.; Dobeš, Jan; Horázná, Monika; Janečková, Lucie; Vojtěchová, Martina; Oliverius, M.; Jirsa, M.; Kořínek, Vladimír

    2015-01-01

    Roč. 27, č. 2 (2015), s. 245-256 ISSN 1873-3913 R&D Projects: GA ČR GAP305/11/1780; GA MŠk(CZ) ED1.1.00/02.0109; GA MŠk(CZ) LM2011032 Institutional support: RVO:68378050 Keywords : Wnt signaling * NKD 1 * Intestine * Liver * Colorectal cancer * Hepatocellular carcinoma Subject RIV: EB - Genetics ; Molecular Biology

  4. GGPPS1 predicts the biological character of hepatocellular carcinoma in patients with cirrhosis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yu, De-cai; Liu, Jia; Chen, Jun; Shao, Jiao-jiao; Shen, Xiao; Xia, Hong-guang; Li, Chao-jun; Xue, Bin; Ding, Yi-tao

    2014-01-01

    Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has been associated with diabetes and obesity, but a possible connection with the metabolic syndrome (MetS) and its potential interaction with hepatitis and cirrhosis are open to discussion. Our previous investigations have shown that GGPPS1 plays a critical role during hyperinsulinism. In this report, the expression and distribution of GGPPS1 in liver cancer, and its clinical significance were investigated. 70 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) were included in this study. Three different types of tissues from each HCC patient were assembled immediately after surgical resection: tumor-free tissue >5 cm far from tumor edge (TF), adjacent nonmalignant tissue within 2 cm (AT), and tissue from the tumor (TT). Normal liver tissues from 10 liver transplant donors served as healthy control (HC) while 10 patients with liver cirrhosis as cirrhosis control (CC). The expression and distribution of GGPPS1 were detected by immunohistochemistry, western blots, or real-time PCR. The relationship between the expression of GGPPS1 and clinic pathologic index were analyzed. We found that GGPPS1 was intensified mainly in the cytoplasm of liver tumor cells. Both the expression of GGPPS1 mRNA and protein were upregulated in TT comparing to AT or TF. Meanwhile, HCC patients with cirrhosis had relative higher expression of GGPPS1. In addition, many pathologic characters show close correlation with GGPPS1, such as tumor stage, vessel invasion, and early recurrence. GGPPS1 may play a critical role during the development of HCC from cirrhosis and is of clinical significance for predicting biological character of HCC

  5. Liver stiffness measured by magnetic resonance elastography as a risk factor for hepatocellular carcinoma: a preliminary case-control study

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Motosugi, Utaroh; Ichikawa, Tomoaki; Koshiishi, Tsuyota; Sano, Katsuhiro; Morisaka, Hiroyuki; Ichikawa, Shintaro; Araki, Tsutomu [University of Yamanashi, Department of Radiology, Yamanashi-ken (Japan); Enomoto, Nobuyuki [University of Yamanashi, 1st Department of Internal Medicine, Yamanashi (Japan); Matsuda, Masanori; Fujii, Hideki [University of Yamanashi, 1st Department of Surgery, Yamanashi (Japan)

    2013-01-15

    To examine if liver stiffness measured by magnetic resonance elastography (MRE) is a risk factor for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in patients with chronic liver disease. By reviewing the records of magnetic resonance (MR) examinations performed at our institution, we selected 301 patients with chronic liver disease who did not have a previous medical history of HCC. All patients underwent MRE and gadoxetic acid-enhanced MR imaging. HCC was identified on MR images in 66 of the 301 patients, who were matched to controls from the remaining patients without HCC according to age. MRE images were obtained by visualising elastic waves generated in the liver by pneumatic vibration transferred via a cylindrical passive driver. Risk factors of HCC development were determined by the odds ratio with logistic regression analysis; gender and liver stiffness by MRE and serum levels of aspartate transferase, alanine transferase, alpha-fetoprotein, and protein induced by vitamin K absence-II. Multivariate analysis revealed that only liver stiffness by MRE was a significant risk factor for HCC with an odds ratio (95 % confidence interval) of 1.38 (1.05-1.84). Liver stiffness measured by MRE is an independent risk factor for HCC in patients with chronic liver disease. (orig.)

  6. Copper/MYC/CTR1 interplay: a dangerous relationship in hepatocellular carcinoma.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Porcu, Cristiana; Antonucci, Laura; Barbaro, Barbara; Illi, Barbara; Nasi, Sergio; Martini, Maurizio; Licata, Anna; Miele, Luca; Grieco, Antonio; Balsano, Clara

    2018-02-06

    Free serum copper correlates with tumor incidence and progression of human cancers, including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Copper extracellular uptake is provided by the transporter CTR1, whose expression is regulated to avoid excessive intracellular copper entry. Inadequate copper serum concentration is involved in the pathogenesis of Non Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD), which is becoming a major cause of liver damage progression and HCC incidence. Finally, MYC is over-expressed in most of HCCs and is a critical regulator of cellular growth, tumor invasion and metastasis. The purpose of our study was to understand if higher serum copper concentrations might be involved in the progression of NAFLD-cirrhosis toward-HCC. We investigated whether high exogenous copper levels sensitize liver cells to transformation and if it exists an interplay between copper-related proteins and MYC oncogene. NAFLD-cirrhotic patients were characterized by a statistical significant enhancement of serum copper levels, even more evident in HCC patients. We demonstrated that high extracellular copper concentrations increase cell growth, migration, and invasion of liver cancer cells by modulating MYC/CTR1 axis. We highlighted that MYC binds a specific region of the CTR1 promoter, regulating its transcription. Accordingly, CTR1 and MYC proteins expression were progressively up-regulated in liver tissues from NAFLD-cirrhotic to HCC patients. This work provides novel insights on the molecular mechanisms by which copper may favor the progression from cirrhosis to cancer. The Cu/MYC/CTR1 interplay opens a window to refine HCC diagnosis and design new combined therapies.

  7. Copper/MYC/CTR1 interplay: a dangerous relationship in hepatocellular carcinoma

    Science.gov (United States)

    Barbaro, Barbara; Illi, Barbara; Nasi, Sergio; Martini, Maurizio; Licata, Anna; Miele, Luca; Grieco, Antonio; Balsano, Clara

    2018-01-01

    Free serum copper correlates with tumor incidence and progression of human cancers, including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Copper extracellular uptake is provided by the transporter CTR1, whose expression is regulated to avoid excessive intracellular copper entry. Inadequate copper serum concentration is involved in the pathogenesis of Non Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD), which is becoming a major cause of liver damage progression and HCC incidence. Finally, MYC is over-expressed in most of HCCs and is a critical regulator of cellular growth, tumor invasion and metastasis. The purpose of our study was to understand if higher serum copper concentrations might be involved in the progression of NAFLD-cirrhosis toward-HCC. We investigated whether high exogenous copper levels sensitize liver cells to transformation and if it exists an interplay between copper-related proteins and MYC oncogene. NAFLD-cirrhotic patients were characterized by a statistical significant enhancement of serum copper levels, even more evident in HCC patients. We demonstrated that high extracellular copper concentrations increase cell growth, migration, and invasion of liver cancer cells by modulating MYC/CTR1 axis. We highlighted that MYC binds a specific region of the CTR1 promoter, regulating its transcription. Accordingly, CTR1 and MYC proteins expression were progressively up-regulated in liver tissues from NAFLD-cirrhotic to HCC patients. This work provides novel insights on the molecular mechanisms by which copper may favor the progression from cirrhosis to cancer. The Cu/MYC/CTR1 interplay opens a window to refine HCC diagnosis and design new combined therapies. PMID:29507693

  8. Branched-Chain Amino Acids Ameliorate Fibrosis and Suppress Tumor Growth in a Rat Model of Hepatocellular Carcinoma with Liver Cirrhosis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cha, Jung Hoon; Bae, Si Hyun; Kim, Hye Lim; Park, Na Ri; Choi, Eun Suk; Jung, Eun Sun; Choi, Jong Young; Yoon, Seung Kew

    2013-01-01

    Purpose Recent studies have revealed that branched-chain amino acids (BCAA) reduce the development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in patients with obesity and hepatitis C virus infection by improving insulin resistance (IR). The aim of this study was to examine the anti-cancer and anti-fibrotic effects of BCAA on the development of diethylnitrosamine (DEN)-induced HCC and liver cirrhosis in a rat model. Methods Male SD rats received weekly intraperitoneal injections of DEN (50 mg/kg of body weight) for 16 weeks to induce HCC. They were fed a diet containing 3% casein, 3% or 6% BCAA for 13 weeks beginning 6 weeks after DEN administration. DEN was used to induce HCC through stepwise development from cirrhosis to HCC. The effect of BCAA was evaluated in tumor tissues by histopathologic analyses, reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, and Western blotting. Results The mean area and number of dysplastic nodules (DNs) and tumors in the casein group tended to be larger than those in the BCAA group 16 weeks after DEN administration. The mean fibrotic area in the BCAA group was smaller than that in the casein group. The BCAA group showed decreased mRNA levels for markers of fibrosis, angiogenesis, and apoptosis inhibition. Compared with the casein group, the BCAA group had lower levels of α-smooth muscle actin, vascular endothelial growth factor, p-β-catenin, p-p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase, proliferating cell nuclear antigen, and caspase-3 protein expression, as well as a higher level of cleaved caspase-3 protein expression. Conclusions BCAA supplementation of the diet ameliorated liver fibrosis and HCC development in a DEN-induced rat model of HCC with liver cirrhosis, but not in the IR model. These results provide a rationale for anti-fibrosis and chemoprevention using BCAA treatment for HCC with liver cirrhosis, as well as decreasing the ammonia level. PMID:24223741

  9. Branched-chain amino acids ameliorate fibrosis and suppress tumor growth in a rat model of hepatocellular carcinoma with liver cirrhosis.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jung Hoon Cha

    Full Text Available PURPOSE: Recent studies have revealed that branched-chain amino acids (BCAA reduce the development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC in patients with obesity and hepatitis C virus infection by improving insulin resistance (IR. The aim of this study was to examine the anti-cancer and anti-fibrotic effects of BCAA on the development of diethylnitrosamine (DEN-induced HCC and liver cirrhosis in a rat model. METHODS: Male SD rats received weekly intraperitoneal injections of DEN (50 mg/kg of body weight for 16 weeks to induce HCC. They were fed a diet containing 3% casein, 3% or 6% BCAA for 13 weeks beginning 6 weeks after DEN administration. DEN was used to induce HCC through stepwise development from cirrhosis to HCC. The effect of BCAA was evaluated in tumor tissues by histopathologic analyses, reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, and Western blotting. RESULTS: The mean area and number of dysplastic nodules (DNs and tumors in the casein group tended to be larger than those in the BCAA group 16 weeks after DEN administration. The mean fibrotic area in the BCAA group was smaller than that in the casein group. The BCAA group showed decreased mRNA levels for markers of fibrosis, angiogenesis, and apoptosis inhibition. Compared with the casein group, the BCAA group had lower levels of α-smooth muscle actin, vascular endothelial growth factor, p-β-catenin, p-p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase, proliferating cell nuclear antigen, and caspase-3 protein expression, as well as a higher level of cleaved caspase-3 protein expression. CONCLUSIONS: BCAA supplementation of the diet ameliorated liver fibrosis and HCC development in a DEN-induced rat model of HCC with liver cirrhosis, but not in the IR model. These results provide a rationale for anti-fibrosis and chemoprevention using BCAA treatment for HCC with liver cirrhosis, as well as decreasing the ammonia level.

  10. Guide for diagnosis and treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma

    Science.gov (United States)

    Attwa, Magdy Hamed; El-Etreby, Shahira Aly

    2015-01-01

    Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is ranked as the 5th common type of cancer worldwide and is considered as the 3rd common reason for cancer-related deaths. HCC often occurs on top of a cirrhotic liver. The prognosis is determined by several factors; tumour extension, alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) concentration, histologic subtype of the tumour, degree of liver dysfunction, and the patient’s performance status. HCC prognosis is strongly correlated with diagnostic delay. To date, no ideal screening modality has been developed. Analysis of recent studies showed that AFP assessment lacks adequate sensitivity and specificity for effective surveillance and diagnosis. Many tumour markers have been tested in clinical trials without progressing to routine use in clinical practice. Thus, surveillance is still based on ultrasound (US) examination every 6 mo. Imaging studies for diagnosis of HCC can fall into one of two main categories: routine non-invasive studies such as US, computed tomography (CT), and magnetic resonance imaging, and more specialized invasive techniques including CT during hepatic arteriography and CT arterial portography in addition to the conventional hepatic angiography. This article provides an overview and spotlight on the different diagnostic modalities and treatment options of HCC. PMID:26140083

  11. Surgical management of spontaneous ruptured hepatocellular adenoma

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marcelo Augusto Fontenelle Ribeiro Junior

    2009-01-01

    Full Text Available AIMS: Spontaneous ruptured hepatocellular adenoma (SRHA is a rare life-threatening condition that may require surgical treatment to control hemorrhaging and also stabilize the patient. We report a series of emergency surgeries performed at our institution for this condition. METHODS: We reviewed medical records and radiology files of 28 patients (from 1989 to 2006 with a proven diagnosis of hepatocellular adenoma (HA. Three (10.7% of 28 patients had spontaneous ruptured hepatocellular adenoma, two of which were associated with intrahepatic hemorrhage while one had intraperitoneal bleeding. Two patients were female and one was male. Both female patients had a background history of oral contraceptive use. Sudden abdominal pain associated with hemodynamic instability occurred in all patients who suffered from spontaneous ruptured hepatocellular adenoma. The mean age was 41.6 years old. The preoperative assessment included liver function tests, ultrasonography and computed tomography. RESULTS: The surgical approaches were as follows: right hemihepatectomy for controlling intraperitoneal bleeding, and right extended hepatectomy and non-anatomic resection of the liver for intrahepatic hemorrhage. There were no deaths, and the postoperative complications were bile leakage and wound infection (re-operation, as well as intraperitoneal abscess (re-operation and pleural effusion. CONCLUSION: Spontaneous ruptured hepatocellular adenoma may be treated by surgery for controlling hemorrhages and stabilizing the patient, and the decision to operate depends upon both the patient's condition and the expertise of the surgical team.

  12. Quantitative evaluation of RASSF1A methylation in the non-lesional, regenerative and neoplastic liver

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Laghi Luigi

    2006-04-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Epigenetic changes during ageing and their relationship with cancer are under the focus of intense research. RASSF1A and NORE1A are novel genes acting in concert in the proapoptotic pathway of the RAS signalling. While NORE1A has not been previously investigated in the human liver, recent reports have suggested that RASSF1A is frequently epigenetically methylated not only in HCC but also in the cirrhotic liver. Methods To address whether epigenetic changes take place in connection to age and/or to the underlying disease, we investigated RASSF1A and NORE1A gene promoter methylation by conventional methylation specific PCR and Real-Time MSP in a series of hepatitic and non-hepatitic livers harboring regenerative/hyperplastic (cirrhosis/focal nodular hyperplasia, dysplastic (large regenerative, low and high grade dysplastic nodules and neoplastic (hepatocellular adenoma and carcinoma growths. Results In the hepatitic liver (chronic hepatitic/cirrhosis, hepatocellular nodules and HCC we found widespread RASSF1A gene promoter methylation with a methylation index that increased from regenerative conditions (cirrhosis to hepatocellular nodules (p RASSF1A gene promoter methylation, NORE1A gene was never found epigenetically alterated in both hepatitic and non-hepatitic liver. Conclusion We have shown that in non-lesional, regenerative and neoplastic liver the RASSF1A gene is increasingly methylated, that this condition takes place as an age-related phenomenon and that the early setting and spreading over time of an epigenetically methylated hepatocyte subpopulation, might be related to liver tumorigenesis.

  13. CRISPR/Cas9 Engineering of Adult Mouse Liver Demonstrates That the Dnajb1-Prkaca Gene Fusion Is Sufficient to Induce Tumors Resembling Fibrolamellar Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Engelholm, Lars H; Riaz, Anjum; Serra, Denise; Dagnæs-Hansen, Frederik; Johansen, Jens V; Santoni-Rugiu, Eric; Hansen, Steen H; Niola, Francesco; Frödin, Morten

    2017-12-01

    Fibrolamellar hepatocellular carcinoma (FL-HCC) is a primary liver cancer that predominantly affects children and young adults with no underlying liver disease. A somatic, 400 Kb deletion on chromosome 19 that fuses part of the DnaJ heat shock protein family (Hsp40) member B1 gene (DNAJB1) to the protein kinase cAMP-activated catalytic subunit alpha gene (PRKACA) has been repeatedly identified in patients with FL-HCC. However, the DNAJB1-PRKACA gene fusion has not been shown to induce liver tumorigenesis. We used the CRISPR/Cas9 technique to delete in mice the syntenic region on chromosome 8 to create a Dnajb1-Prkaca fusion and monitored the mice for liver tumor development. We delivered CRISPR/Cas9 vectors designed to juxtapose exon 1 of Dnajb1 with exon 2 of Prkaca to create the Dnajb1-Prkaca gene fusion associated with FL-HCC, or control Cas9 vector, via hydrodynamic tail vein injection to livers of 8-week-old female FVB/N mice. These mice did not have any other engineered genetic alterations and were not exposed to liver toxins or carcinogens. Liver tissues were collected 14 months after delivery; genomic DNA was analyzed by PCR to detect the Dnajb1-Prkaca fusion, and tissues were characterized by histology, immunohistochemistry, RNA sequencing, and whole-exome sequencing. Livers from 12 of the 15 mice given the vectors to induce the Dnajb1-Prkaca gene fusion, but none of the 11 mice given the control vector, developed neoplasms. The tumors contained the Dnajb1-Prkaca gene fusion and had histologic and cytologic features of human FL-HCCs: large polygonal cells with granular, eosinophilic, and mitochondria-rich cytoplasm, prominent nucleoli, and markers of hepatocytes and cholangiocytes. In comparing expression levels of genes between the mouse tumor and non-tumor liver cells, we identified changes similar to those detected in human FL-HCC, which included genes that affect cell cycle and mitosis regulation. Genomic analysis of mouse neoplasms induced by

  14. Chemiluminescence enzyme immunoassay based on magnetic nanoparticles for detection of hepatocellular carcinoma marker glypican-3

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Qian-Yun Zhang

    2011-08-01

    Full Text Available Glypican-3 (GPC3 is reported as a great promising tumor marker for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC diagnosis. Highly sensitive and accurate analysis of serum GPC3 (sGPC3, in combination with or instead of traditional HCC marker alpha-fetoprotein (AFP, is essential for early diagnosis of HCC. Biomaterial-functionalized magnetic particles have been utilized as solid supports with good biological compatibility for sensitive immunoassay. Here, the magnetic nanoparticles (MnPs and magnetic microparticles (MmPs with carboxyl groups were further modified with streptavidin, and applied for the development of chemiluminescence enzyme immunoassay (CLEIA. After comparing between MnPs- and MmPs-based CLEIA, MnPs-based CLEIA was proved to be a better method with less assay time, greater sensitivity, better linearity and longer chemiluminescence platform. MnPs-based CLEIA was applied for detection of sGPC3 in normal liver, hepatocirrhosis, secondary liver cancer and HCC serum samples. The results indicated that sGPC3 was effective in diagnosis of HCC with high performance. Keywords: Magnetic nanoparticle, Magnetic microparticle, Chemiluminescence enzyme immunoassay, Glypican-3, Hepatocellular carcinoma

  15. Mechanistic background and clinical applications of indocyanine green fluorescence imaging of hepatocellular carcinoma.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ishizawa, Takeaki; Masuda, Koichi; Urano, Yasuteru; Kawaguchi, Yoshikuni; Satou, Shouichi; Kaneko, Junichi; Hasegawa, Kiyoshi; Shibahara, Junji; Fukayama, Masashi; Tsuji, Shingo; Midorikawa, Yutaka; Aburatani, Hiroyuki; Kokudo, Norihiro

    2014-02-01

    Although clinical applications of intraoperative fluorescence imaging of liver cancer using indocyanine green (ICG) have begun, the mechanistic background of ICG accumulation in the cancerous tissues remains unclear. In 170 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma cells (HCC), the liver surfaces and resected specimens were intraoperatively examined by using a near-infrared fluorescence imaging system after preoperative administration of ICG (0.5 mg/kg i.v.). Microscopic examinations, gene expression profile analysis, and immunohistochemical staining were performed for HCCs, which showed ICG fluorescence in the cancerous tissues (cancerous-type fluorescence), and HCCs showed fluorescence only in the surrounding non-cancerous liver parenchyma (rim-type fluorescence). ICG fluorescence imaging enabled identification of 273 of 276 (99%) HCCs in the resected specimens. HCCs showed that cancerous-type fluorescence was associated with higher cancer cell differentiation as compared with rim-type HCCs (P Fluorescence microscopy identified the presence of ICG in the canalicular side of the cancer cell cytoplasm, and pseudoglands of the HCCs showed a cancerous-type fluorescence pattern. The ratio of the gene and protein expression levels in the cancerous to non-cancerous tissues for Na(+)/taurocholate cotransporting polypeptide (NTCP) and organic anion-transporting polypeptide 8 (OATP8), which are associated with portal uptake of ICG by hepatocytes that tended to be higher in the HCCs that showed cancerous-type fluorescence than in those that showed rim-type fluorescence. Preserved portal uptake of ICG in differentiated HCC cells by NTCP and OATP8 with concomitant biliary excretion disorders causes accumulation of ICG in the cancerous tissues after preoperative intravenous administration. This enables highly sensitive identification of HCC by intraoperative ICG fluorescence imaging.

  16. Cytosolic and nuclear caspase-8 have opposite impact on survival after liver resection for hepatocellular carcinoma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Koschny, Ronald; Schemmer, Peter; Schirmacher, Peter; Ganten, Tom M; Brost, Sylvia; Hinz, Ulf; Sykora, Jaromir; Batke, Emanuela M; Singer, Stephan; Breuhahn, Kai; Stremmel, Wolfgang; Walczak, Henning

    2013-01-01

    An imbalance between proliferation and apoptosis is one of the main features of carcinogenesis. TRAIL (TNF-related apoptosis-inducing ligand) induces apoptosis upon binding to the TRAIL death receptors, TRAIL receptor 1 (TRAIL-R1) and TRAIL-R2, whereas binding to TRAIL-R3 and TRAIL-R4 might promote cell survival and proliferation. The anti-tumor activity of TRAIL-R1 and TRAIL-R2 agonists is currently investigated in clinical trials. To gain further insight into the regulation of apoptosis in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), we investigated the TRAIL pathway and the regulators of apoptosis caspase-8, Bcl-xL and Mcl-1 in patients with HCC regarding patient survival. We analyzed 157 hepatocellular carcinoma patients who underwent partial liver resection or orthotopic liver transplantation and healthy control liver tissue using immunohistochemistry on tissue microarrays for the expression of TRAIL-R1 to TRAIL-R4, caspase-8, Bcl-xL and Mcl-1. Immunohistochemical data were evaluated for potential associations with clinico-pathological parameters and survival. Whereas TRAIL-R1 was downregulated in HCC in comparison to normal liver tissue, TRAIL-R2 and –R4 were upregulated in HCC, especially in G2 and G3 tumors. TRAIL-R1 downregulation and upregulation of TRAIL-R2 and TRAIL-R4 correlated with tumor dedifferentiation (G2/G3). TRAIL-R3, Bcl-xL and Mcl-1 showed no differential expression in tumor tissue compared to normal tissue. The expression levels of TRAIL receptors did not correlate with patient survival after partial hepatectomy. Interestingly, in tumor tissue, but not in normal hepatocytes, caspase-8 showed a strong nuclear staining. Low cytosolic and high nuclear staining intensity of caspase-8 significantly correlated with impaired survival after partial hepatectomy, which, for cytosolic caspase-8, was independent from tumor grade. Assessment of TRAIL-receptor expression patterns may have therapeutic implications for the use of TRAIL receptor agonists in HCC therapy

  17. Management of hepatocellular carcinoma: Predictive value of immunohistochemical markers for postoperative survival

    Science.gov (United States)

    Niu, Zhao-Shan; Niu, Xiao-Jun; Wang, Mei

    2015-01-01

    Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) accounts for over 90% of all primary liver cancers. With an ever increasing incidence trend year by year, it has become the third most common cause of death from cancer worldwide. Hepatic resection is generally considered to be one of the most effective therapies for HCC patients, however, there is a high risk of recurrence in postoperative HCC. In clinical practice, there exists an urgent need for valid prognostic markers to identify patients with prognosis, hence the importance of studies on prognostic markers in improving the prediction of HCC prognosis. This review focuses on the most promising immunohistochemical prognostic markers in predicting the postoperative survival of HCC patients. PMID:25624992

  18. Inhibition of heat-shock protein 90 sensitizes liver cancer stem-like cells to magnetic hyperthermia and enhances anti-tumor effect on hepatocellular carcinoma-burdened nude mice

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Rui; Tang, Qiusha; Miao, Fengqin; An, Yanli; Li, Mengfei; Han, Yong; Wang, Xihui; Wang, Juan; Liu, Peidang; Chen, Rong

    2015-01-01

    Purpose To explore the thermoresistance and expression of heat-shock protein 90 (HSP90) in magnetic hyperthermia-treated human liver cancer stem-like cells (LCSCs) and the effects of a heat-shock protein HSP90 inhibitor 17-allylamino-17-demethoxgeldanamycin (17-AAG) on hepatocellular carcinoma-burdened nude mice. Methods CD90+ LCSCs were isolated by magnetic-activated cell sorting from BEL-7404. Spheroid formation, proliferation, differentiation, drug resistance, and tumor formation assays were performed to identify stem cell characteristics. CD90-targeted thermosensitive magnetoliposomes (TMs)-encapsulated 17-AAG (CD90@17-AAG/TMs) was prepared by reverse-phase evaporation and its characteristics were studied. Heat tolerance in CD90+ LCSCs and the effect of CD90@17-AAG/TMs-mediated heat sensitivity were examined in vitro and in vivo. Results CD90+ LCSCs showed significant stem cell-like properties. The 17-AAG/TMs were successfully prepared and were spherical in shape with an average size of 128.9±7.7 nm. When exposed to magnetic hyperthermia, HSP90 was up-regulated in CD90+ LCSCs. CD90@17-AAG/TMs inhibited the activity of HSP90 and increased the sensitivity of CD90+ LCSCs to magnetic hyperthermia. Conclusion The inhibition of HSP90 could sensitize CD90+ LCSCs to magnetic hyperthermia and enhance its anti-tumor effects in vitro and in vivo. PMID:26677324

  19. Fat in the liver: diagnosis and characterization

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Valls, Carlos [Hospital Universitari de Bellvitge, Department of Radiology, Barcelona (Spain); Hopital Beaujon, Department of Radiology, Clichy (France); Iannacconne, Ricardo [Hopital Beaujon, Department of Radiology, Clichy (France); Ospedale la Sapienza, Department of Radiology, Roma (Italy); Alba, Esther [Hospital Universitari de Bellvitge, Department of Radiology, Barcelona (Spain); Murakami, Takamichi; Hori, Masatoshi [Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Department of Radiology, Osaka (Japan); Passariello, Roberto [Ospedale la Sapienza, Department of Radiology, Roma (Italy); Vilgrain, Valerie [Hopital Beaujon, Department of Radiology, Clichy (France)

    2006-10-15

    The purpose of this article is to provide an update on imaging techniques useful for detection and characterization of fat in the liver. Imaging findings of liver steatosis, both diffuse steatosis and focal fatty change, as well as focal fatty sparing, are presented. In addition, we will review computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance (MR) findings of focal liver lesions with fatty metamorphosis, including hepatocellular carcinoma, hepatocellular adenoma, focal nodular hyperplasia, angiomyolipoma, lipoma, and metastases. (orig.)

  20. Differences in long-term survival among liver transplant recipients and the general population

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Åberg, Fredrik; Gissler, Mika; Karlsen, Tom H

    2015-01-01

    ) (SMR change 23.1-9.2), hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) (SMR 38.4-18.8), and primary sclerosing cholangitis (SMR 11.0-4.2), and deterioration in alcoholic liver disease (8.3-24.0) and acute liver failure (ALF) (5.9-7.6). SMRs for cancer and liver disease (recurrent or transplant-unrelated disease) were...... elevated in all indications except primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC). Absolute mortality rates underestimated the elevated premature mortality from infections (SMR 22-693) and kidney disease (SMR 13-45) across all indications, and from suicide in HCV and ALF. SMR for cardiovascular disease was significant...

  1. Magnetic Resonance Imaging Finding of Metastatic Hepatocellular Carcinoma in Ovary: A Case Report

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kwak, Soon Hyuk; Cho, Bum Sang; Kang, Min Ho; Lee, Seung Young; Han, Gi Seok; Cha, Sang Hoon; Park, Kil Sun; Kim, Sung Jin; Choi, Song Yi

    2011-01-01

    Hepatocellular carcinoma is the most common primary malignant tumor of liver. Metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma occurs in various organs, but metastasis to the ovary is extremely rare. We report MRI finding of metastatic hepatocellular carcinoma of the ovary in a 37-year-old woman who was treated hepatocellular carcinoma transarterial chemoembolization and radiofrequency ablation a year ago. Pelvic MRI revealed a mass in pelvic cavity with heterogeneous signal intensity and centripetal enhancement. Surgical excision and pathologic examination confirmed metastatic hepatocellular carcinoma in the ovary.

  2. Management of small hepatocellular carcinoma in cirrhosis: Focus on portal hypertension

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hernandez-Gea, Virginia; Turon, Fanny; Berzigotti, Annalisa; Villanueva, Augusto

    2013-01-01

    The incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is rising worldwide being currently the fifth most common cancer and third cause of cancer-related mortality. Early detection of HCC through surveillance programs have enabled the identification of small nodules with higher frequency, and nowadays account for 10%-15% of patients diagnosed in the West and almost 30% in Japan. Patients with small HCC can be candidates for potential curative treatments: liver transplantation, surgical resection and percutaneous ablation, depending on the presence of portal hypertension and co-morbidities. This review will analyze recent advancements in the clinical management of these individuals, focusing on issues related to the role of portal hypertension, the debate between resection and ablative therapies and the future impact of molecular technologies. PMID:23482437

  3. Subtle Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Persisting Role for Alpha-Fetoprotein Monitoring in High-Risk Patients with Cirrhosis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Barry Schlansky

    2011-10-01

    Full Text Available Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC is a common, aggressive malignancy that usually develops in a background of liver cirrhosis. Practice guidelines recommend screening of cirrhotic patients with ultrasound and more detailed imaging (computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging if abnormalities are detected. The utility of alpha-fetoprotein levels in HCC surveillance is controversial. Although HCC risk differs by etiology of cirrhosis, screening and surveillance guidelines are uniform after cirrhosis is established. We report a case of rapidly progressive HCC occurring in a cirrhotic patient with multiple unique risk factors for neoplasia, detected by a rising alpha-fetoprotein level without imaging features of liver cancer.

  4. The utility of biomarkers in hepatocellular carcinoma: review of urine-based 1H-NMR studies – what the clinician needs to know

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cartlidge CR

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available Caroline R Cartlidge,1 M R Abellona U,2 Alzhraa M A Alkhatib,2 Simon D Taylor-Robinson1 1Department of Surgery and Cancer, Liver Unit, Division of Digestive Health, 2Department of Surgery and Cancer, Division of Computational and Systems Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK Abstract: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC is the fifth most common malignancy, the third most common cause of cancer death, and the most common primary liver cancer. Overall, there is a need for more reliable biomarkers for HCC, as those currently available lack sensitivity and specificity. For example, the current gold-standard biomarker, serum alpha-fetoprotein, has a sensitivity of roughly only 70%. Cancer cells have different characteristic metabolic signatures in biofluids, compared to healthy cells; therefore, metabolite analysis in blood or urine should lead to the detection of suitable candidates for the detection of HCC. With the advent of metabonomics, this has increased the potential for new biomarker discovery. In this article, we look at approaches used to identify biomarkers of HCC using proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H-NMR spectroscopy of urine samples. The various multivariate statistical analysis techniques used are explained, and the process of biomarker identification is discussed, with a view to simplifying the knowledge base for the average clinician. Keywords: hepatocellular carcinoma, biomarkers, metabonomics, urine, proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, 1H-NMR 

  5. Childhood Liver Cancer Treatment (PDQ®)—Patient Version

    Science.gov (United States)

    Childhood liver cancer treatment options include surgery, watchful waiting, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, ablation therapy, and antiviral therapy. Learn more about newly diagnosed and recurrent childhood liver cancer in this expert-reviewed summary.

  6. Transferrin targeted core-shell nanomedicine for combinatorial delivery of doxorubicin and sorafenib against hepatocellular carcinoma.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Malarvizhi, Giridharan Loghanathan; Retnakumari, Archana Payickattu; Nair, Shantikumar; Koyakutty, Manzoor

    2014-11-01

    Combinatorial drug delivery is an attractive, but challenging requirement of next generation cancer nanomedicines. Here, we report a transferrin-targeted core-shell nanomedicine formed by encapsulating two clinically used single-agent drugs, doxorubicin and sorafenib against liver cancer. Doxorubicin was loaded in poly(vinyl alcohol) nano-core and sorafenib in albumin nano-shell, both formed by a sequential freeze-thaw/coacervation method. While sorafenib from the nano-shell inhibited aberrant oncogenic signaling involved in cell proliferation, doxorubicin from the nano-core evoked DNA intercalation thereby killing >75% of cancer cells. Upon targeting using transferrin ligands, the nanoparticles showed enhanced cellular uptake and synergistic cytotoxicity in ~92% of cells, particularly in iron-deficient microenvironment. Studies using 3D spheroids of liver tumor indicated efficient penetration of targeted core-shell nanoparticles throughout the tissue causing uniform cell killing. Thus, we show that rationally designed core-shell nanoparticles can effectively combine clinically relevant single-agent drugs for exerting synergistic activity against liver cancer. Transferrin-targeted core-shell nanomedicine encapsulating doxorubicin and sorafenib was studied as a drug delivery system against hepatocellular carcinoma, resulting in enhanced and synergistic therapeutic effects, paving the way towards potential future clinical applications of similar techniques. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  7. Internal radiotherapy of liver cancer with rat hepato-carcinoma-intestine-pancreas gene as a liver tumor-specific promoter

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Herve, J.; Cunha, A. Sa; Liu, B.; Valogne, Y.; Longuet, M.; Bregerie, O.; Guettier, C.; Samuel, D.; Brechot, C.; Faivre, J. [Hop Paul Brousse, INSERM, Hepatobiliary Ctr, U785, F-94800 Villejuif (France); Herve, J.; Cunha, A. Sa; Liu, B.; Valogne, Y.; Longuet, M.; Bregerie, O.; Guettier, C.; Samuel, D.; Brechot, C.; Faivre, J. [Univ Paris Sud, Fac Med, F-94800 Villejuif (France); Boisgard, R.; Tavitian, B. [INSERM, U803, F-91400 Orsay (France); Boisgard, R.; Tavitian, B. [CEA, Serv Hosp Frederic Joliot, Lab Imagerie Mol Expt, F-91400 Orsay (France); Roux, J.; Cales, P. [Univ Angers, UPRES EA 3859, Lab Hemodynam Interact Fibrose et Invas Tumorale H, Angers (France); Clerc, J. [Hop Cochin, AP HP, Dept Nucl Med, F-75014 Paris (France)

    2008-07-01

    The hepato-carcinoma-intestine-pancreas (HIP) gene, also called pancreatitis-associated protein-1 (PAP1) or Reg III {alpha}, is activated in most human hepatocellular carcinomas (HCCs) but not in normal liver, which suggests that HIP regulatory sequence could be used as efficient liver tumor-specific promoters to express a therapeutic polynucleotide in liver cancer. The sodium iodide sym-porter (NIS), which has recognized therapeutic and reporter gene properties, is appropriate to evaluate the transcriptional strength and specificity of the HIP promoter in HCC. For this purpose, we constructed a recombinant rat HIP-NIS adeno-viral vector (AdrHIP-NIS), and evaluated its performance as a mediator of selective radio-iodide uptake in tumor hepatocytes. Western blot, immunofluorescence, and iodide uptake assays were performed in AdrHIP-NIS-infected primary hepatocytes and transformed hepatic and non-hepatic cells. Nuclear imaging, tissue counting and immuno-histo-chemistry were performed in normal and HCC-bearing Wistar rats infected with AdrHIP-NIS intra-tumorally or via the hepatic artery. In AdrHIP-NIS-infected transformed hepatic cells, functional NIS was strongly expressed, as in cells infected with a cytomegalovirus-NIS vector. No NIS expression was found in AdrHIP-NIS-infected normal hepatocytes or transformed non-hepatic cells. In rats bearing multi-nodular HCC, AdrHIP-NIS triggered functional NIS expression that was preferential in tumor hepatocytes. Administration of 18 mCi of {sup 131}I resulted in the destruction of AdrHIP-NIS-injected nodules. This study has identified the rHIP regulatory sequence as a potent liver tumor-specific promoter for the transfer of therapeutic genes, and AdrHIP-NIS-mediated. {sup 131}I therapy as a valuable option for the treatment of multi-nodular HCC. (authors)

  8. Internal radiotherapy of liver cancer with rat hepato-carcinoma-intestine-pancreas gene as a liver tumor-specific promoter

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Herve, J.; Cunha, A. Sa; Liu, B.; Valogne, Y.; Longuet, M.; Bregerie, O.; Guettier, C.; Samuel, D.; Brechot, C.; Faivre, J.; Herve, J.; Cunha, A. Sa; Liu, B.; Valogne, Y.; Longuet, M.; Bregerie, O.; Guettier, C.; Samuel, D.; Brechot, C.; Faivre, J.; Boisgard, R.; Tavitian, B.; Boisgard, R.; Tavitian, B.; Roux, J.; Cales, P.; Clerc, J.

    2008-01-01

    The hepato-carcinoma-intestine-pancreas (HIP) gene, also called pancreatitis-associated protein-1 (PAP1) or Reg III α, is activated in most human hepatocellular carcinomas (HCCs) but not in normal liver, which suggests that HIP regulatory sequence could be used as efficient liver tumor-specific promoters to express a therapeutic polynucleotide in liver cancer. The sodium iodide sym-porter (NIS), which has recognized therapeutic and reporter gene properties, is appropriate to evaluate the transcriptional strength and specificity of the HIP promoter in HCC. For this purpose, we constructed a recombinant rat HIP-NIS adeno-viral vector (AdrHIP-NIS), and evaluated its performance as a mediator of selective radio-iodide uptake in tumor hepatocytes. Western blot, immunofluorescence, and iodide uptake assays were performed in AdrHIP-NIS-infected primary hepatocytes and transformed hepatic and non-hepatic cells. Nuclear imaging, tissue counting and immuno-histo-chemistry were performed in normal and HCC-bearing Wistar rats infected with AdrHIP-NIS intra-tumorally or via the hepatic artery. In AdrHIP-NIS-infected transformed hepatic cells, functional NIS was strongly expressed, as in cells infected with a cytomegalovirus-NIS vector. No NIS expression was found in AdrHIP-NIS-infected normal hepatocytes or transformed non-hepatic cells. In rats bearing multi-nodular HCC, AdrHIP-NIS triggered functional NIS expression that was preferential in tumor hepatocytes. Administration of 18 mCi of 131 I resulted in the destruction of AdrHIP-NIS-injected nodules. This study has identified the rHIP regulatory sequence as a potent liver tumor-specific promoter for the transfer of therapeutic genes, and AdrHIP-NIS-mediated. 131 I therapy as a valuable option for the treatment of multi-nodular HCC. (authors)

  9. Ligand-based targeted therapy: a novel strategy for hepatocellular carcinoma

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Min; Zhang, Weiyue; Wang, Birong; Gao, Yang; Song, Zifang; Zheng, Qi Chang

    2016-01-01

    Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common primary liver cancer with high morbidity and mortality worldwide. Chemotherapy is recommended to patients with intermediate or advanced stage cancer. However, the conventional chemotherapy yields low desired response rates due to multidrug resistance, fast clearance rate, nonspecific delivery, severe side effects, low drug concentration in cancer cells, and so on. Nanoparticle-mediated targeted drug delivery system can surmount the aforementioned obstacles through enhanced permeability and retention effect and active targeting as a novel approach of therapeutics for HCC in recent years. The active targeting is triggered by ligands on the delivery system, which recognize with and internalize into hepatoma cells with high specificity and efficiency. This review focuses on the latest targeted delivery systems for HCC and summarizes the ligands that can enhance the capacity of active targeting, to provide some insight into future research in nanomedicine for HCC. PMID:27920520

  10. Persistence of hepatocellular carcinoma risk in hepatitis C patients with a response to IFN and cirrhosis regression.

    Science.gov (United States)

    D'Ambrosio, Roberta; Aghemo, Alessio; Rumi, Maria Grazia; Degasperi, Elisabetta; Sangiovanni, Angelo; Maggioni, Marco; Fraquelli, Mirella; Perbellini, Riccardo; Rosenberg, William; Bedossa, Pierre; Colombo, Massimo; Lampertico, Pietro

    2018-01-27

    In patients with HCV-related cirrhosis, a sustained virological response may lead to cirrhosis regression. Whether histological changes translate into prevention of long-term complications, particularly hepatocellular carcinoma is still unknown. This was investigated in a cohort of histological cirrhotics who had been prospectively followed-up for 10 years after the achievement of a sustained virological response to IFN. In all, 38 sustained virological response cirrhotics who underwent a liver biopsy 5 years post-SVR were prospectively followed to assess the impact of cirrhosis regression on clinical endpoints. During a follow-up of 86 (30-96) months from liver biopsy, no patients developed clinical decompensation, whilst 5 (13%) developed hepatocellular carcinoma after 79 (7-88) months. The 8-year cumulative probability of hepatocellular carcinoma was 17%, without differences between patients with or without cirrhosis regression (19% [95% CI 6%-50%] vs 14% [95% CI 4%-44%], P = .88). Patients who developed or did not an hepatocellular carcinoma had similar rates of residual cirrhosis (P = 1.0), collagen content (P = .48), METAVIR activity (P = .34), portal inflammation (P = .06) and steatosis (P = .17). At baseline, patients who developed an hepatocellular carcinoma had higher γGT (HR 1.03, 95% CI 1.00-1.06; P = .014) and glucose (HR 1.02, 95% CI 1.00-1.02; P = .012) values; moreover, they had increased Forns Score (HR 12.8, 95% CI 1.14-143.9; P = .039), Lok Index (HR 6.24, 95% CI 1.03-37.6; P = .046) and PLF (HR 19.3, 95% CI 1.72-217.6; P = .016) values. One regressor died of lung cancer. The 8-year cumulative survival probability was 97%, independently on cirrhosis regression (96% vs 100%, P = 1.0) or hepatocellular carcinoma (100% vs 97%, P = 1.0). Post-SVR cirrhosis regression does not prevent hepatocellular carcinoma occurrence. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  11. External validation of the ITA.LI.CA prognostic system for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma: A multicenter cohort study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Borzio, Mauro; Dionigi, Elena; Rossini, Angelo; Marignani, Massimo; Sacco, Rodolfo; De Sio, Ilario; Bertolini, Emanuela; Francica, Giampiero; Giacomin, Anna; Parisi, Giancarlo; Vicari, Susanna; Toldi, Anna; Salmi, Andrea; Boccia, Sergio; Mitra, Mario; Fornari, Fabio

    2017-11-22

    Several staging systems for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) have been developed. The Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer staging system is considered the best in predicting survival, although limitations have emerged. Recently, the Italian Liver Cancer (ITA.LI.CA) prognostic system, integrating ITA.LI.CA tumor staging (stages 0, A, B1-3, C) with the Child-Turcotte-Pugh score, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status, and alpha-fetoprotein with a strong ability to predict survival, was proposed. The aim of our study was to provide an external validation of the ITA.LI.CA system in an independent real-life occidental cohort of HCCs. From September 2008 to April 2016, 1,508 patients with cirrhosis and incident HCC were consecutively enrolled in 27 Italian institutions. Clinical, tumor, and treatment-related variables were collected, and patients were stratified according to scores of the Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer system, ITA.LI.CA prognostic system, Hong Kong Liver Cancer system, Cancer of the Liver Italian Program, Japanese Integrated System, and model to estimate survival in ambulatory patients with hepatocellular carcinoma. Harrell's C-index, Akaike information criterion, and likelihood-ratio test were used to compare the predictive ability of the different systems. A subgroup analysis for treatment category (curative versus palliative) was performed. Median follow-up was 44 months (interquartile range, 23-63 months), and median overall survival was 34 months (interquartile range, 13-82 months). Median age was 71 years, and patients were mainly male individuals and hepatitis C virus carriers. According to ITA.LI.CA tumor staging, 246 patients were in stage 0, 472 were in stage A, 657 were in stages B1/3, and 133 were in stage C. The ITA.LI.CA prognostic system showed the best discriminatory ability (C-index = 0.77) and monotonicity of gradients compared to other systems, and its superiority was also confirmed after stratification for treatment strategy

  12. Loco-regional therapy for liver cancer

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    YE Shenglong

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Loco-regional therapy, which uses imaging technologies to facilitate targeted delivery of therapeutic agents to cancers, has emerged as the most commonly used non-surgical treatment for primary liver cancer. Since the theory of loco-regional therapy was introduced, various strategies have been developed and successfully applied in clinic, including interventional radiology methods (mainly transarterial chemoembolization and local ablative methods (such as intratumoral ethanol injection, radiofrequency ablation, microwave coagulation, laser-induced thermal therapy, high-intensity focused ultrasound, and cryotherapy. TACE has been widely applied to treat inoperable liver cancers at intermediate and advanced stages, while the local ablative therapies have proven more suitable for small (<5 cm liver cancers. However, choosing the appropriate loco-regional therapy strategy should be carried out on an individual basis, considering the patient's particular disease condition and characteristics. To help guide such treatment decisions, this review highlights the principal indications, theory, techniques, and reported efficacies of the various loco-regional therapy strategies.

  13. Chronic inflammation-elicited liver progenitor cell conversion to liver cancer stem cell with clinical significance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Xiao-Feng; Chen, Cheng; Xiang, Dai-Min; Qu, Le; Sun, Wen; Lu, Xin-Yuan; Zhou, Teng-Fei; Chen, Shu-Zhen; Ning, Bei-Fang; Cheng, Zhuo; Xia, Ming-Yang; Shen, Wei-Feng; Yang, Wen; Wen, Wen; Lee, Terence Kin Wah; Cong, Wen-Ming; Wang, Hong-Yang; Ding, Jin

    2017-12-01

    The substantial heterogeneity and hierarchical organization in liver cancer support the theory of liver cancer stem cells (LCSCs). However, the relationship between chronic hepatic inflammation and LCSC generation remains obscure. Here, we observed a close correlation between aggravated inflammation and liver progenitor cell (LPC) propagation in the cirrhotic liver of rats exposed to diethylnitrosamine. LPCs isolated from the rat cirrhotic liver initiated subcutaneous liver cancers in nonobese diabetic/severe combined immunodeficient mice, suggesting the malignant transformation of LPCs toward LCSCs. Interestingly, depletion of Kupffer cells in vivo attenuated the LCSC properties of transformed LPCs and suppressed cytokeratin 19/Oval cell 6-positive tumor occurrence. Conversely, LPCs cocultured with macrophages exhibited enhanced LCSC properties. We further demonstrated that macrophage-secreted tumor necrosis factor-α triggered chromosomal instability in LPCs through the deregulation of ubiquitin D and checkpoint kinase 2 and enhanced the self-renewal of LPCs through the tumor necrosis factor receptor 1/Src/signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 pathway, which synergistically contributed to the conversion of LPCs to LCSCs. Clinical investigation revealed that cytokeratin 19/Oval cell 6-positive liver cancer patients displayed a worse prognosis and exhibited superior response to sorafenib treatment. Our results not only clarify the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying the inflammation-mediated LCSC generation but also provide a molecular classification for the individualized treatment of liver cancer. (Hepatology 2017;66:1934-1951). © 2017 by the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases.

  14. Adult Primary Liver Cancer Treatment (PDQ®)—Patient Version

    Science.gov (United States)

    Treatment of liver cancer in adults depends on the stage. Treatment options include hepatectomy, liver transplant, ablation, electroporation therapy (EPT), embolization therapy, targeted therapy, and/or radiation therapy. Learn more about treatment for the different stages of liver cancer.

  15. Operative outcome of liver resections for hepatocellular carcinoma: Retrospective case control study of a twelve-years pioneer experience in the Sudan

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Osama Mohamed Elsanousi

    Full Text Available Introduction: Modern liver surgery in the Sudan started at our institution, The National Ribat University Hospital, in 2002. This study aimed to assess the perioperative events of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC resection in our institution during the period January 2002 to December 2013 compared to hepatectomies for benign liver pathologies. Methods: The medical records of 114 patients subjected to hepatectomy were divided into the HCC group (cases, and benign group (controls. The characteristics and perioperative events of both groups were assessed and compared. Results: The mean age of the HCC patients was 58.6 ± 7.7 years. The majority of liver resections in the HCC group were minor (72.7%. The mean intraoperative blood loss was 918.8 ml in the HCC group and 720 ml in benign resections group and the difference between them was not significant, p = 0.129. The mean operative duration of HCC resection was 4 hours. The major postoperative complications were encountered in 16 patients (36.4% in the HCC group. HCC group thirty-day postoperative mortality was 9.1%, (n = 4 patients while no patient of the benign group (n = 60 died within that duration, p = .030. Logistic regression multivariate analysis revealed massive bleeding as an independent predictor for major postoperative morbidity, Odds ratio [OR] = 5.899, 95%, Confidence Interval [95% CI], 1.129–30.830, p = .035. Discussion: Our results revealed outcome parameters comparable with the international reports. Conclusion: Further improvements in hepatic surgery in general, and HCC in particular is inevitable. Keywords: Outcomes, Hepatocellular carcinoma, Liver

  16. Role of endoscopic ultrasound in diagnosis and management of hepatocellular carcinoma

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Koduru P

    2015-10-01

    Full Text Available Pramoda Koduru,1 Rei Suzuki,2 Sundeep Lakhtakia,3 Mohan Ramchandani,3 Dadang Makmun,4 Manoop S Bhutani,1 1Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA; 2Department of Gastroenterology and Rheumatology, Fukushima University School of Medicine, Fukushima, Japan; 3Asian Institute of Gastroenterology, Hyderabad, India; 4University of Indonesia/Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital, Jakarta, Indonesia Abstract: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC is an aggressive tumor and a leading cause of cancer-related deaths globally. The mortality rate remains high despite many advances in treatment. HCC is frequently diagnosed late in its course due to lack of classical symptoms at earlier stages. Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS has emerged as an important diagnostic tool for the diagnostic evaluation, staging, and treatment of gastrointestinal tract disorders. EUS-guided fine needle aspiration has been a valuable addition to EUS by being able to obtain tissue under direct visualization. Here, we review the potential role of EUS in the diagnosis and management of HCC. EUS seems to be a safe and reliable alternative method for obtaining tissue for diagnosis of liver cancer, especially for lesions that are inaccessible by traditional methods. EUS could play an important role in the diagnosis and management of HCC. Keywords: endoscopic ultrasound, fine needle aspiration, hepatocellular carcinoma, hepatoma

  17. Endoscopic stenting in bile duct cancer increases liver volume.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Chang Hun; Kim, Seong Hun; Kim, In Hee; Kim, Sang Wook; Lee, Soo Teik; Kim, Dae Ghon; Yang, Jae Do; Yu, Hee Chul; Cho, Baik Hwan; Lee, Seung Ok

    2014-09-01

    Objective evaluation tools for assessing the effectiveness of stenting in palliative treatment of malignant biliary obstruction are not satisfactory. Effects of biliary stenting on liver volume change have never been studied. We aimed to use volumetry to analyze liver volume changes after endoscopic stenting in bile duct cancer according to the location and number of stents. Retrospective review. University hospital. Patients with a diagnosis of hilar or distal bile duct cancer and who underwent biliary metal stenting. ERCP with self-expandable metal stent placement. Liver volume change after biliary stenting and its comparison according to the location (hilar vs distal common bile duct) and number (hilar bilateral vs hilar unilateral). There were 60 patients; 31 were treated for hilar bile duct cancer (13 for bilateral stent and 18 for unilateral stent) and 29 for distal bile duct cancer. Overall mean follow-up duration was 11.7 ± 4.9 weeks. Liver volume increased 17.4 ± 24.1%. The rate of liver growth was rapid during the early period from 4 to 8 weeks. Stenting in hilar bile duct cancer tended to increase liver volume more than distal biliary stents (22.5% vs 11.9%, P = .091). In hilar bile duct cancer, unilateral and bilateral stents showed similar liver volume increases (20.1% and 25.8%, respectively; P = .512). Single center, retrospective. Biliary stenting markedly increased liver volume in both hilar and distal bile duct cancer. Our data suggest that liver volume assessment could be a useful tool for evaluating stent efficacy. Copyright © 2014 American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy. Published by Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

  18. Usefulness of technetium-99m tetrofosmin liver imaging to detect hepatocellular carcinoma and related to expression of P-glycoprotein or multidrug resistance associated protein-a preliminary report

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ding, H.J.; Huang, W.T.; Tsai, C.S.; Chang, C.S.; Kao, A.

    2003-01-01

    Technetium-99m Tetrofsomin (Tc-TF) has been shown to be useful in identifying several types of tumors, such as breast, lung, and thyroid cancers. There was no report in the literature for Tc-TF uptake in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The aim of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of Tc-TF liver imaging to detect HCC and investigate the relationship between Tc-TF liver imaging findings and P-glycoprotein (Pgp) and multidrug resistance associated protein (MRP) expression. Before any therapy, 22 patients with HCC were enrolled in this study. Tc-TF liver images were performed l0 minutes after intravenous injection of 20mCi Tc-TF. All patients had liver biopsy or surgery within l week after Tc-TF liver imaging. Immunohistochemical study of the biopsy or resected HCC specimens was performed using anti-human Pgp and MRP antibodies. Twenty of the 22 (90.9%) patients showed negative Tc-TF liver imaging results without significant Tc-TF uptake in HCC, whereas only the remaining 2 (9.1%) patients showed positive Tc-TF liver imaging results with significant Tc-TF uptake in HCC. Positive Pgp expression was observed in 13 of 20 patients with negative Tc-TF liver imaging results, whereas positive MRP expression was observed in 6 of the remaining 7 patients with negative both Tc-TF liver imaging results and Pgp expression. However, negative Pgp expression but positive MRP expression was observed in all of the remaining 2 patients with positive Tc-TF liver imaging results. The correlation between Tc-TF liver imaging findings and Pgp expression was significant and better than between Tc-TF liver imaging findings and MRP expression. Pgp or MRP expression in HCC may induce no significant Tc-TF uptake in HCC resulting in negative Tc-TF liver imaging findings. Therefore, Tc-TF liver imaging is potential to be a non-invasive method to predict Pgp or MRP expression in HCC. However, further studies with a larger series of patients and longer follow-up time are necessary to confirm

  19. Clinical utility of imaging for evaluation of hepatocellular carcinoma

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Murakami T

    2014-07-01

    Full Text Available Takamichi Murakami,1 Masakatsu Tsurusaki,1 Tomoko Hyodo,1 Yasuharu Imai2 1Department of Radiology, Kinki University Faculty of Medicine, 2Department of Hepatology and Gastroenterology, Ikeda Municipal Hospital, Osaka, Japan Abstract: The hemodynamics of a hepatocellular nodule is the most important imaging parameter used to characterize various hepatocellular nodules in liver cirrhosis, because sequential changes occur in the feeding vessels and hemodynamic status during hepatocarcinogenesis. Therefore, the imaging criteria for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC are also usually based on vascular findings, eg, early arterial uptake followed by washout in the portal venous and equilibrium phases. Contrast-enhanced ultrasonography, dynamic multidetector-row computed tomography (MDCT, and dynamic magnetic resonance (MR imaging with gadopentetate dimeglumine (Gd-DTPA are useful for detecting hypervascular HCC on the basis of vascular criteria but are not as useful for hypovascular HCC. Contrast-enhanced MR imaging with gadolinium ethoxybenzyl diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid (Gd-EOB-DTPA, a hepatocyte-specific MR contrast agent, is superior to dynamic MDCT and dynamic MR imaging with Gd-DTPA in detecting both hypervascular and hypovascular HCC. Moreover, Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced MR imaging can display each histologically differentiated HCC as hypointense relative to the liver parenchyma. 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography imaging might not be suitable for the screening and detection of HCC, given its lower diagnostic performance. However, this technique plays an important role in determining whether HCC has spread beyond the liver. Keywords: hepatocellular carcinoma, evaluation, imaging, clinical utility

  20. Activation of the sonic hedgehog signaling pathway occurs in the CD133 positive cells of mouse liver cancer Hepa 1–6 cells

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jeng KS

    2013-08-01

    Full Text Available Kuo-Shyang Jeng,1 I-Shyan Sheen,2 Wen-Juei Jeng,2 Ming-Che Yu,3 Hsin-I Hsiau,3 Fang-Yu Chang,3 Hsin-Hua Tsai31Department of Surgery, Far Eastern Memorial Hospital, Taipei, 2Department of Hepato-Gastroenterology, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Linkou Medical Center, Chang Gung University, 3Department of Medical Research, Far Eastern Memorial Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of ChinaBackground: The important role of cancer stem cells in carcinogenesis has been emphasized in research. CD133+ cells have been mentioned as liver cancer stem cells in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC. Some researchers have proposed that the sonic hedgehog (Shh pathway contributes to hepatocarcinogenesis and that the pathway activation occurs mainly in cancer stem cells. We investigated whether the activation of the Shh pathway occurs in CD133+ cells from liver cancer.Materials and methods: We used magnetic sorting to isolate CD133+ cells from mouse cancer Hepa 1–6 cells. To examine the clonogenicity, cell culture and soft agar colony formation assay were performed between CD133+ and CD133- cells. To study the activation of the Shh pathway, we examined the mRNA expressions of Shh, patched homolog 1 (Ptch-1, glioma-associated oncogene homolog 1 (Gli-1, and smoothened homolog (Smoh by real-time polymerase chain reaction of both CD133+ and CD133- cells.Results: The number (mean ± standard deviation of colonies of CD133+ cells and CD133- cells was 1,031.0 ± 104.7 and 119.7 ± 17.6 respectively. This difference was statistically significant (P < 0.001. Their clonogenicity was 13.7% ± 1.4% and 1.6% ± 0.2% respectively with a statistically significant difference found (P < 0.001. CD133+ cells and CD133– cells were found to have statistically significant differences in Shh mRNA and Smoh mRNA (P = 0.005 and P = 0.043 respectively.Conclusion: CD133+ Hepa 1–6 cells have a significantly higher colony proliferation and clonogenicity. The Shh pathway is activated in these

  1. PARP-1 serves as a novel molecular marker for hepatocellular carcinoma in a Southern Chinese Zhuang population.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Jiatong; Dou, Dongwei; Li, Ping; Luo, Wenqi; Lv, Wenxin; Zhang, Chengdong; Song, Xiaowei; Yang, Yuan; Zhang, Yuening; Xu, Yanzhen; Xiao, Feifan; Wei, Yan; Qin, Jian; Li, Hongtao; Yang, Xiaoli

    2017-07-01

    PARP-1 (poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase-1) plays an important role in tumorigenesis. Since its effects on different populations are varied, this study investigated the impact of PARP-1 on primary hepatocellular carcinoma in a Southern Chinese Zhuang population. We assessed the global PARP-1 messenger RNA expression in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma using The Cancer Genome Atlas dataset. Increased PARP-1 expression, related to alpha-fetoprotein level, was observed. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve value was 0.833. Kaplan-Meier survival curves indicated that higher PARP-1 expression was not correlated with poorer overall survival and recurrence-free survival. In a Zhuang population, PARP-1 messenger RNA and protein levels were increased in the hepatocellular carcinoma tissue and its adjacent liver tissues as assessed by quantitative polymerase chain reaction, immunohistochemistry, and western blotting. Higher PARP-1 level was associated with a higher tumor stage (p  0.05). Further analysis suggested that H2AX, a PARP-1 protein interaction partner, was coordinated with PARP-1 in hepatocellular carcinoma tumorigenesis. Overall, some new characteristics of PARP-1 expression were noted in the Zhuang population. PARP-1 is a novel promising diagnostic marker for hepatocellular carcinoma in the Southern Chinese Zhuang population.

  2. [A single metastasis in the carpal bones as the first clinical manifestation of a hepatocellular carcinoma].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Corrales Pinzón, R; Alonso Sánchez, J M; de la Mano González, S; El Karzazi Tarazona, K

    2014-01-01

    Hepatocellular carcinoma is the most common primary tumor of the liver. Spreading outside the liver usually takes place in advanced stages of the disease, and bone is the third most common site of metastases. We present a case of hepatocellular carcinoma in which the first clinical manifestation was a single metastasis to the carpal bones. The interest of this case lies in the way this hepatocellular carcinoma manifested as well as in the unusual site of the metastasis. Copyright © 2012 SERAM. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.

  3. Sub-chronic 90-day toxicity of neamine in SD rats and its anti-liver cancer activity in vitro and in vivo

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wu, Yanli [Department of pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 400030 (China); Feng, Yongdong [Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Tongji Hospital, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 400030 (China); Li, Yanling [Department of pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 400030 (China); Xu, Yiping; Shi, Nian [Department of hygienic toxicology, School of Public Health, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 400030 (China); Hu, Guo-fu [Molecular Oncology Research Institute, Tufts Medical Center, Tufts University, Boston 02111 (United States); Wu, Yunxia, E-mail: wuyunxia@hust.edu.cn [Department of pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 400030 (China)

    2017-01-15

    Neamine, an inhibitor of angiogenin (ANG), is a new investigative anticancer drug currently in preclinical stage. Here we report the 90-day sub-chronic toxicity of neamine in SD rats and its anti-liver cancer activity in vitro and in vivo. Neamine has a No Observed Adverse Effect Level (NOAEL) of 12 and 16 mg·kg{sup −1}·d{sup −1} for female and male rats, respectively. No mortality was found. The adverse effects included increased organ coefficients of spleen and kidney, increased BUN in both female and male rats at high dose, increased CR and decreased organ coefficients of heart and liver in male rats at high dose. All of which, except the kidney coefficient and BUN in males, returned to normal levels after 28-day recovery. Histopathological examination revealed vacuolar degeneration of glomerulus, degeneration of renal tubules and cast in the kidneys, which were also recovered except in males of high-dosing group. These results indicate that kidney is the most susceptible organ for neamine toxicity. Tissue microarray analysis validated that ANG is up-regulated in hepatocellular carcinoma accompanied by increased nuclear translocation, suggesting that ANG is a possible target for drug development in liver cancer treatment. Neamine blocked nuclear translocation of ANG in HUVEC and HepG2 cells, and inhibited ANG-stimulated cell proliferation without affecting basal level cell proliferation. Neamine also inhibited progression of HepG2 xenografts in athymic mice accompanied by decreased angiogenesis and cancer cell proliferation. These results suggest that neamine is a specific ANG inhibitor with low toxicity and high anti-liver cancer efficacy. - Highlights: • The NOAEL of neamine is 12 mg·kg{sup −1}·d{sup −1} for females and 16 mg·kg{sup −}1·d{sup −1} for males. • The most susceptible organ for neamine toxicity is kidney. • Neamine inhibits the progression of xenograft HepG2 liver cancer in athymic mice.

  4. Sub-chronic 90-day toxicity of neamine in SD rats and its anti-liver cancer activity in vitro and in vivo

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wu, Yanli; Feng, Yongdong; Li, Yanling; Xu, Yiping; Shi, Nian; Hu, Guo-fu; Wu, Yunxia

    2017-01-01

    Neamine, an inhibitor of angiogenin (ANG), is a new investigative anticancer drug currently in preclinical stage. Here we report the 90-day sub-chronic toxicity of neamine in SD rats and its anti-liver cancer activity in vitro and in vivo. Neamine has a No Observed Adverse Effect Level (NOAEL) of 12 and 16 mg·kg −1 ·d −1 for female and male rats, respectively. No mortality was found. The adverse effects included increased organ coefficients of spleen and kidney, increased BUN in both female and male rats at high dose, increased CR and decreased organ coefficients of heart and liver in male rats at high dose. All of which, except the kidney coefficient and BUN in males, returned to normal levels after 28-day recovery. Histopathological examination revealed vacuolar degeneration of glomerulus, degeneration of renal tubules and cast in the kidneys, which were also recovered except in males of high-dosing group. These results indicate that kidney is the most susceptible organ for neamine toxicity. Tissue microarray analysis validated that ANG is up-regulated in hepatocellular carcinoma accompanied by increased nuclear translocation, suggesting that ANG is a possible target for drug development in liver cancer treatment. Neamine blocked nuclear translocation of ANG in HUVEC and HepG2 cells, and inhibited ANG-stimulated cell proliferation without affecting basal level cell proliferation. Neamine also inhibited progression of HepG2 xenografts in athymic mice accompanied by decreased angiogenesis and cancer cell proliferation. These results suggest that neamine is a specific ANG inhibitor with low toxicity and high anti-liver cancer efficacy. - Highlights: • The NOAEL of neamine is 12 mg·kg −1 ·d −1 for females and 16 mg·kg − 1·d −1 for males. • The most susceptible organ for neamine toxicity is kidney. • Neamine inhibits the progression of xenograft HepG2 liver cancer in athymic mice.

  5. Computed tomographic findings of hepatocellular carcinoma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jo, In Su; Jong, Woo Yung; Lee, Jong Yul; Choi, Han Yong; Kim, Bong Ki

    1987-01-01

    With Development of Computed Tomography, detection of the Hepatocellular Carcinoma are easily performed and frequently used in the world. During 15 months, from December 1985 to February 1987, 59 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma were evaluated with computed tomography in department of radiology at Wallace Memorial Baptist Hospital. The results were as follow: 1. The most prevalent age group was 5th to 7th decades, male to female ratio was 4.9:1. 2. Classification with incidence of computed tomographic appearance of the hepatocellular carcinoma were solitary type 28 cases (48%), multinodular type 24 cases (40%), and diffuse type 7 cases (12%), Association with liver cirrhosis was noted in 22 cases (38%). 3. Inhomogenous internal consistency of hepatocellular carcinoma due to central necrosis were 35 cases (60%). Portal vein invasion by hepatocellular carcinoma was noted in 15 cases (25%), and particularly most common in diffuse type 4 cases (55%). 4. On precontrast scan, all hepatocellular carcinoma were seen as area of low density except for 3 cases(0.5%) of near isodensity which turned out to be remarkable low density on postcontrast scan. 5. In solitary type, posterior segment of right lobe was most common site of involvement 12 cases (43%). In diffuse type, bilobar involvement was most common, 6 cases (85%)

  6. Chemoembolization Decreases Drop-Off Risk of Hepatocellular Carcinoma Patients on the Liver Transplant List

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Frangakis, Constantine; Geschwind, Jean-Francois; Kim, Daniel; Chen, Yong; Koteish, Ayman; Hong, Kelvin; Liapi, Eleni; Georgiades, Christos S.

    2011-01-01

    Introduction: The drop-off risk for patients awaiting liver transplantation for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is 22%. Transplant liver availability is expected to worsen, resulting in longer waiting times and increased drop-off rates. Our aim was to determine whether chemoembolization can decrease this risk. Patients and Methods: Eighty-seven consecutive HCC patients listed for liver transplant (Milan criteria) underwent statistical comparability adjustments using the propensity score (Wilcoxon, Fisher’s, and chi-square tests). Forty-three nonchemoembolization patients and 22 chemoembolization patients were comparable for Child-Pugh and Model for End-Stage Liver Disease scores, tumor size and number, alpha fetoprotein (AFP) levels, and cause of cirrhosis. We calculated the risk of dropping off the transplant list by assigning a transplant time to those who dropped off (equal probability with patients who were on the list longer than the patient in question). The significance level was obtained by calculating the simulation distribution of the difference compared with the permutations of chemoembolization versus nonchemoembolization assignment of the patients. Kaplan–Meier estimators (log-rank test) were used to determine survival rates. Results: Median follow-up was 187 ± 110 weeks (range 38 to 435, date of diagnosis). The chemoembolization group had an 80% drop-off risk decrease (15% nonchemoembolization versus 3% chemoembolization, p = 0.04). Although survival was better for the chemoembolization group, it did not reach statistical significance. Two-year survival for the nonchemoembolization and chemoembolization group was 57.3% ± 7.1% and 76.0% ± 7.9%, respectively (p = 0.078). Conclusions: Chemoembolization appears to result in a significant decrease in the risk of dropping off liver transplant list for patients with HCC and results in a tendency toward longer survival.

  7. Functional Roles and Therapeutic Applications of Exosomes in Hepatocellular Carcinoma

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Laura Santangelo

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Exosomes are important in intercellular communication. They assure the horizontal transfer of specific functional contents (i.e., proteins, lipids, RNA molecules, and circulating DNA from donor to recipient cells. Notably, tumor-derived exosomes (TDEs appear to be an important vehicle of specific signals in cancer, impacting on tumor growth and metastasis. Recent researches point to the characterization of exosomes in Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC, the major adult liver malignancy. In this review, we summarize current findings on HCC exosomes, focusing on the identification of noncoding RNAs as exosome-enriched functional regulators and new potential biomarkers. The great potential of exosomes in future HCC diagnostic and therapeutic approaches is underlined.

  8. Time of hepatocellular carcinoma recurrence after liver resection and alpha-fetoprotein are important prognostic factors for salvage liver transplantation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Sanghoon; Hyuck David Kwon, Choon; Man Kim, Jong; Joh, Jae-Won; Woon Paik, Seung; Kim, Bong-Wan; Wang, Hee-Jung; Lee, Kwang-Woong; Suh, Kyung-Suk; Lee, Suk-Koo

    2014-09-01

    Salvage liver transplantation (LT) is considered a feasible option for the treatment of recurrent hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We performed this multicenter study to assess the risk factors associated with the recurrence of HCC and patient survival after salvage LT. Between January 2000 and December 2011, 101 patients who had previously undergone liver resection (LR) for HCC underwent LT at 3 transplant centers in Korea. Sixty-nine patients' data were retrospectively reviewed for the analysis. The recurrence of HCC was diagnosed at a median of 10.6 months after the initial LR, and patients underwent salvage LT. Recurrences were within the Milan criteria in 48 cases and were outside the Milan criteria in 21 cases. After salvage LT, 31 patients had HCC recurrence during a median follow-up period of 24.5 months. There were 24 deaths, and 20 were due to HCC recurrence. The 5-year overall survival rate was approximately 54.6%, and the 5-year recurrence-free survival rate was 49.3%. HCC recurrence within the 8 months after LR [hazard ratio (HR) = 3.124, P = 0.009], an alpha-fetoprotein level higher than 200 ng/mL (HR = 2.609, P = 0.02), and HCC outside the Milan criteria at salvage LT (HR = 2.219, P = 0.03) were independent risk factors for poor recurrence-free survival after salvage LT. In conclusion, the timing and extent of HCC recurrence after primary LR both play significant roles in the outcome of salvage LT. © 2014 American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases.

  9. Hepatocellular carcinoma: From clinical practice to evidence-based treatment protocols

    Science.gov (United States)

    Galun, Danijel; Basaric, Dragan; Zuvela, Marinko; Bulajic, Predrag; Bogdanovic, Aleksandar; Bidzic, Nemanja; Milicevic, Miroslav

    2015-01-01

    Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the major malignant diseases in many healthcare systems. The growing number of new cases diagnosed each year is nearly equal to the number of deaths from this cancer. Worldwide, HCC is a leading cause of cancer-related deaths, as it is the fifth most common cancer and the third most important cause of cancer related death in men. Among various risk factors the two are prevailing: viral hepatitis, namely chronic hepatitis C virus is a well-established risk factor contributing to the rising incidence of HCC. The epidemic of obesity and the metabolic syndrome, not only in the United States but also in Asia, tend to become the leading cause of the long-term rise in the HCC incidence. Today, the diagnosis of HCC is established within the national surveillance programs in developed countries while the diagnosis of symptomatic, advanced stage disease still remains the characteristic of underdeveloped countries. Although many different staging systems have been developed and evaluated the Barcelona-Clinic Liver Cancer staging system has emerged as the most useful to guide HCC treatment. Treatment allocation should be decided by a multidisciplinary board involving hepatologists, pathologists, radiologists, liver surgeons and oncologists guided by personalized -based medicine. This approach is important not only to balance between different oncologic treatments strategies but also due to the complexity of the disease (chronic liver disease and the cancer) and due to the large number of potentially efficient therapies. Careful patient selection and a tailored treatment modality for every patient, either potentially curative (surgical treatment and tumor ablation) or palliative (transarterial therapy, radioembolization and medical treatment, i.e., sorafenib) is mandatory to achieve the best treatment outcome. PMID:26380652

  10. 2014 KLCSG-NCC Korea Practice Guideline for the Management of Hepatocellular Carcinoma

    Science.gov (United States)

    2015-01-01

    The guideline for the management of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) was first developed in 2003 and revised in 2009 by the Korean Liver Cancer Study Group and the National Cancer Center, Korea. Since then, many studies on HCC have been carried out in Korea and other countries. In particular, a substantial body of knowledge has been accumulated on diagnosis, staging, and treatment specific to Asian characteristics, especially Koreans, prompting the proposal of new strategies. Accordingly, the new guideline presented herein was developed on the basis of recent evidence and expert opinions. The primary targets of this guideline are patients with suspicious or newly diagnosed HCC. This guideline provides recommendations for the initial treatment of patients with newly diagnosed HCC. PMID:25918260

  11. Liver cancer and selective internal radiation therapy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sutton, C.

    2002-01-01

    Liver cancer is the biggest cancer-related killer of adults in the world. Liver cancer can be considered as two types: primary and secondary (metastatic). Selective Internal Radiation Therapy (SIRT) is a revolutionary treatment for advanced liver cancer that utilises new technologies designed to deliver radiation directly to the site of tumours. SIRT, on the other hand, involves the delivery of millions of microscopic radioactive spheres called SIR-Spheres directly to the site of the liver tumour/s, where they selectively irradiate the tumours. The anti-cancer effect is concentrated in the liver and there is little effect on cancer at other sites such as the lungs or bones. The SIR-Spheres are delivered through a catheter placed in the femoral artery of the upper thigh and threaded through the hepatic artery (the major blood vessel of the liver) to the site of the tumour. The microscopic spheres, each approximately 35 microns (the size of four red blood cells or one-third the diameter of a strand of hair), are bonded to yttrium-90 (Y-90), a pure beta emitter with a physical half-life of 64.1 hours (about 2.67 days). The microspheres are trapped in the tumour's vascular bed, where they destroy the tumour from inside. The average range of the radiation is only 2.5 mm, so it is wholly contained within the patient's body; after 14 days, only 2.5 percent of the radioactive activity remains. The microspheres are suspended in water for injection. The vials are shipped in lead shields for radiation protection. Treatment with SIR-Spheres is generally not regarded as a cure, but has been shown to shrink the cancer more than chemotherapy alone. This can increase life expectancy and improve quality of life. On occasion, patients treated with SIR-Spheres have had such marked shrinkage of the liver cancer that the cancer can be surgically removed at a later date. This has resulted in a long-term cure for some patients. SIRTeX Medical Limited has developed three separate cancer

  12. New advances in hepatocellular carcinoma

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pascual, Sonia; Herrera, Iván; Irurzun, Javier

    2016-01-01

    Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the leading cause of deaths in cirrhotic patients and the third cause of cancer related deaths. Most HCC are associated with well known underlying risk factors, in fact, HCC arise in cirrhotic patients in up to 90% of cases, mainly due to chronic viral hepatitis and alcohol abuse. The worldwide prevention strategies are conducted to avoid the infection of new subjects and to minimize the risk of liver disease progression in infected patients. HCC is a condition which lends itself to surveillance as at-risk individuals can readily be identified. The American and European guidelines recommended implementation of surveillance programs with ultrasound every six months in patient at-risk for developing HCC. The diagnosis of HCC can be based on non-invasive criteria (only in cirrhotic patient) or pathology. Accurately staging patients is essential to oncology practice. The ideal tumour staging system in HCC needs to account for both tumour characteristics and liver function. Treatment allocation is based on several factors: Liver function, size and number of tumours, macrovascular invasion or extrahepatic spread. The recommendations in terms of selection for different treatment strategies must be based on evidence-based data. Resection, liver transplant and interventional radiology treatment are mainstays of HCC therapy and achieve the best outcomes in well-selected candidates. Chemoembolization is the most widely used treatment for unresectable HCC or progression after curative treatment. Finally, in patients with advanced HCC with preserved liver function, sorafenib is the only approved systemic drug that has demonstrated a survival benefit and is the standard of care in this group of patients. PMID:27028578

  13. Risk of all-type cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma, non-Hodgkin lymphoma and pancreatic cancer in patients infected with hepatitis B virus

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Andersen, E S; Omland, L H; Jepsen, Peter

    2015-01-01

    The increased risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) among patients infected with hepatitis B virus (HBV) is well established; however, long-term risk estimates are needed. Recently, it has been suggested that HBV is associated with non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) and pancreatic cancer (PC). The aim...

  14. Liver cirrhosis and primary carcinoma of the liver among atomic bomb survivors. Study of autopsy cases

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hamada, T [Hiroshima Atomic Bomb Hospital (Japan)

    1980-11-01

    Liver cirrhosis and primary carcinoma of the liver were investigated in 1699 autopsies of atomic bomb survivors carried out in Hiroshima from 1956 to 1980. Liver cirrhosis, hepatocellular carcinoma and intrahepatic biliary carcinoma were observed in 116, 111, and 17 cases respectively, the ratios of man to woman and were 2.3, 3.9, and 1.8 with a mean age of 56, 60, and 67 years respectively. There was no evidence that exposure to a-bomb increased the risk of these diseases significantly. About 90% of the hepatocellular carcinomas was combined with liver cirrhosis. Weight of liver and spleen, amount of ascites, hemorrhage from the digestive canals, esophageal varix, combination with other diseases, and histologic correlation with the activities of HBs antigen and ..cap alpha..-fetoprotein were discussed with the relation to the exposure.

  15. Liver Cancer Risk Prediction Models

    Science.gov (United States)

    Developing statistical models that estimate the probability of developing liver cancer over a defined period of time will help clinicians identify individuals at higher risk of specific cancers, allowing for earlier or more frequent screening and counseling of behavioral changes to decrease risk.

  16. Hepatocellular carcinoma: a clinico pathological study

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Abbasi, A.; Butt, N.; Bhutto, A.R.; Gulzar, K.; Munir, S.M.

    2010-01-01

    To describe the clinico-pathological and radiological profile of hepatocellular carcinoma. All consecutive patients suspected of having hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), were admitted and included in this study. Diagnosis of HCC was established by clinical, biochemical, ultrasonographic and histopathologic findings. Patients with primary carcinoma elsewhere in the body, metastatic in the liver, fibrolamellar carcinoma and benign tumours were excluded from the study. At ultrasonography, the details of tumour size and number, portal vein thrombosis and presence of ascites were recorded. Patients were staged according to Okuda staging system. Results were described in mean and percentage values. There were 82 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma including 58 males and 24 females, with male to female ratio of 2.8:1. The mean age of patients was 56.24 +- 13.65 years. Right hypochondrial pain was the main symptom in 52 (63.4%) patients. The duration of symptoms varied from 1 month to 2 years. Tumour size was larger than 50% of liver size in 42 (51.2%) with portal vein thrombosis in 10 (12.19%). Anti HCV was positive in 44 (53.7%), HBsAg in 26 (31.7%) and both were found positive in 2 (2.44%) patients. Ten patients (12.2/%) found negative both for anti-HCV and HBsAg. According to Okuda staging system 18 patients had stage 1, 50 had stage 2 and 14 had stage 3 hepatocellular carcinoma. The mean age of presentation of hepatocellular carcinoma was younger as compared to western countries with potentially large non-resectable lesions. Chronic hepatitis C and B was found to be the major known factors. Patients with chronic hepatitis C and B should undergo vigorous HCC surveillance to detect early, potentially respectable HCC. (author)

  17. Transarterial RAdioembolization versus ChemoEmbolization for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (TRACE: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Seinstra Beatrijs A

    2012-08-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Hepatocellular carcinoma is a primary malignant tumor of the liver that accounts for an important health problem worldwide. Only 10 to 15% of hepatocellular carcinoma patients are suitable candidates for treatment with curative intent, such as hepatic resection and liver transplantation. A majority of patients have locally advanced, liver restricted disease (Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC staging system intermediate stage. Transarterial loco regional treatment modalities offer palliative treatment options for these patients; transarterial chemoembolization (TACE is the current standard treatment. During TACE, a catheter is advanced into the branches of the hepatic artery supplying the tumor, and a combination of embolic material and chemotherapeutics is delivered through the catheter directly into the tumor. Yttrium-90 radioembolization (90Y-RE involves the transarterial administration of minimally embolic microspheres loaded with Yttrium-90, a β-emitting isotope, delivering selective internal radiation to the tumor. 90Y-RE is increasingly used in clinical practice for treatment of intermediate stage hepatocellular carcinoma, but its efficacy has never been prospectively compared to that of the standard treatment (TACE. In this study, we describe the protocol of a multicenter randomized controlled trial aimed at comparing the effectiveness of TACE and 90Y-RE for treatment of patients with unresectable (BCLC intermediate stage hepatocellular carcinoma. Methods/design In this pragmatic randomized controlled trial, 140 patients with unresectable (BCLC intermediate stage hepatocellular carcinoma, with Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status 0 to 1 and Child-Pugh A to B will be randomly assigned to either 90Y-RE or TACE with drug eluting beads. Patients assigned to 90Y-RE will first receive a diagnostic angiography, followed by the actual transarterial treatment, which can be divided into two sessions in case

  18. [Disease burden of liver cancer in the Chinese population, in 1990 and 2013].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, L J; Yin, P; Liu, Y N; Liu, J M; Qi, J L; Zhou, M G

    2016-06-01

    To analyze the disease burden of liver cancer in the Chinese population in 1990 and 2013. Data from Global Burden of Diseases 2013 (GBD2013) was used to analyze the disease burden of liver cancer in China. The main outcome measurements would include mortality and disability-adjusted life years (DALY). Again, GBD global standard population in 2013 was used as the reference population to calculate the age-standardized rate. Related changes on percentage from 1990 to 2013 were calculated to analyze the changing patterns of disease burden for liver cancer in China. In 2013, a total of 358 100 people died of liver cancer, with the crude death rate as 25.85/100 000, in China. Number of deaths due to liver cancer secondary to hepatitis B was 163 600 (accounting for 45.69%). Number of deaths due to liver cancer secondary to hepatitis C was 134 200 (accounting for 37.48%) with DALY due to liver cancer appeared as 40.80 million person years. In 2013, the leading causes of DALY related to liver cancer was liver cancer secondary to hepatitis B, followed by liver cancer secondary to hepatitis C, liver cancer secondary to alcohol use, other liver cancers, with related DALYs as 4 652.0, 3 394.3, 964.3 and 592.1 thousands person years, respectively. The disease burdens of liver cancer secondary to various kinds of liver cancer were significantly higher in males than in females. Compared with 1990, the standardized mortality of liver cancer reduced by 25.00%, the DALY attributable to liver cancer increased by 16.95% and the standardized DALY rate attributable to liver cancer reduced by 33.47%. The burden of liver cancer secondary to hepatitis C became more serious and the standardized death rate increased by 106.18%, together with the standardized DALY rate increased by 91.68% in the past 23 years. Disease burden of liver cancer among young adults and the elderly were most serious. When comparing with the data in 1990, the standardized DALY rate showed declining trend in all the

  19. Dietary Broccoli Lessens Development of Fatty Liver and Liver Cancer in Mice Given Diethylnitrosamine and Fed a Western or Control Diet.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Yung-Ju; Wallig, Matthew A; Jeffery, Elizabeth H

    2016-03-01

    The high-fat and high-sugar Westernized diet that is popular worldwide is associated with increased body fat accumulation, which has been related to the development of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Without treatment, NAFLD may progress to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), a cancer with a high mortality rate. The consumption of broccoli in the United States has greatly increased in the last 2 decades. Epidemiologic studies show that incorporating brassica vegetables into the daily diet lowers the risk of several cancers, although, to our knowledge, this is the first study to evaluate HCC prevention through dietary broccoli. We aimed to determine the impact of dietary broccoli on hepatic lipid metabolism and the progression of NAFLD to HCC. Our hypothesis was that broccoli decreases both hepatic lipidosis and the development of HCC in a mouse model of Western diet-enhanced liver cancer. Adult 5-wk-old male B6C3F1 mice received a control diet (AIN-93M) or a Western diet (high in lard and sucrose, 19% and 31%, wt:wt, respectively), with or without freeze-dried broccoli (10%, wt:wt). Starting the following week, mice were treated once per week with diethylnitrosamine (DEN; 45 mg/kg body weight intraperitoneally at ages 6, 7, 8, 10, 11, and 12 wk). Hepatic gene expression, lipidosis, and tumor outcomes were analyzed 6 mo later, when mice were 9 mo old. Mice receiving broccoli exhibited lower hepatic triglycerides (P broccoli feeding (P = 0.006), whereas microsomal triglyceride transfer protein was upregulated (P = 0.045), supporting the finding that dietary broccoli decreased hepatic triglycerides. Long-term consumption of whole broccoli countered both NAFLD development enhanced by a Western diet and hepatic tumorigenesis induced by DEN in male B6C3F1 mice. © 2016 American Society for Nutrition.

  20. Immunostimulatory monoclonal antibodies for hepatocellular carcinoma therapy. Trends and perspectives

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Guillermo D. Mazzolini

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC is the second cause of cancer-related death in the world and is the main cause of death in cirrhotic patients. Unfortunately, the incidence of HCC has grown significantly in the last decade. Curative treatments such as surgery, liver transplantation or percutaneous ablation can only be applied in less than 30% of cases. The multikinase inhibitor sorafenib is the first line therapy for advanced HCC. Regorafenib is the standard of care for second-line patients. However, novel and more specific potent therapeutic approaches for advanced HCC are still needed. The liver constitutes a unique immunological microenvironment, although anti-tumor immunity seems to be feasible with the use of checkpoint inhibitors such as nivolumab. Efficacy may be further increased by combining checkpoint inhibitors or by applying loco-regional treatments. The success of immune checkpoint blockade has renewed interest in immunotherapy in HCC

  1. The association of coffee intake with liver cancer incidence and chronic liver disease mortality in male smokers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lai, G Y; Weinstein, S J; Albanes, D; Taylor, P R; McGlynn, K A; Virtamo, J; Sinha, R; Freedman, N D

    2013-09-03

    Coffee intake is associated with reduced risk of liver cancer and chronic liver disease as reported in previous studies, including prospective ones conducted in Asian populations where hepatitis B viruses (HBVs) and hepatitis C viruses (HCVs) are the dominant risk factors. Yet, prospective studies in Western populations with lower HBV and HCV prevalence are sparse. Also, although preparation methods affect coffee constituents, it is unknown whether different methods affect disease associations. We evaluated the association of coffee intake with incident liver cancer and chronic liver disease mortality in 27,037 Finnish male smokers, aged 50-69, in the Alpha-Tocopherol, Beta-Carotene Cancer Prevention Study, who recorded their coffee consumption and were followed up to 24 years for incident liver cancer or chronic liver disease mortality. Multivariate relative risks (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated by Cox proportional hazard models. Coffee intake was inversely associated with incident liver cancer (RR per cup per day=0.82, 95% CI: 0.73-0.93; P-trend across categories=0.0007) and mortality from chronic liver disease (RR=0.55, 95% CI: 0.48-0.63; P-trendcoffee. These findings suggest that drinking coffee may have benefits for the liver, irrespective of whether coffee was boiled or filtered.

  2. Gut Microbiota Promotes Obesity-Associated Liver Cancer through PGE2-Mediated Suppression of Antitumor Immunity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Loo, Tze Mun; Kamachi, Fumitaka; Watanabe, Yoshihiro; Yoshimoto, Shin; Kanda, Hiroaki; Arai, Yuriko; Nakajima-Takagi, Yaeko; Iwama, Atsushi; Koga, Tomoaki; Sugimoto, Yukihiko; Ozawa, Takayuki; Nakamura, Masaru; Kumagai, Miho; Watashi, Koichi; Taketo, Makoto M; Aoki, Tomohiro; Narumiya, Shuh; Oshima, Masanobu; Arita, Makoto; Hara, Eiji; Ohtani, Naoko

    2017-05-01

    Obesity increases the risk of cancers, including hepatocellular carcinomas (HCC). However, the precise molecular mechanisms through which obesity promotes HCC development are still unclear. Recent studies have shown that gut microbiota may influence liver diseases by transferring its metabolites and components. Here, we show that the hepatic translocation of obesity-induced lipoteichoic acid (LTA), a Gram-positive gut microbial component, promotes HCC development by creating a tumor-promoting microenvironment. LTA enhances the senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP) of hepatic stellate cells (HSC) collaboratively with an obesity-induced gut microbial metabolite, deoxycholic acid, to upregulate the expression of SASP factors and COX2 through Toll-like receptor 2. Interestingly, COX2-mediated prostaglandin E 2 (PGE 2 ) production suppresses the antitumor immunity through a PTGER4 receptor, thereby contributing to HCC progression. Moreover, COX2 overexpression and excess PGE 2 production were detected in HSCs in human HCCs with noncirrhotic, nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), indicating that a similar mechanism could function in humans. Significance: We showed the importance of the gut-liver axis in obesity-associated HCC. The gut microbiota-driven COX2 pathway produced the lipid mediator PGE 2 in senescent HSCs in the tumor microenvironment, which plays a pivotal role in suppressing antitumor immunity, suggesting that PGE 2 and its receptor may be novel therapeutic targets for noncirrhotic NASH-associated HCC. Cancer Discov; 7(5); 522-38. ©2017 AACR. This article is highlighted in the In This Issue feature, p. 443 . ©2017 American Association for Cancer Research.

  3. Medical treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Granito, Alessandro; Bolondi, Luigi

    2009-12-16

    Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the fifth most common neoplasm and the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Cirrhosis, most often due to viral hepatitis, is the predominant risk factors for HCC and geographical differences in both risk factors and incidence are largely due to epidemiological variations in hepatitis B and C infection. Hepatic function is a relevant parameter in selecting therapy in HCC. The current clinical classification of HCC split patients into 5 stages, with a specific treatment schedule for any stage. As patients with early stages can receive curative treatments, such as surgical resection, liver transplantation or local ablation, surveillance program in high-risk populations has become mandatory. Sorafenib, a multikinase inhibitor, has recently shown survival benefits in patients at advanced stage of disease. Hopefully, new molecular targeted therapies and their combination with sorafenib or interventional and surgical procedures, should expand the therapeutic armamentarium against HCC.

  4. Local recurrence after microwave thermosphere ablation of malignant liver tumors: results of a surgical series.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Takahashi, Hideo; Kahramangil, Bora; Berber, Eren

    2018-04-01

    Microwave thermosphere ablation is a new treatment modality that creates spherical ablation zones using a single antenna. This study aims to analyze local recurrence associated with this new treatment modality in patients with malignant liver tumors. This is a prospective clinical study of patients who underwent microwave thermosphere ablation of malignant liver tumors between September 2014 and March 2017. Clinical, operative, and oncologic parameters were analyzed using Kaplan-Meier survival and Cox proportional hazards model. One hundred patients underwent 301 ablations. Ablations were performed laparoscopically in 87 and open in 13 patients. Pathology included neuroendocrine liver metastasis (n = 115), colorectal liver metastasis (n = 100), hepatocellular cancer (n = 21), and other tumor types (n = 65). Ninety-day morbidity was 7% with one not procedure-related mortality. Median follow-up was 16 months with 65% of patients completing at least 12 months of follow-up. The rate of local tumor recurrence rate per lesion was 6.6% (20/301). Local tumor, new hepatic, and extrahepatic recurrences were detected in 15%, 40%, and 40% of patients, respectively. Local recurrence rate per pathology was 12% for both colorectal liver metastasis (12/100) and other metastatic tumors (8/65). No local recurrence was observed to date in the neuroendocrine liver metastasis and in the limited number of patients with hepatocellular cancers. Tumor size >3 cm and tumor type were independent predictors of local recurrence. This is the first study to analyze local recurrence after microwave thermosphere ablation of malignant liver tumors. Short-term local tumor control rate compares favorably with that reported for radiofrequency and other microwave technologies in the literature. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  5. Insulin Resistance and Hyperinsulinemia in Patients with Chronic Liver Disease and Hepatocellular Carcinoma

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Valter Donadon

    2009-01-01

    Full Text Available Objectives To investigate the role of insulin resistance (IR and insulin plasma levels (IRI in patients with chronic liver disease (CLD and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC. Methods We recruited the following patients: 125 with HCC, 128 with liver cirrhosis (LC and 133 with chronic hepatitis C (CHC. IR was assessed by the HOMA-IR method. To define IR and hyperinsulinemia we selected as a cut-off level, the value of the 80th percentile for HOMA-IR (2.72 and IRI (11.18 in 113 healthy subjects. Results The mean levels of HOMA-IR and IRI increase progressively among CHC (2.7 ± 2.9 and 11.5 ± 10.5, respectively, LC (5.4 ± 4.5 and 17.6 ± 11.2 and HCC (6.4 ± 9.8 and 18.2 ± 18.8. In the upper quintiles for HOMA-IR and IRI, the frequency of patients in the LC and HCC groups was twice as much in CHC cases. HCC with DM2 have the greatest percentage above the 80th percentile of HOMA-IR, their quintiles distribution is inverted and HOMA-IR mean values are significantly higher in comparison with HCC without DM2 cases. Discussion Our study shows that the association between IR and CLD begins in the early stages of liver fibrosis. DM2 increases HOMA-IR and IRI mean levels in HCC patients and these metabolic factors could play a major role in the link between diabetes mellitus and hepatocarcinoma.

  6. Response rates of hepatocellular carcinoma and hepatic colorectal cancer metastases to drug eluting bead regional liver therapy

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    Glenn W. Stambo; Deborah Cragan

    2017-01-01

    Aim: The purpose of this study was to evaluate and compare how hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and colorectal metastases respond to LC Bead chemoembolization using doxorubicin and irinotecan. Methods: The authors report their experience with doxorubicin and irinotecan eluting beads to treat 13 patients with primary HCC and 25 patients with colorectal metastases over a 1-year period at a single community based oncology practice. Within the colorectal cancer group they compared irinotecan eluting beads to doxorubicin eluting beads. Results:Nine of the 11 (81.8%) doxorubicin treated HCC patients had either complete response or partial response. All of the HCC lesions showed reduction in size and tumor enhancement and 10/11 (91%) HCC patients were alive at 24 months post treatment. Fisher's exact test revealed that among the 22 with colorectal metastases for whom follow-up data were available, those 11 who were treated with doxorubicin were significantly more likely to demonstrate complete or partial response compared to the 11 in the irinotecan treated group (P < 0.001). Conclusion:Overall, HCC and colon metastasis patients clearly demonstrated the effectiveness of drug eluting beads with 91% of the HCC patients alive 24 months after treatment.

  7. Dose response relationship in local radiotherapy for hepatocellular carcinoma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Park, Hee Chul; Seong, Jin Sil; Han, Kwang Hyub; Chon, Chae Yoon; Moon, Young Myoung; Song, Jae Seok; Suh, Chang Ok

    2001-01-01

    In this study, it was investigated whether dose response relation existed or not in local radiotherapy for primary hepatocellular carcinoma. From January 1992 to March 2000, 158 patients were included in present study. Exclusion criteria included the presence of extrahepatic metastasis, liver cirrhosis of Child's class C, tumors occupying more than two thirds of the entire liver, and performance status on the ECOG scale of more than 3. Radiotherapy was given to the field including tumor with generous margin using 6, 10-MV X-ray. Mean tumor dose was 48.2±7.9 Gy in daily 1.8 Gy fractions. Tumor response was based on diagnostic radiologic examinations such as CT scan, MR imaging, hepatic artery angiography at 4-8 weeks following completion of treatment. Statistical analysis was done to investigate the existence of dose response relationship of local radiotherapy when it was applied to the treatment of primary hepatocellular carcinoma. An objective response was observed in 106 of 158 patients, giving a response rate of 67. 1%. Statistical analysis revealed that total dose was the most significant factor in relation to tumor response when local radiotherapy was applied to the treatment of primary hepatocellular carcinoma. Only 29.2% showed objective response in patients treated with dose less than 40 Gy, while 68.6% and 77.1 % showed major response in patients with 40-50 Gy and more than 50 Gy, respectively. Child-Pugh classification was significant factor in the development of ascites, overt radiation induced liver disease and gastroenteritis. Radiation dose was an important factor for development of radiation induced gastroduodenal ulcer. Present study showed the existence of dose response relationship in local radiotherapy for primary hepatocellular carcinoma. Only radiotherapy dose was a significant factor to predict the objective response. Further study is required to predict the maximal tolerance dose in consideration of liver function and non-irradiated liver

  8. Genomic portrait of resectable hepatocellular carcinomas: implications of RB1 and FGF19 aberrations for patient stratification.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ahn, Sung-Min; Jang, Se Jin; Shim, Ju Hyun; Kim, Deokhoon; Hong, Seung-Mo; Sung, Chang Ohk; Baek, Daehyun; Haq, Farhan; Ansari, Adnan Ahmad; Lee, Sun Young; Chun, Sung-Min; Choi, Seongmin; Choi, Hyun-Jeung; Kim, Jongkyu; Kim, Sukjun; Hwang, Shin; Lee, Young-Joo; Lee, Jong-Eun; Jung, Wang-Rim; Jang, Hye Yoon; Yang, Eunho; Sung, Wing-Kin; Lee, Nikki P; Mao, Mao; Lee, Charles; Zucman-Rossi, Jessica; Yu, Eunsil; Lee, Han Chu; Kong, Gu

    2014-12-01

    Hepatic resection is the most curative treatment option for early-stage hepatocellular carcinoma, but is associated with a high recurrence rate, which exceeds 50% at 5 years after surgery. Understanding the genetic basis of hepatocellular carcinoma at surgically curable stages may enable the identification of new molecular biomarkers that accurately identify patients in need of additional early therapeutic interventions. Whole exome sequencing and copy number analysis was performed on 231 hepatocellular carcinomas (72% with hepatitis B viral infection) that were classified as early-stage hepatocellular carcinomas, candidates for surgical resection. Recurrent mutations were validated by Sanger sequencing. Unsupervised genomic analyses identified an association between specific genetic aberrations and postoperative clinical outcomes. Recurrent somatic mutations were identified in nine genes, including TP53, CTNNB1, AXIN1, RPS6KA3, and RB1. Recurrent homozygous deletions in FAM123A, RB1, and CDKN2A, and high-copy amplifications in MYC, RSPO2, CCND1, and FGF19 were detected. Pathway analyses of these genes revealed aberrations in the p53, Wnt, PIK3/Ras, cell cycle, and chromatin remodeling pathways. RB1 mutations were significantly associated with cancer-specific and recurrence-free survival after resection (multivariate P = 0.038 and P = 0.012, respectively). FGF19 amplifications, known to activate Wnt signaling, were mutually exclusive with CTNNB1 and AXIN1 mutations, and significantly associated with cirrhosis (P = 0.017). RB1 mutations can be used as a prognostic molecular biomarker for resectable hepatocellular carcinoma. Further study is required to investigate the potential role of FGF19 amplification in driving hepatocarcinogenesis in patients with liver cirrhosis and to investigate the potential of anti-FGF19 treatment in these patients. © 2014 by the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases.

  9. Surface modification of paclitaxel-loaded tri-block copolymer PLGA-b-PEG-b-PLGA nanoparticles with protamine for liver cancer therapy

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gao, Nansha [Chinese Academy of Science, Research Center for Human Tissues and Organs Degeneration, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology (China); Chen, Zhihong [Guangdong Medical College, Analysis Centre (China); Xiao, Xiaojun [Shenzhen University, Institute of Allergy and Immunology, School of Medicine (China); Ruan, Changshun [Chinese Academy of Science, Research Center for Human Tissues and Organs Degeneration, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology (China); Mei, Lin [Tsinghua University, The Shenzhen Key Lab of Gene and Antibody Therapy, and Division of Life and Health Sciences, Graduate School at Shenzhen (China); Liu, Zhigang, E-mail: lzg@szu.edu.cn [Shenzhen University, Institute of Allergy and Immunology, School of Medicine (China); Zeng, Xiaowei, E-mail: zeng.xiaowei@sz.tsinghua.edu.cn [Tsinghua University, The Shenzhen Key Lab of Gene and Antibody Therapy, and Division of Life and Health Sciences, Graduate School at Shenzhen (China)

    2015-08-15

    In order to enhance the therapeutic effect of chemotherapy on liver cancer, a biodegradable formulation of protamine-modified paclitaxel-loaded poly(lactide-co-glycolide)-b-poly(ethylene glycol)-b-poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA-b-PEG-b-PLGA) nanoparticles (PTX-loaded/protamine NPs) was prepared. Tri-block copolymer PLGA-b-PEG-b-PLGA was synthesized by ring-opening polymerization and characterized by {sup 1}H NMR spectroscopy and gel permeation chromatography. PTX-loaded and PTX-loaded/protamine NPs were characterized in terms of size, size distribution, zeta potential, surface morphology, drug encapsulation efficiency, and drug release. Confocal laser scanning microscopy showed that coumarin 6-loaded/protamine NPs were internalized by hepatocellular carcinoma cell line HepG2. The cellular uptake efficiency of NPs was obviously elevated after protamine modification. With commercial formulation Taxol{sup ®} as the reference, HepG2 cells were also used to study the cytotoxicity of the NPs. PTX-loaded/protamine NPs exhibited significantly higher cytotoxicity than PTX-loaded NPs and Taxol{sup ®} did. All the results suggested that surface modification of PTX-loaded PLGA-b-PEG-b-PLGA NPs with protamine boosted the therapeutic efficacy on liver cancer.

  10. Body mass index in childhood and adult risk of primary liver cancer

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Berentzen, Tina Landsvig; Gamborg, Michael; Holst, Claus

    2014-01-01

    BACKGROUND & AIMS: Childhood overweight increases the risk of early development of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, which may predispose to carcinogenesis. We investigated if childhood body size during school ages was associated with the risk of primary liver cancer in adults. METHODS: A cohort......-specific reference. Information on liver cancer was obtained from the National Cancer Registry. Hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) of liver cancer were estimated by Cox regression. RESULTS: During 6,963,105 person-years of follow-up, 438 cases of primary liver cancer were recorded. The hazard ratio...... hepatitis, alcohol-related disorders, and biliary cirrhosis. CONCLUSIONS: Higher BMI in childhood increases the risk of primary liver cancer in adults. In view of the high case fatality of primary liver cancer, this result adds to the future negative health outcomes of the epidemic of childhood overweight...

  11. Outcome of liver transplantation for hepatocellular carcinoma -- a single center experience.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Iacob, R; Iacob, S; Gheorghe, L; Gheorghe, C; Hrehoreţ, D; Brașoveanu, V; Croitoru, A; Herlea, V; Popescu, I

    2013-01-01

    Liver transplantation (LT) is a promising treatment for patients with liver cirrhosis associated with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The aim of our study was to evaluate our experience regarding the clinical and pathological staging of HCC in patients who underwent LT, as well as recurrence free and overall survival. From January 2006 to December 2011, 38 patients with diagnosis of HCC, underwent LT in our Center. Demographic, clinical, imaging and pathologic information were recorded. A Cox proportional hazards survival analysis was performed in order to identify significant predictors of tumor recurrence and patient's death after LT. Eighteen patients (47.4%) in our study group were within Milan criteria. The mean follow-up was 22 months and the recurrence rate of HCC after LT was 13.2%. The 1, 3- year recurrence free survival rates were 85%, 74.3% respectively. The 1 and 3-year overall survival rates were 83.5% and 63.6% respectively. No significant predictor for HCC recurrence was identified in our study group by survival analysis, taking into account 13 different variables. As independent predictors of patient'ss death after LT for HCC however, the presence of diabetes mellitus (p=0.001), presence of more than 3 HCC nodules (p=0.03) and tumor recurrence after LT (p=0.03) were identified by multivariate Cox proportional hazards survival analysis. In our cohort HCC recurrence rate after LT was 13.2%. Diabetes mellitus, presence of more than 3 HCC nodules and HCC recurrence were significant predictors of poor overall survival after LT. Celsius.

  12. Development and Mechanism of Small Activating RNA Targeting CEBPA, a Novel Therapeutic in Clinical Trials for Liver Cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Voutila, Jon; Reebye, Vikash; Roberts, Thomas C; Protopapa, Pantelitsa; Andrikakou, Pinelopi; Blakey, David C; Habib, Robert; Huber, Hans; Saetrom, Pal; Rossi, John J; Habib, Nagy A

    2017-12-06

    Small activating RNAs (saRNAs) are short double-stranded oligonucleotides that selectively increase gene transcription. Here, we describe the development of an saRNA that upregulates the transcription factor CCATT/enhancer binding protein alpha (CEBPA), investigate its mode of action, and describe its development into a clinical candidate. A bioinformatically directed nucleotide walk around the CEBPA gene identified an saRNA sequence that upregulates CEBPA mRNA 2.5-fold in human hepatocellular carcinoma cells. A nuclear run-on assay confirmed that this upregulation is a transcriptionally driven process. Mechanistic experiments demonstrate that Argonaute-2 (Ago2) is required for saRNA activity, with the guide strand of the saRNA shown to be associated with Ago2 and localized at the CEBPA genomic locus using RNA chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assays. The data support a sequence-specific on-target saRNA activity that leads to enhanced CEBPA mRNA transcription. Chemical modifications were introduced in the saRNA duplex to prevent activation of the innate immunity. This modified saRNA retains activation of CEBPA mRNA and downstream targets and inhibits growth of liver cancer cell lines in vitro. This novel drug has been encapsulated in a liposomal formulation for liver delivery, is currently in a phase I clinical trial for patients with liver cancer, and represents the first human study of an saRNA therapeutic. Copyright © 2017 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  13. Role of functional imaging in treatment plan optimization of stereotactic body radiation therapy for liver cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    De Bari, Berardino; Jumeau, Raphael; Deantonio, Letizia; Adib, Salim; Godin, Sarah; Zeverino, Michele; Moeckli, Raphael; Bourhis, Jean; Prior, John O; Ozsahin, Mahmut

    2016-10-13

    We report the first known instance of the clinical use of 99mTc-mebrofenin hepatobiliary scintigraphy (HBS) for the optimization of radiotherapy treatment planning and for the follow-up of acute toxicity in a patient undergoing stereotactic body radiation therapy for hepatocellular carcinoma. In our experience, HBS allowed the identification and the sparing of more functioning liver areas, thus potentially reducing the risk of radiation-induced liver toxicity.

  14. Liver cancer-derived hepatitis C virus core proteins shift TGF-beta responses from tumor suppression to epithelial-mesenchymal transition.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Serena Battaglia

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV infection and associated liver cirrhosis represent a major risk factor for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC development. TGF-beta is an important driver of liver fibrogenesis and cancer; however, its actual impact in human cancer progression is still poorly known. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of HCC-derived HCV core natural variants on cancer progression through their impact on TGF-beta signaling. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We provide evidence that HCC-derived core protein expression in primary human or mouse hepatocyte alleviates TGF-beta responses in terms or growth inhibition or apoptosis. Instead, in these hepatocytes TGF-beta was still able to induce an epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT, a process that contributes to the promotion of cell invasion and metastasis. Moreover, we demonstrate that different thresholds of Smad3 activation dictate the TGF-beta responses in hepatic cells and that HCV core protein, by decreasing Smad3 activation, may switch TGF-beta growth inhibitory effects to tumor promoting responses. CONCLUSION/SIGNIFICANCE: Our data illustrate the capacity of hepatocytes to develop EMT and plasticity under TGF-beta, emphasize the role of HCV core protein in the dynamic of these effects and provide evidence for a paradigm whereby a viral protein implicated in oncogenesis is capable to shift TGF-beta responses from cytostatic effects to EMT development.

  15. Hepatitis C Virus and Hepatocellular Carcinoma

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Masao Omata

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Hepatitis C virus (HCV, a hepatotropic virus, is a single stranded-positive RNA virus of ~9,600 nt. length belonging to the Flaviviridae family. HCV infection causes acute hepatitis, chronic hepatitis, cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC. It has been reported that HCV-coding proteins interact with host-cell factors that are involved in cell cycle regulation, transcriptional regulation, cell proliferation and apoptosis. Severe inflammation and advanced liver fibrosis in the liver background are also associated with the incidence of HCV-related HCC. In this review, we discuss the mechanism of hepatocarcinogenesis in HCV-related liver diseases.

  16. Current management of hepatocellular carcinoma: An Eastern perspective

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yim, Hyung Joon; Suh, Sang Jun; Um, Soon Ho

    2015-01-01

    Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the leading causes of cancer death, especially in Eastern areas. With advancements in diagnosis and treatment modalities for HCC, the survival and prognosis of HCC patients are improving. However, treatment patterns are not uniform between areas despite efforts to promote a common protocol. Although many hepatologists in Asian countries may adopt the principles of the Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer staging system, they are also independently making an effort to expand the indications of each treatment and to combine therapies for better outcomes. Several expanded criteria for liver transplantation in HCC have been developed in Asian countries. Living donor liver transplantation is much more commonly performed in these countries than deceased donor liver transplantation, and it may be preceded by other treatments such as the down-staging of tumors. Local ablation therapies are often combined with transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) and the outcome is comparable to that of surgical resection. The indications of TACE are expanding, and there are new types of transarterial therapies. Although data on drug-eluting beads, TACE, and radioembolization in Asian countries are still relatively sparse compared with Western countries, these methods are gradually gaining popularity because of better tolerability and the possibility of improved response rates. Hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy and radiotherapy are not included in Western guidelines, but are currently being used actively in several Asian countries. For more advanced HCCs, appropriate combinations of TACE, radiotherapy, and sorafenib can be considered, and emerging data indicate improved outcomes of combination therapies compared with single therapies. To include these paradigm shifts into newer treatment guidelines, more studies may be needed, but they are certainly in progress. PMID:25852267

  17. Dietary Broccoli Lessens Development of Fatty Liver and Liver Cancer in Mice Given Diethylnitrosamine and Fed a Western or Control Diet123

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Yung-Ju; Wallig, Matthew A; Jeffery, Elizabeth H

    2016-01-01

    Background: The high-fat and high-sugar Westernized diet that is popular worldwide is associated with increased body fat accumulation, which has been related to the development of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Without treatment, NAFLD may progress to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), a cancer with a high mortality rate. The consumption of broccoli in the United States has greatly increased in the last 2 decades. Epidemiologic studies show that incorporating brassica vegetables into the daily diet lowers the risk of several cancers, although, to our knowledge, this is the first study to evaluate HCC prevention through dietary broccoli. Objective: We aimed to determine the impact of dietary broccoli on hepatic lipid metabolism and the progression of NAFLD to HCC. Our hypothesis was that broccoli decreases both hepatic lipidosis and the development of HCC in a mouse model of Western diet–enhanced liver cancer. Methods: Adult 5-wk-old male B6C3F1 mice received a control diet (AIN-93M) or a Western diet (high in lard and sucrose, 19% and 31%, wt:wt, respectively), with or without freeze-dried broccoli (10%, wt:wt). Starting the following week, mice were treated once per week with diethylnitrosamine (DEN; 45 mg/kg body weight intraperitoneally at ages 6, 7, 8, 10, 11, and 12 wk). Hepatic gene expression, lipidosis, and tumor outcomes were analyzed 6 mo later, when mice were 9 mo old. Results: Mice receiving broccoli exhibited lower hepatic triglycerides (P broccoli feeding (P = 0.006), whereas microsomal triglyceride transfer protein was upregulated (P = 0.045), supporting the finding that dietary broccoli decreased hepatic triglycerides. Conclusion: Long-term consumption of whole broccoli countered both NAFLD development enhanced by a Western diet and hepatic tumorigenesis induced by DEN in male B6C3F1 mice. PMID:26865652

  18. Liver transplantation:Yesterday,today and tomorrow

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    Osman Abbasoglu

    2008-01-01

    With the advances in technical skills,management of postoperative complications and improvements in immunosuppressive drugs,liver transplantation is the standard treatment for many patients with chronic liver disease.Today,shortage of donor organs seems to be the major limiting factor for the application of liver transplantation.This review focuses on five issues that are challenging to clinical practice of liver transplantation and relevant to gastroenterologists.These include living donor liver transplantation,recurrent viral hepatitis,non-heart-beating donors,hepatocellular carcinoma,and ABO incompatible livertransplantation.Living donor and non-heart beating donor transplantations were initiated as a solution to increase the donor organ pool and it is expected that there will be an increase in the number of these donors.Recurrent hepatitis C and hepatocellular carcinoma following liver transplantation are among major problems and ongoing research in these diseases may lead to better outcomes in these recipients.

  19. Living donor liver transplantation for hepatocellular carcinoma achieves better outcomes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lin, Chih-Che; Chen, Chao-Long

    2016-10-01

    Liver transplantation (LT) for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) at Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital mainly relies on live donor LT (LDLT). Owing to taking the risk of LD, we are obligated to adopt strict selection criteria for HCC patients and optimize the pre-transplant conditions to ensure a high disease-free survival similar to those without HCC, even better than deceased donor LT (DDLT). Better outcomes are attributed to excellent surgical results and optimal patient selection. The hospital mortality of primary and salvage LDLT are lower than 2% in our center. Although Taiwan Health Insurance Policy extended the Milan to University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) criteria in 2006, selection criteria will not be consolidated to take into account only by the morphologic size/number of tumors but also by their biology. The criteria are divided into modifiable image morphology, alpha fetoprotein (AFP), and positron emission tomography (PET) scan with standard uptake value (SUV) and unmodifiable unfavorable pathology such as HCC combined with cholangiocarcinoma (CC), sarcomatoid type, and poor differentiation. Downstaging therapy is necessary for HCC patients beyond criteria to fit all modifiable standards. The upper limit of downstaging treatment seems to be extended by more effective drug eluting transarterial chemoembolization in cases without absolute contraindications. In contrast, the pitfall of unmodifiable tumor pathology should be excluded by the findings of pretransplant core biopsy/resection if possible. More recently, achieving complete tumor necrosis in explanted liver could almost predict no recurrence after transplant. Necrotizing therapy is advised if possible before transplant even the tumor status within criteria to minimize the possibility of tumor recurrence. LDLT with low surgical mortality in experienced centers provides the opportunities of optimizing the pre-transplant tumor conditions and timing of transplant to achieve better

  20. A Surgical Perspective on Targeted Therapy of Hepatocellular Carcinoma

    Science.gov (United States)

    Faltermeier, Claire; Busuttil, Ronald W.; Zarrinpar, Ali

    2015-01-01

    Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the second leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide, is difficult to treat and highly lethal. Since HCC is predominantly diagnosed in patients with cirrhosis, treatment planning must consider both the severity of liver disease and tumor burden. To minimize the impact to the patient while treating the tumor, techniques have been developed to target HCC. Anatomical targeting by surgical resection or locoregional therapies is generally reserved for patients with preserved liver function and minimal to moderate tumor burden. Patients with decompensated cirrhosis and small tumors are optimal candidates for liver transplantation, which offers the best chance of long-term survival. Yet, only 20%–30% of patients have disease amenable to anatomical targeting. For the majority of patients with advanced HCC, chemotherapy is used to target the tumor biology. Despite these treatment options, the five-year survival of patients in the United States with HCC is only 16%. In this review we provide a comprehensive overview of current approaches to target HCC. We also discuss emerging diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers, novel therapeutic targets identified by recent genomic profiling studies, and potential applications of immunotherapy in the treatment of HCC. PMID:28943622

  1. A Surgical Perspective on Targeted Therapy of Hepatocellular Carcinoma

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Claire Faltermeier

    2015-09-01

    Full Text Available Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC, the second leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide, is difficult to treat and highly lethal. Since HCC is predominantly diagnosed in patients with cirrhosis, treatment planning must consider both the severity of liver disease and tumor burden. To minimize the impact to the patient while treating the tumor, techniques have been developed to target HCC. Anatomical targeting by surgical resection or locoregional therapies is generally reserved for patients with preserved liver function and minimal to moderate tumor burden. Patients with decompensated cirrhosis and small tumors are optimal candidates for liver transplantation, which offers the best chance of long-term survival. Yet, only 20%–30% of patients have disease amenable to anatomical targeting. For the majority of patients with advanced HCC, chemotherapy is used to target the tumor biology. Despite these treatment options, the five-year survival of patients in the United States with HCC is only 16%. In this review we provide a comprehensive overview of current approaches to target HCC. We also discuss emerging diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers, novel therapeutic targets identified by recent genomic profiling studies, and potential applications of immunotherapy in the treatment of HCC.

  2. Ascites and alpha-fetoprotein improve prognostic performance of Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer staging.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gomaa, Asmaa I; Al-Khatib, Alzhraa; Abdel-Razek, Wael; Hashim, Mohammed Saad; Waked, Imam

    2015-05-14

    To assess how ascites and alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) added to the Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) staging predict hepatocellular carcinoma survival. The presence of underlying cirrhosis, ascites and encephalopathy, Child-Turcotte-Pugh (CTP) score, the number of nodules, and the maximum diameter of the largest nodule were determined at diagnosis for 1060 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma at a tertiary referral center for liver disease in Egypt. Demographic information, etiology of liver disease, and biochemical data (including serum bilirubin, albumin, international normalized ratio, alanine and aspartate aminotransferases, and AFP) were evaluated. Staging of the tumor was determined at the time of diagnosis using the BCLC staging system; 496 patients were stage A and 564 patients were stage B. Patients with mild ascites on initial ultrasound, computed tomography, or clinical examination, and who had a CTP score ≤ 9 were included in this analysis. All patients received therapy according to the recommended treatment based on the BCLC stage, and were monitored from the time of diagnosis to the date of death or date of data collection. The effect of the presence of ascites and AFP level on survival was analyzed. At the time the data were censored, 123/496 (24.8%) and 218/564 (38.6%) patients with BCLC stages A and B, respectively, had died. Overall mean survival of the BCLC A and B patients during a three-year follow-up period was 31 mo [95% confidence interval (95%CI): 29.7-32.3] and 22.7 mo (95%CI: 20.7-24.8), respectively. The presence of ascites, multiple focal lesions, large tumor size, AFP level and CTP score were independent predictors of survival for the included patients on multivariate analysis (P < 0.001). Among stage A patients, 18% had ascites, 33% had AFP ≥ 200 ng/mL, and 8% had both. Their median survival in the presence of ascites was shorter if AFP was ≥ 200 ng/mL (19 mo vs 24 mo), and in the absence of ascites, patients with AFP ≥ 200

  3. Effect of selective hepatic inflow occlusion during liver cancer resection on liver ischemia-reperfusion injury

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yin-Tian Deng

    2016-11-01

    Full Text Available Objective: To study the effect of selective hepatic inflow occlusion during liver cancer resection on liver ischemia-reperfusion injury. Methods: A total of 68 patients with primary liver cancer who underwent left liver resection in our hospital between May 2012 and August 2015 were selected for study and divided into group A (selective hepatic inflow occlusion of left liver and group B (Prignle hepatic inflow occlusion according to different intraoperative blood occlusion methods, serum was collected before and after operation to determine liver enzyme content, the removed liver tissue was collected to determine energy metabolism indexes, inflammation indexes and oxidative stress indexes. Results: 1 d, 3 d and 5 d after operation, GPT, GOT, GGT, LDH and ALP content in serum of both groups were significantly higher than those before operation, and GPT, GOT, GGT, LDH and ALP content in serum of group A 1 d, 3 d and 5 d after operation were significantly lower than those of group B; ATP, ADP, AMP, PI3K, AKT, GSK3β, T-AOC, PrxI and Trx content in liver tissue of group A were significantly higher than those of group B while PTEN, IL-12p40, MDA and MPO content were significantly lower than those of group B. Conclusions: Selective hepatic inflow occlusion during liver cancer resection can reduce the liver ischemia-reperfusion injury, improve the energy metabolism of liver cells and inhibit inflammation and oxidative stress in liver tissue.

  4. Investigation of the roles of exosomes in colorectal cancer liver metastasis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Xia; Ding, Xiaoling; Nan, Lijuan; Wang, Yiting; Wang, Jing; Yan, Zhiqiang; Zhang, Wei; Sun, Jihong; Zhu, Wei; Ni, Bing; Dong, Suzhen; Yu, Lei

    2015-05-01

    The leading cause of death among cancer patients is tumor metastasis. Tumor-derived exosomes are emerging as mediators of metastasis. In the present study, we demonstrated that exosomes play a pivotal role in the metastatic progression of colorectal cancer. First, a nude mouse model of colorectal cancer liver metastasis was established and characterized. Then, we demonstrated that exosomes from a highly liver metastatic colorectal cancer cell line (HT-29) could significantly increase the metastatic tumor burden and distribution in the mouse liver of Caco-2 colorectal cancer cells, which ordinarily exhibit poor liver metastatic potential. We further investigated the mechanisms by which HT-29-derived-exosomes influence the liver metastasis of colorectal cancer and found that mice treated with HT-29-derived exosomes had a relatively higher level of CXCR4 in the metastatic microenvironment, indicating that exosomes may promote colorectal cancer metastasis by recruiting CXCR4-expressing stromal cells to develop a permissive metastatic microenvironment. Finally, the migration of Caco-2 cells was significantly increased following treatment with HT-29-derived exosomes in vitro, further supporting a role for exosomes in modulating colorectal tumor-derived liver metastasis. The data from the present study may facilitate further translational medicine research into the prevention and treatment of colorectal cancer liver metastasis.

  5. Circulating microRNA-200 Family as Diagnostic Marker in Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sameer A Dhayat

    Full Text Available In this clinical study, we aimed to evaluate the role of circulating microRNA-200 family as a non-invasive tool to identify patients with cirrhosis-associated hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC.Prognosis of HCC remains poor with increasing incidence worldwide, mainly related to liver cirrhosis. So far, no reliable molecular targets exist for early detection of HCC at surgically manageable stages. Recently, we identified members of the microRNA-200 family as potential diagnostic markers of cirrhosis-associated HCC in patient tissue samples. Their value as circulating biomarkers for HCC remained undefined.Blood samples and clinicopathological data of consecutive patients with liver diseases were collected prospectively. Expression of the microRNA-200 family was investigated by qRT-PCR in blood serum samples of 22 HCC patients with and without cirrhosis. Serum samples of patients with non-cancerous chronic liver cirrhosis (n = 22 and of healthy volunteers (n = 15 served as controls.MicroRNA-141 and microRNA-200a were significantly downregulated in blood serum of patients with HCC compared to liver cirrhosis (p<0.007 and healthy controls (p<0.002. MicroRNA-141 and microRNA-200a could well discriminate patients with cirrhosis-associated HCC from healthy volunteers with area under the receiver-operating characteristic curve (AUC values of 0.85 and 0.82, respectively. Additionally, both microRNAs could differentiate between HCC and non-cancerous liver cirrhosis with a fair accuracy.Circulating microRNA-200 family members are significantly deregulated in patients with HCC and liver cirrhosis. Further studies are necessary to confirm the diagnostic value of the microRNA-200 family as accurate serum marker for cirrhosis-associated HCC.

  6. Epidemiology of hepatocellular carcinoma: target population for surveillance and diagnosis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tang, An; Hallouch, Oussama; Chernyak, Victoria; Kamaya, Aya; Sirlin, Claude B

    2018-01-01

    Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the sixth most common cancer and the second leading cause of cancer mortality worldwide. Incidence rates of liver cancer vary widely between geographic regions and are highest in Eastern Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. In the United States, the incidence of HCC has increased since the 1980s. HCC detection at an early stage through surveillance and curative therapy has considerably improved the 5-year survival. Therefore, medical societies advocate systematic screening and surveillance of target populations at particularly high risk for developing HCC to facilitate early-stage detection. Risk factors for HCC include cirrhosis, chronic infection with hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), excess alcohol consumption, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, family history of HCC, obesity, type 2 diabetes mellitus, and smoking. Medical societies utilize risk estimates to define target patient populations in which imaging surveillance is recommended (risk above threshold) or in which the benefits of surveillance are uncertain (risk unknown or below threshold). All medical societies currently recommend screening and surveillance in patients with cirrhosis and subsets of patients with chronic HBV; some societies also include patients with stage 3 fibrosis due to HCV as well as additional groups. Thus, target population definitions vary between regions, reflecting cultural, demographic, economic, healthcare priority, and biological differences. The Liver Imaging Reporting and Data System (LI-RADS) defines different patient populations for surveillance and for diagnosis and staging. We also discuss general trends pertaining to geographic region, age, gender, ethnicity, impact of surveillance on survival, mortality, and future trends.

  7. Prophylactic Role of Averrhoa carambola (Star Fruit Extract against Chemically Induced Hepatocellular Carcinoma in Swiss Albino Mice

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ritu Singh

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Liver cancer remains one of the severe lethal malignancies worldwide and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC is the most common form. The current study was designed to evaluate the prophylactic role of the fruit of Averrhoa carambola (star fruit or Kamrak on diethylnitrosamine- (DENA- induced (15 mg/kg b.wt.; single i.p. injection and CCl4-promoted (1.6 g/kg b.wt. in corn oil thrice a week for 24 weeks liver cancer in Swiss albino mice. Administration of ACE was made orally at a dose of 25 mg/kg b.wt/day for 5 consecutive days and it was withdrawn 48 hrs before the first administration of DENA (preinitiational stage. CCl4 was given after 2 weeks of DENA administration. A cent percent tumor incidence was noted in carcinogen treated animals while ACE administration resulted in a considerable reduction in tumor incidence, tumor yield, and tumor burden. Further, ACE treatment brings out a significant reduction in lipid peroxidation (P<0.001 along with an elevation in the activities of enzymatic antioxidants (superoxide dismutase, P<0.001, and catalase, P<0.001, nonenzymatic antioxidant (reduced glutathione, P<0.001, and total proteins (P<0.001 when compared to the carcinogen treated control. These results demonstrate that ACE prevents the DENA/CCl4 induced adverse physical and biochemical alterations during hepatic carcinogenesis in mice. This study suggests the prophylactic role of Averrhoa carambola against hepatocellular carcinoma in mice; therefore, it could be employed for the further screening as a good chemopreventive natural supplement against cancer.

  8. Trends and practices in diagnosis and treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2010-01-01

    Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), or primary liver cancer, is one of the most common causes of cancer and cancer death globally, and has an increasing incidence. It is currently the fifth most common cancer among men and eighth among women. In some Asian and African countries, its incidence is similar to that of lung cancer. It carries a very poor prognosis; the majority of patients die within a year, making it the third most common cause of cancer death. Currently, the main treatments offering the chance of cure are surgical resection and liver transplantation. However, owing to late presentation and underlying liver cirrhosis, these are suitable only for a small minority of patients. Therefore, new investigative protocols in radiotherapy using the most advanced technologies have been developed with some promise of cure and effective palliation. However, no uniform recommendations exist and the use of radiotherapy is limited by pre-existing liver disease. The IAEA has extensive projects in radiation oncology in low and middle income countries, including areas in Asia and Africa where HCC is a common problem. Since there has been a reported significant increase in the use of radiotherapy in HCC, an expert review was considered timely to assess the role of radiotherapy within the entire framework of HCC management. This publication developed from the need to address this issue. A meeting on the current knowledge of HCC epidemiology and management protocols was convened in October 2008. The given task was to define the current role of radiotherapy in the management of HCC. The greatest number of patients requiring optimal management protocols for HCC lives in Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, where in many countries access to radiotherapy and cancer care in general is limited and resources for research and access to the most advanced technologies are not available. This review is intended for use in training courses and as a source of information on treatment decisions. It

  9. Cancer Incidence among Heart, Kidney, and Liver Transplant Recipients in Taiwan.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Kwai-Fong; Tsai, Yi-Ting; Lin, Chih-Yuan; Hsieh, Chung-Bao; Wu, Sheng-Tang; Ke, Hung-Yen; Lin, Yi-Chang; Lin, Feng-Yen; Lee, Wei-Hwa; Tsai, Chien-Sung

    2016-01-01

    Population-based evidence of the relative risk of cancer among heart, kidney, and liver transplant recipients from Asia is lacking. The Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database was used to conduct a population-based cohort study of transplant recipients (n = 5396), comprising 801 heart, 2847 kidney, and 1748 liver transplant recipients between 2001 and 2012. Standardized incidence ratios and Cox regression models were used. Compared with the general population, the risk of cancer increased 3.8-fold after heart transplantation, 4.1-fold after kidney transplantation and 4.6-fold after liver transplantation. Cancer occurrence showed considerable variation according to transplanted organs. The most common cancers in all transplant patients were cancers of the head and neck, liver, bladder, and kidney and non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Male recipients had an increased risk of cancers of the head and neck and liver, and female kidney recipients had a significant risk of bladder and kidney cancer. The adjusted hazard ratio for any cancer in all recipients was higher in liver transplant recipients compared with that in heart transplant recipients (hazard ratio = 1.5, P = .04). Cancer occurrence varied considerably and posttransplant cancer screening should be performed routinely according to transplanted organ and sex.

  10. Diagnosis and treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma: An update

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tejeda-Maldonado, Javier; García-Juárez, Ignacio; Aguirre-Valadez, Jonathan; González-Aguirre, Adrián; Vilatobá-Chapa, Mario; Armengol-Alonso, Alejandra; Escobar-Penagos, Francisco; Torre, Aldo; Sánchez-Ávila, Juan Francisco; Carrillo-Pérez, Diego Luis

    2015-01-01

    Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common malignancies leading to high mortality rates in the general population; in cirrhotic patients, it is the primary cause of death. The diagnosis is usually delayed in spite of at-risk population screening recommendations, i.e., patients infected with hepatitis B or C virus. Hepatocarcinogenesis hinges on a great number of genetic and molecular abnormalities that lead to tumor angiogenesis and foster their dissemination potential. The diagnosis is mainly based on imaging studies such as computed tomography and magnetic resonance, in which lesions present a characteristic classical pattern of early arterial enhancement followed by contrast medium “washout” in late venous phase. On occasion, when imaging studies are not conclusive, biopsy of the lesion must be performed to establish the diagnosis. The Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer staging method is the most frequently used worldwide and recommended by the international guidelines of HCC management. Currently available treatments include tumor resection, liver transplant, sorafenib and loco-regional therapies (alcoholization, radiofrequency ablation, chemoembolization). The prognosis of hepatocarcinoma is determined according to the lesion’s stage and in cirrhotic patients, on residual liver function. Curative treatments, such as liver transplant, are sought in patients diagnosed in early stages; patients in more advanced stages, were not greatly benefitted by chemotherapy in terms of survival until the advent of target molecules such as sorafenib. PMID:25848464

  11. Review of hepatocellular carcinoma: Epidemiology, etiology, and carcinogenesis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ghouri, Yezaz Ahmed; Mian, Idrees; Rowe, Julie H

    2017-01-01

    Since the 1970s, the epidemic of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has spread beyond the Eastern Asian predominance and has been increasing in Northern hemisphere, especially in the United States (US) and Western Europe. It occurs more commonly in males in the fourth and fifth decades of life. Among all cancers, HCC is one of the fastest growing causes of death in the US and poses a significant economic burden on healthcare. Chronic liver disease due to hepatitis B virus or hepatitis C virus and alcohol accounts for the majority of HCC cases. Incidence of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease has been on the risem and it has also been associated with the development of HCC. Its pathogenesis varies based on the underlying etiological factor although majority of cases develop in the setting of background cirrhosis. Carcinogenesis of HCC includes angiogenesis, chronic inflammation, and tumor macroenvironment and microenvironment. There is a significant role of both intrinsic genetic risk factors and extrinsic influences such as alcohol or viral infections that lead to the development of HCC. Understanding its etiopathogenesis helps select appropriate diagnostic tests and treatments.

  12. [AFP-producing gastric cancer and hepatoid gastric cancer].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Y K; Zhang, X T

    2017-11-23

    AFP-producing gastric cancer(AFPGC) and hepatoid adenocarcinoma of the stomach (HAS) are two special subtypes of gastric cancer. There are both correlation and difference between them. AFPGC is usually identified as primary gastric cancer with serum AFP level more than 20 ng/ml or showed AFP positive staining by immunohistochemistry. The diagnosis of HAS is mainly dependent on the pathological character of hepatocellular carcinoma-like differentiation of gastric cancer. The morbidity of AFPGC and HAS are rather low, especially the incidence of HAS is about 1%. The prognoses of these two subtypes are poorer than that of common gastric adenocarcinoma, due to a high incidence rate of liver metastasis and lymph node metastasis. With the development of next-generation sequencing and other genomic technologies, gastric cancers, including these two rare subtypes, are now being investigated in more detail at the molecular level. Treatment remains the biggest challenge, early diagnosis and radical resection can dramatically improve patients'prognosis. Monitoring serum AFP and abdominal imaging examination during follow-up is important for early detection of liver metastasis. In combination with local treatment methods such as transarterial chemoembolization and radiofrequency ablation of liver may further extend patients'survival time. Targeted therapy owes a great potential value in the future.

  13. FOXO/TXNIP pathway is involved in the suppression of hepatocellular carcinoma growth by glutamate antagonist MK-801

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yamaguchi, Fuminori; Hirata, Yuko; Akram, Hossain; Kamitori, Kazuyo; Dong, Youyi; Sui, Li; Tokuda, Masaaki

    2013-01-01

    Accumulating evidence has suggested the importance of glutamate signaling in cancer growth, yet the signaling pathway has not been fully elucidated. N-methyl-D-aspartic acid (NMDA) receptor activates intracellular signaling pathways such as the extracellular-signal-regulated kinase (ERK) and forkhead box, class O (FOXO). Suppression of lung carcinoma growth by NMDA receptor antagonists via the ERK pathway has been reported. However, series of evidences suggested the importance of FOXO pathways for the regulation of normal and cancer cell growth. In the liver, FOXO1 play important roles for the cell proliferation such as hepatic stellate cells as well as liver metabolism. Our aim was to investigate the involvement of the FOXO pathway and the target genes in the growth inhibitory effects of NMDA receptor antagonist MK-801 in human hepatocellular carcinoma. Expression of NMDAR1 in cancer cell lines from different tissues was examined by Western blot. NMDA receptor subunits in HepG2, HuH-7, and HLF were examined by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), and growth inhibition by MK-801 and NBQX was determined using the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. The effects of MK-801 on the cell cycle were examined by flow cytometry and Western blot analysis. Expression of thioredoxin-interacting protein (TXNIP) and p27 was determined by real-time PCR and Western blotting. Activation of the FOXO pathway and TXNIP induction were examined by Western blotting, fluorescence microscopy, Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assay, and reporter gene assay. The effects of TXNIP on growth inhibition were examined using the gene silencing technique. NMDA receptor subunits were expressed in all cell lines examined, and MK-801, but not NBQX, inhibited cell growth of hepatocellular carcinomas. Cell cycle analysis showed that MK-801 induced G1 cell cycle arrest by down-regulating cyclin D1 and up-regulating p27. MK-801 dephosphorylated

  14. Molecular Signature and Mechanisms of Hepatitis D Virus-Associated Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Diaz, Giacomo; Engle, Ronald E; Tice, Ashley; Melis, Marta; Montenegro, Stephanie; Rodriguez-Canales, Jaime; Hanson, Jeffrey; Emmert-Buck, Michael R; Bock, Kevin W; Moore, Ian N; Zamboni, Fausto; Govindarajan, Sugantha; Kleiner, David; Farci, Patrizia

    2018-06-01

    There is limited data on the molecular mechanisms whereby hepatitis D virus (HDV) promotes liver cancer. Therefore, serum and liver specimens obtained at the time of liver transplantation from well-characterized patients with HDV-HCC (n-5) and with non-HCC HDV cirrhosis (n=7) were studied using an integrated genomic approach. Transcriptomic profiling was performed using laser capture-microdissected (LCM) malignant and non-malignant hepatocytes, tumorous and non-tumorous liver tissue from patients with HDV-HCC, and liver tissue from patients with non-HCC HDV cirrhosis. HDV-HCC was also compared with hepatitis B virus (HBV) HBV-HCC alone and hepatitis C virus (HCV) HCV-HCC. HDV malignant hepatocytes were characterized by an enrichment of up-regulated transcripts associated with pathways involved in cell cycle/DNA replication, damage and repair (sonic hedgehog, GADD45, DNA-damage-induced 14-3-3σ, cyclins and cell cycle regulation, cell cycle: G2/M DNA-damage checkpoint regulation, and hereditary breast cancer). Moreover, a large network of genes identified functionally relate to DNA repair, cell cycle, mitotic apparatus and cell division, including 4 cancer testis antigen genes, attesting to the critical role of genetic instability in this tumor. Besides being over-expressed, these genes were also strongly co-regulated. Gene co-regulation was high not only when compared to non-malignant hepatocytes, but also to malignant hepatocytes from HBV-HCC alone or HCV-HCC. Activation and co-regulation of genes critically associated with DNA replication, damage, and repair point to genetic instability as an important mechanism of HDV hepatocarcinogenesis. This specific HDV-HCC trait emerged also from the comparison of the molecular pathways identified for each hepatitis virus-associated HCC. Despite the dependence of HDV on HBV, these findings suggest that HDV and HBV promote carcinogenesis by distinct molecular mechanisms. This study identifies a molecular signature of HDV

  15. The global geographical overlap of aflatoxin and hepatitis C: Controlling risk factors for liver cancer worldwide

    Science.gov (United States)

    Palliyaguru, Dushani L.; Wu, Felicia

    2012-01-01

    About 85% of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC, liver cancer) cases occur in low-income countries, where the risk factors of dietary aflatoxin exposure and chronic hepatitis B and C (HBV and HCV) viral infection are common. While studies have shown synergism between aflatoxin and HBV in causing HCC, much less is known about whether aflatoxin and HCV synergize similarly. From an exposure perspective, we examine whether there is a geographical overlap in populations worldwide exposed to high dietary aflatoxin levels and with high HCV prevalence. While HCV is one of the most important risk factors for HCC in high-income nations (where aflatoxin exposure is low), we find that HCV prevalence is much higher in Africa and Asia, where aflatoxin exposure is also high. However, within a given world region, there are some inconsistencies regarding exposure and cancer risk. Therefore, there is a need to control risk factors such as aflatoxin and hepatitis viruses in a cost-effective manner to prevent global HCC, while continuing to evaluate biological mechanisms by which these risk factors interact to increase HCC risk. PMID:23281740

  16. Pigmented hepatocellular adenoma with complete CD34 immunostaining pattern: A diagnostic dilemma

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mukul Vij

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available WHO defines hepatocellular adenoma (HCA as a benign tumor composed of cells closely resembling normal hepatocytes, which are arranged in plates separated by sinusoids. It is more common in women. The present concerns a 41 years female who was found to have a mass lesion in liver on ultrasound while undergoing routine evaluation for dyspepsia. Computed tomography scan of abdomen showed 10 × 8 cm lesion in liver. Extended left hepatectomy was performed. Grossly hepatic cut surface showed circumscribed tumor with dark gray or black color. Microscopy revealed hepatocellular adenoma with abundant Dubin Johnson like pigment deposition. CD34 immunostaining showed complete sinusoidal pattern. We labeled the tumor as pigmented hepatic adenoma with complete CD34 staining pattern. To the best of author′s knowledge only eight cases of pigmented hepatocellular adenoma are described in world literature.

  17. Gadoxetic acid-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging characteristics of hepatocellular carcinoma occurring in liver transplants

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kim, Mimi [Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Department of Radiology and Center for Imaging Science, Samsung Medical Center, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Hanyang University of Hospital, Department of Radiology, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Kang, Tae Wook; Jeong, Woo Kyoung; Kim, Young Kon; Kim, Seong Hyun [Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Department of Radiology and Center for Imaging Science, Samsung Medical Center, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Jong Man [Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Department of Surgery, Samsung Medical Center, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Sinn, Dong Hyun [Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Division of hepatology, Department of Medicine, Samsung Medical Center, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Min-Ji; Jung, Sin-ho [Samsung Medical Center, Biostatics and Clinical Epidemiology Center, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

    2017-08-15

    Characteristics of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) on magnetic resonance (MR) images were compared in patients who did or did not undergo liver transplantation (LT), and we evaluated the relationship of these findings with overall survival (OS) and time-to-tumour recurrence (TTR) after transplantation. The enhancement pattern of gadoxetic acid-enhanced MR images of 25 patients with recurrent HCCs (LT group) and 25 surgically confirmed HCC patients in the non-transplanted (control) group were compared. Typical enhancement was defined as 1) arterial enhancement and delayed wash-out and 2) absence of typical features of cholangiocarcinoma consisting of arterial rim enhancement and target appearance on hepatobiliary phase images. OS and TTR were analyzed in the LT group according to these patterns using the log-rank test. HCCs in the LT group significantly more often had an atypical enhancement pattern (16/25, 64.0%) than those in the control group (5/25, 20.0%; p = 0.004). However, OS and TTR did not differ significantly according to these enhancement patterns of recurrent HCC (p > 0.05). Although enhancement patterns of recurrent HCC in transplanted liver did not affect OS and TTR, these HCCs that arise after LT frequently revealed atypical enhancement on gadoxetic acid-enhanced MR imaging. (orig.)

  18. Gadoxetic acid-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging characteristics of hepatocellular carcinoma occurring in liver transplants

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, Mimi; Kang, Tae Wook; Jeong, Woo Kyoung; Kim, Young Kon; Kim, Seong Hyun; Kim, Jong Man; Sinn, Dong Hyun; Kim, Min-Ji; Jung, Sin-ho

    2017-01-01

    Characteristics of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) on magnetic resonance (MR) images were compared in patients who did or did not undergo liver transplantation (LT), and we evaluated the relationship of these findings with overall survival (OS) and time-to-tumour recurrence (TTR) after transplantation. The enhancement pattern of gadoxetic acid-enhanced MR images of 25 patients with recurrent HCCs (LT group) and 25 surgically confirmed HCC patients in the non-transplanted (control) group were compared. Typical enhancement was defined as 1) arterial enhancement and delayed wash-out and 2) absence of typical features of cholangiocarcinoma consisting of arterial rim enhancement and target appearance on hepatobiliary phase images. OS and TTR were analyzed in the LT group according to these patterns using the log-rank test. HCCs in the LT group significantly more often had an atypical enhancement pattern (16/25, 64.0%) than those in the control group (5/25, 20.0%; p = 0.004). However, OS and TTR did not differ significantly according to these enhancement patterns of recurrent HCC (p > 0.05). Although enhancement patterns of recurrent HCC in transplanted liver did not affect OS and TTR, these HCCs that arise after LT frequently revealed atypical enhancement on gadoxetic acid-enhanced MR imaging. (orig.)

  19. Plasma microRNA profiles in rat models of hepatocellular injury, cholestasis, and steatosis.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yu Yamaura

    Full Text Available MicroRNAs (miRNAs are small RNA molecules that function to modulate the expression of target genes, playing important roles in a wide range of physiological and pathological processes. The miRNAs in body fluids have received considerable attention as potential biomarkers of various diseases. In this study, we compared the changes of the plasma miRNA expressions by acute liver injury (hepatocellular injury or cholestasis and chronic liver injury (steatosis, steatohepatitis and fibrosis using rat models made by the administration of chemicals or special diets. Using miRNA array analysis, we found that the levels of a large number of miRNAs (121-317 miRNAs were increased over 2-fold and the levels of a small number of miRNAs (6-35 miRNAs were decreased below 0.5-fold in all models except in a model of cholestasis caused by bile duct ligation. Interestingly, the expression profiles were different between the models, and the hierarchical clustering analysis discriminated between the acute and chronic liver injuries. In addition, miRNAs whose expressions were typically changed in each type of liver injury could be specified. It is notable that, in acute liver injury models, the plasma level of miR-122, the most abundant miRNA in the liver, was more quickly and dramatically increased than the plasma aminotransferase level, reflecting the extent of hepatocellular injury. This study demonstrated that the plasma miRNA profiles could reflect the types of liver injury (e.g. acute/chronic liver injury or hepatocellular injury/cholestasis/steatosis/steatohepatitis/fibrosis and identified the miRNAs that could be specific and sensitive biomarkers of liver injury.

  20. Vitamin D and K signaling pathways in hepatocellular carcinoma.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Louka, Manal L; Fawzy, Ahmed M; Naiem, Abdelrahman M; Elseknedy, Mustafa F; Abdelhalim, Ahmed E; Abdelghany, Mohamed A

    2017-09-20

    Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a primary liver malignancy, and is now the six most common in between malignancies. Early diagnosis of HCC with prompt treatment increases the opportunity of patients to survive. With the advances in understanding the molecular biology of HCC, new therapeutic strategies to treat HCC have emerged. There is a growing consensus that vitamins are important for the control of various cancers. Biochemical evidence clearly indicates that HCC cells are responsive to the inhibitory effect of vitamin D, vitamin D analogues and vitamin K. In this review, we summarize the mechanisms used by vitamin D and K to influence the development of HCC and the latest development of vitamin analogues for potential HCC therapy. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  1. Trim24 (Tif1 alpha): an essential 'brake' for retinoic acid-induced transcription to prevent liver cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Khetchoumian, Konstantin; Teletin, Marius; Tisserand, Johan; Herquel, Benjamin; Ouararhni, Khalid; Losson, Régine

    2008-12-01

    Retinoic acid (RA), the active derivative of vitamin A, is an important signaling molecule that controls various developmental processes and influence the proliferation and differentiation of a variety of cell types. RA exerts its biological functions primarily through binding to and activating nuclear RA receptors (RARs, which include the RAR alpha, beta and gamma isotypes RARA, RARB and RARC). Aberrant expression or impaired function of these nuclear receptors has been linked to diverse types of cancer. RARs are RA-dependent transcription factors that regulate gene expression through the recruitment of different co-regulators (co-activators and co-repressors). TRIM24 (formerly known as TIF1 alpha) was among the first co-regulators identified as interacting with RARs in a ligand-dependent fashion, and it was recently shown to function in mice as a potent liver-specific tumor suppressor by attenuating Rara-mediated transcription. The fact that Trim24(-/-), but not Trim24(-/-)Rara(+/-), mutant mice are highly predisposed to the development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has significant implications in cancer research. This result, along with the observation that in response to pharmacological inhibition of the RA signaling, hepatocytes lacking Trim24 loose their ability to proliferate, strongly implicates Rara as a proto-oncogene in hepatocytes and demonstrates that overactivated RA signaling is deleterious to liver homeostasis.

  2. Exposure to N-nitroso compounds in a population of high liver cancer regions in Thailand: volatile nitrosamine (VNA) levels in Thai food.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mitacek, E J; Brunnemann, K D; Suttajit, M; Martin, N; Limsila, T; Ohshima, H; Caplan, L S

    1999-04-01

    The recent case-control studies in Thailand indicate that a high incidence of liver cancer in Thailand has not been associated with common risk factors such as hepatitis B infection, aflatoxin intake and alcohol consumption. While the infestation by the liver fluke Opisthorchis viverrini (OV) accounted for the high risk in north-east Thailand, there was no such exposure in the other regions of the country where the incidence of liver cancer is also high. Case-control studies suggest that exposure to exogenous and possibly endogenous nitrosamines in food or tobacco in betel nut and cigarettes may play a role in the development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), while OV infestation and chemical interaction of nitrosamines may also be aetiological factors in the development of cholangiocarcinoma (CCA). Over 1800 samples of fresh and preserved food were systematically collected and tested between 1988 and 1996. All the food items identified by anthropological studies to be consumed frequently in four major regions of Thailand were analysed for volatile nitrosamines using gas chromatography combined with a thermal energy analyser. Relatively high levels of N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA), N-nitrosopiperidine (NPIP) and N-nitrosopyrrolidine (NPYR) were detected in fermented fish ("Plasalid"). NDMA was also detected at levels ranging from trace amounts to 66.5 microg/kg in several salted and dried fish ("Larb-pla" and "Pla-siu"). NDMA and NPYR were frequently detected in several vegetables, particularly fermented beans ("Tau-chiau") at levels ranging between 1 and 95.1 microg/kg and 0-146 microg/kg, respectively. The possible role of nitrosamines in Thai food in the aetiology of liver cancer (HCC, CCA) is discussed.

  3. Open-label phase II clinical trial in 75 patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma receiving daily dose of tableted liver cancer vaccine, hepcortespenlisimut-L

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tarakanovskaya MG

    2017-04-01

    Full Text Available Marina G Tarakanovskaya,1 Jigjidsuren Chinburen,2 Purev Batchuluun,2 Chogsom Munkhzaya,2 Genden Purevsuren,2 Dorjiin Dandii,3 Tsogkhuu Hulan,3 Dandii Oyungerel,4 Galyna A Kutsyna,5 Alan A Reid,6 Vika Borisova,6 Allen I Bain,7 Vichai Jirathitikal,7 Aldar S Bourinbaiar6–8 1Ekomed LLC, 2National Cancer Center, 3Monserum LLC, 4National Center for Public Health, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia; 5Department of Infectious Diseases, Luhansk State Medical University, Luhansk, Ukraine; 6Immunitor China Ltd, Beijing, People’s Republic of China; 7Immunitor Inc, Vancouver, BC, Canada; 8Immunitor LLC, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia Background: An increasing number of studies is now devoted to immunotherapy of cancer. We evaluated the clinical benefit of hepcortespenlisimut-L (Hepko-V5 [formerly known as V5]—an oral therapeutic vaccine designated by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA as an orphan drug for treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC. V5 was initially developed by us in 2002 to treat hepatitis B or C viral infections and liver cirrhosis.Methods: The outcome of open-label Phase II trial of daily dose of V5 pill was analyzed retrospectively. Over a period of 5 years, 75 patients with advanced HCC were enrolled, consisting of 29 (38.7% females and 46 (61.3% males with a median age of 60 years (mean 61.6±8.1 years. Out of these, 23 (30.7% had hepatitis B and 34 (45.3% had hepatitis C infections, including 9 (12% with dual infection, 4 (5.3% negative for both viruses, and 5 (6.7% without established viral diagnosis. Most patients (94.7% had underlying liver cirrhosis of varying severity.Results: After a median of 2 months of treatment, 50 out of 75 patients had experienced a decline in serum levels of the tumor marker, alpha-fetoprotein (AFP (66.7%; P=0.006 by Wilcoxon signed rank test. Baseline median AFP levels were 245.2 IU/mL (mean 4,233; range 7.2–92,407; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1,186–7,280 and post-treatment values were 102.3 IU

  4. Optimal imaging surveillance schedules after liver-directed therapy for hepatocellular carcinoma.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Boas, F Edward; Do, Bao; Louie, John D; Kothary, Nishita; Hwang, Gloria L; Kuo, William T; Hovsepian, David M; Kantrowitz, Mark; Sze, Daniel Y

    2015-01-01

    To optimize surveillance schedules for the detection of recurrent hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) after liver-directed therapy. New methods have emerged that allow quantitative analysis and optimization of surveillance schedules for diseases with substantial rates of recurrence such as HCC. These methods were applied to 1,766 consecutive chemoembolization, radioembolization, and radiofrequency ablation procedures performed on 910 patients between 2006 and 2011. Computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging performed just before repeat therapy was set as the time of "recurrence," which included residual and locally recurrent tumor as well as new liver tumors. Time-to-recurrence distribution was estimated by Kaplan-Meier method. Average diagnostic delay (time between recurrence and detection) was calculated for each proposed surveillance schedule using the time-to-recurrence distribution. An optimized surveillance schedule could then be derived to minimize the average diagnostic delay. Recurrence is 6.5 times more likely in the first year after treatment than in the second. Therefore, screening should be much more frequent in the first year. For eight time points in the first 2 years of follow-up, the optimal schedule is 2, 4, 6, 8, 11, 14, 18, and 24 months. This schedule reduces diagnostic delay compared with published schedules and is cost-effective. The calculated optimal surveillance schedules include shorter-interval follow-up when there is a higher probability of recurrence and longer-interval follow-up when there is a lower probability. Cost can be optimized for a specified acceptable diagnostic delay or diagnostic delay can be optimized within a specified acceptable cost. Copyright © 2015 SIR. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  5. Impact of etiology of chronic liver disease on hepatocellular carcinoma biomarkers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ricco, Gabriele; Cavallone, Daniela; Cosma, Chiara; Caviglia, Gian Paolo; Oliveri, Filippo; Biasiolo, Alessandra; Abate, Maria Lorena; Plebani, Mario; Smedile, Antonina; Bonino, Ferruccio; Pontisso, Patrizia; Brunetto, Maurizia Rossana

    2018-02-14

    The role of serum biomarkers in the surveillance of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is controversial. We assessed the diagnostic performances of alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) and protein-induced by vitamin-K-absence/antagonist-II (PIVKA-II) in 388 cirrhotic patients with chronic liver disease (CLD). Biomarkers were quantified by automated chemiluminescent-enzyme-immunoassays (Fujirebio, Tokyo, Japan) at HCC diagnosis in 258 patients (204 males; median age 66.9 years) and in 130 cirrhotics without HCC (104 males; median-age 60.6 years). CLD etiology in HCC/non-HCC was CHB in 48/35, CHC in 126/56 and Non-Viral in 84/39. Overall AUROC values for AFP and PIVKA-II were 0.698 (95%CI = 0.642-0.753, PCLD. AFP/PIVKA-II diagnostic accuracy was 40.5-59.8%/62.7-73.5% and combining both markers 78.2% for CHB, 77% for Non-Viral-CLD and 75% for CHC. AFP correlated with ALT in HCC patients with CHC (ρ= 0.463/PCLD (ρ= 0.359/P= 0.047), but not in CHB (treated with antivirals). PIVKA-II correlated with tumour size independently of CLD-etiology (PCLD; their combination provides a better diagnostic accuracy.

  6. Epidemiological and clinical features of primary liver cancer: an analysis of 236 patients

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    ZHAO Rongrong

    2016-08-01

    pathological results, most (85% had hepatocellular carcinoma. ConclusionPLC has certain distribution patterns in sex, age of onset, family history of liver cancer, etiology, tumor position, number of tumors, and pathological histology. The factors involved in the development and progression of PLC need in-depth investigation, in order to develop good control strategies. Moreover, the association of PLC with chronic metabolic diseases such as diabetes and hypertension awaits further investigation.

  7. Hyperkalaemia after radiofrequency ablation of hepatocellular carcinoma

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Verhoevena, BH; Haagsma, EB; Appeltans, BMG; Slooff, MJH; de Jong, KP

    Radiofrequency ablation of liver tumours is a useful therapy for otherwise unresectable tumours. The complication rate is said to be low. In this case report we describe hyperkalaemia after radiofrequency ablation of a hepatocellular carcinoma in a patient with end-stage renal insufficiency. (C)

  8. GPX4 and GPX7 Over-Expression in Human Hepatocellular Carcinoma Tissues

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guerriero, E.; Capone, F.; Accardo, M.; Sorice, A.; Costantini, M.; Colonna, G.; Castello, G.

    2015-01-01

    Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common type of liver cancer and is still one of the most fatal cancers. Hence, it needs to identify always new putative markers to improve its diagnosis and prognosis. The selenium is an essential trace mineral implicated as a key factor in the early stage of cancer and exerts its biological function through the selenoproteins. In the last years our group has been studying the involvement of some selenoproteins in HCC. However, no many data are reported in literature about the correlation between HCC and the glutathione peroxidases (GPXs), both selenium and non selenium-containing GPXs. In this paper we have evaluated the GPX4 and GPX7 expression in some paraffin-embedded tissues from liver biopsy of patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV)-related cirrhosis and HCC by immunohistochemistry and RT-qPCR analysis. Our results evidenced that i) GPX4 and GPX7 had a statistically significant over-expression in HCC tissues compared to cirrhotic counterparts used as non tumor tissues, and ii) their expression was higher in grade III HCC tissues with respect to grade I-II samples. Therefore, we propose to use GPX4 and GPX7 as possible markers for improving HCC diagnosis/prognosis. PMID:26708178

  9. pH-responsive self-healing injectable hydrogel based on N-carboxyethyl chitosan for hepatocellular carcinoma therapy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Qu, Jin; Zhao, Xin; Ma, Peter X; Guo, Baolin

    2017-08-01

    Injectable hydrogels with pH-responsiveness and self-healing ability have great potential for anti-cancer drug delivery. Herein, we developed a series of polysaccharide-based self-healing hydrogels with pH-sensitivity as drug delivery vehicles for hepatocellular carcinoma therapy. The hydrogels were prepared by using N-carboxyethyl chitosan (CEC) synthesized via Michael reaction in aqueous solution and dibenzaldehyde-terminated poly(ethylene glycol) (PEGDA). Doxorubicin (Dox), as a model of water-soluble small molecule anti-cancer drug was encapsulated into the hydrogel in situ. Self-healing behavior of the hydrogels was investigated at microscopic and macroscopic levels, and the hydrogels showed rapid self-healing performance without any external stimulus owing to the dynamic covalent Schiff-base linkage between amine groups from CEC and benzaldehyde groups from PEGDA. The chemical structures, rheological property, in vitro gel degradation, morphology, gelation time and in vitro Dox release behavior from the hydrogels were characterized. Injectability was verified by in vitro injection and in vivo subcutaneous injection in a rat. pH-responsive behavior was verified by in vitro Dox release from hydrogels in PBS solutions with different pH values. Furthermore, the activity of Dox released from hydrogel matrix was evaluated by employing human hepatocellular liver carcinoma (HepG2). Cytotoxicity test of the hydrogels using L929 cells confirmed their good cytocompatibility. Together, these pH-responsive self-healing injectable hydrogels are excellent candidates as drug delivery vehicles for liver cancer treatment. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: pH-responsive drug delivery system could release drug efficiently in targeted acid environment and minimalize the amount of drug release in normal physiological environment. pH-sensitive injectable hydrogels as smart anti-cancer drug delivery carriers show great potential application for cancer therapy. The hydrogels with self

  10. Substrate stiffness promotes latent TGF-β1 activation in hepatocellular carcinoma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pang, Mingshu; Teng, Yao; Huang, Jianyong; Yuan, Yuan; Lin, Feng; Xiong, Chunyang

    2017-01-01

    Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) was usually coupled with increased stiffness of the extracellular matrix (ECM) and elevated level of transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1). However, the mechanism by which substrate rigidity modulated TGF-β1 signaling transduction remained unknown. This paper investigated the molecular mechanism of how matrix stiffness regulating TGF-β1 signaling in HCC cells. By means of stiffness tunable collagen I-coated polyacrylamide (PA) gels, we found that the expressions of β1 integrin, p-FAK Y397 and p-Smad2 upregulated on stiffer gels as well as the content of TGF-β1 in culture media of HCC cells, which were inhibited by RGD blocking peptides, Y-27632 (ROCK inhibitor) or Blebbistatin (myosin II inhibitor). Cellular traction force was also significantly higher when plated on stiffer substrates but dramatically decreased after treatment with Y-27632 or Blebbistatin. Furthermore, the upregulation of p-Smad2 in the HCC cells on stiffer PA gels induced by exogenetic latent TGF-β1 was downregulated in the presence of RGD peptides. The nuclear translocation of Smad2 induced by latent TGF-β1 was inhibited by Y-27632 or Blebbistatin. Our results suggested that the extracellular matrix stiffness regulated latent TGF-β1 activation by cytoskeletal tension in HCC cells, showing that matrix stiffness was a key regulator involving the TGF-β1 activity in HCC cells. The current study presented a mechanism of how hepatocirrhosis developed into liver cancer. - Highlights: • TGF-β1 signaling pathway regulated by ECM stiffness was studied in hepatocellular carcinoma. • Matrix stiffness promoted latent TGF-β1 activation via β1 integrin-FAK-Rho GTPase pathway. • A mechanism of how hepatocirrhosis developed into liver cancer was presented.

  11. Dosimetric parameters predicting contralateral liver hypertrophy after unilobar radioembolization of hepatocellular carcinoma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Palard, Xavier; Edeline, Julien; Rolland, Yan; Le Sourd, Samuel; Pracht, Marc; Laffont, Sophie; Lenoir, Laurence; Boudjema, Karim; Ugen, Thomas; Brun, Vanessa; Mesbah, Habiba; Haumont, Laure-Anne; Loyer, Pascal; Garin, Etienne

    2018-01-01

    This study aimed at identifying prior therapy dosimetric parameters using 99m Tc-labeled macro-aggregates of albumin (MAA) that are associated with contralateral hepatic hypertrophy occurring after unilobar radioembolization of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) performed with 90 Y-loaded glass microspheres. The dosimetry data of 73 HCC patients were collected prior to the treatment with 90 Y-loaded microspheres for unilateral disease. The injected liver dose (ILD), the tumor dose (TD) and healthy injected liver dose (HILD) were calculated based on MAA quantification. Following treatment, the maximal hypertrophy (MHT) of an untreated lobe was calculated. Mean MHT was 35.4 ± 40.4%. When using continuous variables, the MHT was not correlated with any tested variable, i.e., injected activity, ILD, HILD or TD except with a percentage of future remnant liver (FRL) following the 90 Y-microspheres injection (r = -0.56). MHT ≥ 10% was significantly more frequent for patients with HILD ≥ 88 Gy, (52% of the cases), i.e., in 92.2% versus 65.7% for HILD < 88 Gy (p = 0.032). MHT ≥ 10% was also significantly more frequent for patients with a TD ≥ 205 Gy and a tumor volume (VT) ≥ 100 cm 3 in patients with initial FRL < 50%. MHT ≥10% was seen in 83.9% for patients with either an HILD ≥ 88 Gy or a TD ≥ 205 Gy for tumors larger than 100cm 3 (85% of the cases), versus only 54.5% (p = 0.0265) for patients with none of those parameters. MHT ≥10% was also associated with FRL and the Child-Pugh score. Using multivariate analysis, the Child-Pugh score (p < 0.0001), FRL (p = 0.0023) and HILD (p = 0.0029) were still significantly associated with MHT ≥10%. This study demonstrates for the first time that HILD is significantly associated with liver hypertrophy. There is also an impact of high tumor doses in large lesions in one subgroup of patients. Larger prospective studies evaluating the MAA dosimetric parameters have to be conducted to confirm these promising results

  12. Dosimetric parameters predicting contralateral liver hypertrophy after unilobar radioembolization of hepatocellular carcinoma

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Palard, Xavier [Cancer Institute Eugene Marquis, Department of Nuclear Medicine, Rennes (France); University of Rennes 1, Rennes (France); Edeline, Julien [University of Rennes 1, Rennes (France); INSERM, INRA, Univ Rennes 1, Univ Bretagne Loire, Nutrition Metabolisms and Cancer (NuMeCan), Rennes (France); Cancer Institute Eugene Marquis, Department of Medical Oncology, Rennes (France); Rolland, Yan [Cancer Institute Eugene Marquis, Department of Medical Imaging, Rennes (France); Le Sourd, Samuel; Pracht, Marc [Cancer Institute Eugene Marquis, Department of Medical Oncology, Rennes (France); Laffont, Sophie; Lenoir, Laurence [Cancer Institute Eugene Marquis, Department of Nuclear Medicine, Rennes (France); Boudjema, Karim [CHU Pontchaillou, Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Rennes (France); Ugen, Thomas [CHU Pontchaillou, Department of Hepatology, Rennes (France); Brun, Vanessa [CHU Pontchaillou, Department of Medical Imaging, Rennes (France); Mesbah, Habiba; Haumont, Laure-Anne [Cancer Institute Eugene Marquis, Department of Medical Information, Rennes (France); Loyer, Pascal [INSERM, INRA, Univ Rennes 1, Univ Bretagne Loire, Nutrition Metabolisms and Cancer (NuMeCan), Rennes (France); Garin, Etienne [Cancer Institute Eugene Marquis, Department of Nuclear Medicine, Rennes (France); University of Rennes 1, Rennes (France); INSERM, INRA, Univ Rennes 1, Univ Bretagne Loire, Nutrition Metabolisms and Cancer (NuMeCan), Rennes (France)

    2018-03-15

    This study aimed at identifying prior therapy dosimetric parameters using {sup 99m}Tc-labeled macro-aggregates of albumin (MAA) that are associated with contralateral hepatic hypertrophy occurring after unilobar radioembolization of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) performed with {sup 90}Y-loaded glass microspheres. The dosimetry data of 73 HCC patients were collected prior to the treatment with {sup 90}Y-loaded microspheres for unilateral disease. The injected liver dose (ILD), the tumor dose (TD) and healthy injected liver dose (HILD) were calculated based on MAA quantification. Following treatment, the maximal hypertrophy (MHT) of an untreated lobe was calculated. Mean MHT was 35.4 ± 40.4%. When using continuous variables, the MHT was not correlated with any tested variable, i.e., injected activity, ILD, HILD or TD except with a percentage of future remnant liver (FRL) following the {sup 90}Y-microspheres injection (r = -0.56). MHT ≥ 10% was significantly more frequent for patients with HILD ≥ 88 Gy, (52% of the cases), i.e., in 92.2% versus 65.7% for HILD < 88 Gy (p = 0.032). MHT ≥ 10% was also significantly more frequent for patients with a TD ≥ 205 Gy and a tumor volume (VT) ≥ 100 cm{sup 3} in patients with initial FRL < 50%. MHT ≥10% was seen in 83.9% for patients with either an HILD ≥ 88 Gy or a TD ≥ 205 Gy for tumors larger than 100cm{sup 3} (85% of the cases), versus only 54.5% (p = 0.0265) for patients with none of those parameters. MHT ≥10% was also associated with FRL and the Child-Pugh score. Using multivariate analysis, the Child-Pugh score (p < 0.0001), FRL (p = 0.0023) and HILD (p = 0.0029) were still significantly associated with MHT ≥10%. This study demonstrates for the first time that HILD is significantly associated with liver hypertrophy. There is also an impact of high tumor doses in large lesions in one subgroup of patients. Larger prospective studies evaluating the MAA dosimetric parameters have to be conducted to confirm

  13. [Perioperative changes of coagulation functions in the local advanced liver cancer patients receiving liver transplantation].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Hao-Yuan; Zhao, Qing-Yu; Yuan, Yun-Fei

    2008-07-01

    Liver transplantation is widely accepted as an effective therapy of hepatoma. Perioperative dynamic observation of coagulation function is important for graft-receivers. This study was to explore perioperative changes of coagulation functions in the local advanced liver cancer patients who received liver transplantation. Clinical data of 31 local advanced liver cancer patients, underwent liver transplantation from Sep. 2003 to Jan. 2007, were analyzed. Platelet (PLT) counting, prothrombin time (PT), activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT), thrombin time (TT), fibrinogen (Fib) and international normalized ratio (INR) before operation, at anhepatic phase and the first week after operation were analyzed to evaluate congulation function. The coagulation functions of most patients were normal before operation. The six parameters varied significantly at anhepatic phase and on most days of the first week after operation when compared with the preoperative levels (Pfunctions of local advanced liver cancer patients shift from hypocoagulatory to hypercoagulatory or normal in perioperative period, therefore, prevention of bleeding should be focused on at anhepatic phase and on 1-2 days after operation while prevention of thrombosis should be focused on after the first week after operation. The degree of liver cirrhosis and Child-Pugh level could help to evaluate postoperative coagulation disorder.

  14. Diagnosis of small hepatocellular carcinoma by incremental dynamic CT

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Uchida, Masafumi; Kumabe, Tsutomu; Edamitsu, Osamu

    1993-01-01

    Thirty cases of pathologically confirmed small hepatocellular carcinoma were examined by Incremental Dynamic CT (ICT). ICT scanned the whole liver with single-breath-hold technique; therefore, effective early contrast enhancement could be obtained for diagnosis. Among the 30 tumors, 26 were detected. The detection rate was 87%. A high detection rate was obtained in tumors more than 20 mm in diameter. Twenty-two of 26 tumors could be diagnosed correctly. ICT examination was useful for detection of small hepatocellular carcinoma. (author)

  15. Hepatocellular Carcinoma: An Unusual Complication of Longstanding Wilson Disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gunjan, Deepak; Shalimar; Nadda, Neeti; Kedia, Saurabh; Nayak, Baibaswata; Paul, Shashi B; Gamanagatti, Shivanand Ramachandra; Acharya, Subrat K

    2017-06-01

    Wilson disease is caused by the accumulation of copper in the liver, brain or other organs, due to the mutation in ATP7B gene, which encodes protein that helps in excretion of copper in the bile canaliculus. Clinical presentation varies from asymptomatic elevation of transaminases to cirrhosis with decompensation. Hepatocellular carcinoma is a known complication of cirrhosis, but a rare occurrence in Wilson disease. We present a case of neurological Wilson disease, who later developed decompensated cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma.

  16. Yttrium-90 microspheres (TheraSphere and SIR-Spheres) for the treatment of unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Allison, C

    2007-09-01

    (1) Microspheres containing radioactive yttrium-90 (90Y) are infused into the hepatic artery. These deliver high doses of ionizing radiation to inoperable hepatocellular carcinoma, the most common type of primary liver cancer. (2) Limited evidence from several case series indicates that palliative therapy with 90Y microspheres may reduce tumour size and increase survival time. (3) In some patients, 90Y treatment may result in enough tumour reduction to permit liver resection or transplantation. (4) While 90Y microsphere therapy is generally well tolerated, major complications and several treatment-related deaths have occurred. Improved patient selection criteria and technical changes to microsphere delivery have reduced the risks of complications and death. (5) Patient selection and the technical aspects of 90Y microsphere treatment are complex and require the coordinated expertise of a multidisciplinary team.

  17. Prospective Longitudinal Assessment of Quality of Life for Liver Cancer Patients Treated With Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Klein, Jonathan, E-mail: jonathan.klein@rmp.uhn.on.ca [Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario (Canada); Radiation Medicine Program, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, Toronto, Ontario (Canada); Dawson, Laura A. [Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario (Canada); Radiation Medicine Program, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, Toronto, Ontario (Canada); Jiang, Haiyan [Department of Biostatistics, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, Toronto, Ontario (Canada); Kim, John; Dinniwell, Rob; Brierley, James; Wong, Rebecca [Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario (Canada); Radiation Medicine Program, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, Toronto, Ontario (Canada); Lockwood, Gina [Department of Biostatistics, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, Toronto, Ontario (Canada); Ringash, Jolie [Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario (Canada); Radiation Medicine Program, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, Toronto, Ontario (Canada)

    2015-09-01

    Purpose: To evaluate quality of life (QoL), an important outcome owing to poor long-term survival, after stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) to the liver. Methods and Materials: Patients (n=222) with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), liver metastases, or intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma and Child-Pugh A liver function received 24-60 Gy of 6-fraction image-guided SBRT. Prospective QoL assessment was completed with the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire Core-30 (QLQ-C30) and/or Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Hepatobiliary (FACT-Hep, version 4) questionnaires at baseline and 1, 3, 6, and 12 months after treatment. Ten HCC patients with Child-Pugh B liver function were also treated. Results: The QLQ-C30 was available for 205 patients, and 196 completed the FACT-Hep. No difference in baseline QoL (P=.17) or overall survival (P=.088) was seen between the HCC, liver metastases, and intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma patients. Appetite loss and fatigue measured by the QLQ-C30 clinically and statistically worsened by 1 month after treatment but recovered by 3 months. At 3 and 12 months after treatment, respectively, the FACT-Hep score had improved relative to baseline in 13%/19%, worsened in 36%/27%, and remained stable in 51%/54%. Using the QLQ-C30 Global Health score, QoL improved in 16%/23%, worsened in 34%/39%, and remained stable in 50%/38% at 3 and 12 months, respectively. Median survival was 17.0 months (95% confidence interval [CI] 12.3-19.8 months). Higher baseline scores on both FACT-Hep and QLQ-C30 Global Health were associated with improved survival. Hazard ratios for death, per 10-unit decrease in QoL, were 0.90 (95% CI 0.83-0.98; P=.001) and 0.88 (95% CI 0.82-0.95; P=.001), respectively. Tumor size was inversely correlated with survival. Conclusions: Liver SBRT temporarily worsens appetite and fatigue, but not overall QoL. Stereotactic body radiation therapy is well tolerated and warrants

  18. Prospective Longitudinal Assessment of Quality of Life for Liver Cancer Patients Treated With Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Klein, Jonathan; Dawson, Laura A.; Jiang, Haiyan; Kim, John; Dinniwell, Rob; Brierley, James; Wong, Rebecca; Lockwood, Gina; Ringash, Jolie

    2015-01-01

    Purpose: To evaluate quality of life (QoL), an important outcome owing to poor long-term survival, after stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) to the liver. Methods and Materials: Patients (n=222) with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), liver metastases, or intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma and Child-Pugh A liver function received 24-60 Gy of 6-fraction image-guided SBRT. Prospective QoL assessment was completed with the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire Core-30 (QLQ-C30) and/or Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Hepatobiliary (FACT-Hep, version 4) questionnaires at baseline and 1, 3, 6, and 12 months after treatment. Ten HCC patients with Child-Pugh B liver function were also treated. Results: The QLQ-C30 was available for 205 patients, and 196 completed the FACT-Hep. No difference in baseline QoL (P=.17) or overall survival (P=.088) was seen between the HCC, liver metastases, and intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma patients. Appetite loss and fatigue measured by the QLQ-C30 clinically and statistically worsened by 1 month after treatment but recovered by 3 months. At 3 and 12 months after treatment, respectively, the FACT-Hep score had improved relative to baseline in 13%/19%, worsened in 36%/27%, and remained stable in 51%/54%. Using the QLQ-C30 Global Health score, QoL improved in 16%/23%, worsened in 34%/39%, and remained stable in 50%/38% at 3 and 12 months, respectively. Median survival was 17.0 months (95% confidence interval [CI] 12.3-19.8 months). Higher baseline scores on both FACT-Hep and QLQ-C30 Global Health were associated with improved survival. Hazard ratios for death, per 10-unit decrease in QoL, were 0.90 (95% CI 0.83-0.98; P=.001) and 0.88 (95% CI 0.82-0.95; P=.001), respectively. Tumor size was inversely correlated with survival. Conclusions: Liver SBRT temporarily worsens appetite and fatigue, but not overall QoL. Stereotactic body radiation therapy is well tolerated and warrants

  19. [Hepatocellular carcinoma originated in the caudate lobe. Surgical strategy for resection. A propos of a case].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Martínez-Mier, Gustavo; Esquivel-Torres, Sergio; Calzada-Grijalva, José Francisco; Grube-Pagola, Peter

    2015-01-01

    Hepatocellular carcinoma originating from the caudate lobe has a worse prognosis than other hepatocellular carcinoma in another segment of the liver. An isolated caudate lobe resection of the liver represents a significant technical challenge. Caudate lobe resection can be performed along with a lobectomy or as an isolated liver resection. There are very few reports about isolated caudate lobe liver resection. We report a case of successful isolated resection of hepatocellular carcinoma in the caudate lobe with excellent long-term survival. A 74 years old female with 8cm mass lesion in the caudate lobe without clinical or biochemical evidence of liver cirrhosis, serum alpha-fetoprotein 3.7 U/l, and negative hepatitis serology was evaluated for surgery. Complete resection of the lesion in 270minutes with Pringle maneuver for 13minutes was satisfactorily performed. Patient was discharged ten days after surgery without complications. Patient is currently asymptomatic, without deterioration of liver function and 48 month tumor free survival after the procedure. Isolated caudate lobe resection is an uncommon but technically possible procedure. In order to achieve a successful resection, one must have a detailed knowledge of complete liver anatomy. Tumor free margins must be obtained to provide long survival for these patients who have a malignancy in this anatomic location. Copyright © 2015. Published by Masson Doyma México S.A.

  20. Liver Cancer and Hepatitis B

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... Clinical Trials Physician Directory HBV Meeting What Is Hepatitis B? What Is Hepatitis B? The ABCs of Viral Hepatitis Liver Cancer and Hepatitis B Hepatitis Delta Coinfection Hepatitis C Coinfection HIV/AIDS ...

  1. Association of social class in HBsAg and hepatocellular carcinoma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pervez, T.; Anwar, M. S.

    2001-01-01

    Objective: To find out the social class difference in relation to frequency of HBsAg and hepatocellular carcinoma in our population. Design: An analytical study. Place and Duration of Study: This study was conducted in Oncology Department, Services Hospital, Lahore from December 1997 to December 2000. Subjects and Methods: The HBsAg positive voluntary and apparently healthy blood donors were grouped into three, based on monthly income. Lower socioeconomic group and had monthly income less than 3,000 Pakistani rupees, middle socioeconomic group had monthly income between 3,000-10,000 rupees and upper socioeconomic group had income of more than 10,000 Pakistani rupees. On the same pattern patients suffering from hepatocellular carcinoma coming for treatment were also grouped. During this period, 1000 blood donors were screened for HBsAg and 95 biopsy proven liver cancer by causes were treated. Medical and demographic data of all subjects were recorded. HBsAg test was performed immuno-chromatographic technique using Daina Screen HBsAg kit manufactured by Dainabot Co. Ltd, Tokyo, Japan. Results: Patients from lower and middle social class had higher percentage (80% and 75%) of hepatocellular carcinoma as compared to higher social class (66.6%). In the healthy asymptomatic blood donors lower social class had higher (13.76%) HBsAg positively as compared to middle social class (11.25%) and higher social class (8.06%). Conclusion: Preventive measures should be taken in identifying and reducing factors predisposing high frequency of these conditions. (author)

  2. Phase 2 Study of Bevacizumab Plus Erlotinib in Patients With Advanced Hepatocellular Cancer

    Science.gov (United States)

    Philip, Philip A.; Mahoney, Michelle R.; Holen, Kyle D.; Northfelt, Donald W.; Pitot, Henry C.; Picus, Joel; Flynn, Patrick J.; Erlichman, Charles

    2013-01-01

    BACKGROUND Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) are rational targets for therapy in hepatocellular cancer (HCC). METHODS Patients with histologically proven HCC and not amenable to curative or liver directed therapy were included in this 2-stage phase 2 trial. Eligibility included an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status (PS) of 0 or 1 and Child’s Pugh score of A or B, and 1 prior systemic therapy. Patients received erlotinib 150 mg daily and bevacizumab 10 mg/kg on days 1 and 15 every 28 days. Objective tumor response was the primary end point. RESULTS Twenty-seven patients with advanced HCC (median age, 60 years) were enrolled in this multi-institutional study. The proportion of patients with Child’s A classification was 74%. One patient had a confirmed partial response and 11 (48%) achieved stable disease. Median time to disease progression was 3.0 months (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.8-7.1). Median survival time was 9.5 months (95% CI, 7.1-17.1). Grade 3 toxicities included rash, hypertension, fatigue, and diarrhea. CONCLUSIONS In this trial, erlotinib combined with bevacizumab had minimal activity in patients with advanced HCC based on objective response and progression-free survival. The role of targeting EGFR and VEGF in HCC needs further evaluation in molecularly selected patients. PMID:21953248

  3. Transcatheter Arterial Chemoembolization Based on Hepatic Hemodynamics for Hepatocellular Carcinoma

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Satoru Murata

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC is the sixth most common cancer and the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the world. The Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC classification has recently emerged as the standard classification system for clinical management of patients with HCC. According to the BCLC staging system, curative therapies (resection, transplantation, and percutaneous ablation can improve survival in HCC patients diagnosed at an early stage and offer potential long-term curative effects. Patients with intermediate-stage HCC benefit from transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE, and those diagnosed at an advanced stage receive sorafenib, a multikinase inhibitor, or conservative therapy. Most patients receive palliative or conservative therapy only, and approximately 50% of patients with HCC are candidates for systemic therapy. TACE is often recommended for advanced-stage HCC patients all over the world because these patients desire therapy that is more effective than systemic chemotherapy or conservative treatment. This paper aims to summarize both the published data and important ongoing studies for TACE and to discuss technical improvements in TACE for advanced-stage HCC.

  4. Hepatocellular carcinoma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Farooqi, J.I.; Farooqi, R.J.

    2001-01-01

    Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a common cause of cancer mortality. Hepatitis B and C viruses, aflatoxin and alga toxin in the contaminated drinking water are the major etiological factors. Rapidly progressing medical imaging has resulted in the improved treatment results. Surgical resection has a major role for influencing prognosis of HCC. Local cancer therapies based on the advances in early diagnosis are progressing rapidly. Multimodality combination and sequential treatment has proved effective, unfortunately systemic chemotherapy for HCC remains disappointed. All of these have resulted in the improved prognosis of HCC. (author)

  5. Radiation-induced liver disease after stereotactic body radiotherapy for small hepatocellular carcinoma: clinical and dose-volumetric parameters

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jung, Jinhong; Choi, Eun Kyung; Kim, Jong Hoon; Yoon, Sang Min; Kim, So Yeon; Cho, Byungchul; Park, Jin-hong; Kim, Su Ssan; Song, Si Yeol; Lee, Sang-wook; Ahn, Seung Do

    2013-01-01

    To investigate the clinical and dose–volumetric parameters that predict the risk of radiation-induced liver disease (RILD) for patients with small, unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) treated with stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT). Between March 2007 and December 2009, 92 patients with HCC treated with SBRT were reviewed for RILD within 3 months of completing treatment. RILD was evaluated according to the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events, version 3.0. A dose of 10–20 Gy (median, 15 Gy) per fraction was given over 3–4 consecutive days for a total dose of 30–60 Gy (median, 45 Gy). The following clinical and dose–volumetric parameters were examined: age, gender, Child-Pugh class, presence of hepatitis B virus, gross tumor volume, normal liver volume, radiation dose, fraction size, mean dose to the normal liver, and normal liver volumes receiving from < 5 Gy to < 60 Gy (in increments of 5 Gy). Seventeen (18.5%) of the 92 patients developed grade 2 or worse RILD after SBRT (49 patients in grade 1, 11 in grade 2, and 6 in ≥ grade 3). On univariate analysis, Child-Pugh class was identified as a significant clinical parameter, while normal liver volume and normal liver volumes receiving from < 15 Gy to < 60 Gy were the significant dose–volumetric parameters. Upon multivariate analysis, only Child-Pugh class was a significant parameter for predicting grade 2 or worse RILD. The Child-Pugh B cirrhosis was found to have a significantly greater susceptibility to the development of grade 2 or worse RILD after SBRT in patients with small, unresectable HCC. Additional efforts aimed at testing other models to predict the risk of RILD in a large series of HCC patients treated with SBRT are needed

  6. CT diagnosis of rare histological variant of hepatocellular carcinoma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li Huaibo; Feng Zhipeng; Duan Shaoyin; Zhaugn Xiangrong

    2009-01-01

    Objective: To explore and understand the CT findings of 5 rare histological variants of hepatocellular carcinoma. Methods: CT findings of 31 cases of rare histological variants confirmed by surgery and pathology were analyzed retrospectively. Results: 13 cases were clear cell hepatocellular carcinoma. 3 cases of them showed patchy fat density in plain scans. Enhanced CT showed features of 'fast in fast out' which was similar to the common hepatocellular carcinoma. 4 cases belonged to sclerosis hepatocellular carcinoma. They appeared as heterogeneous, slowly enhancement on arterial phase images, and delay enhancement on portal venous phase and delay phase images. 9 cases belonged to mixed hepatocellular carcinoma. 5 cases of them showed inhomogeneous enhancement and 4 without enhancement during arterial phase, 3 cases showed delay enhancement and 4 without during portal venous and delay phase. 3 cases were fibrolamellar hepatocellular carcinoma. All showed obvious and fastly enhancement on arterial phase images, subsided slowly on the portal venous and delay phase images, showing features of 'fast in slow out', no enhancement was seen in the central scar. Shrinkage phenomenon on the surface of liver could be seen on the CT plain scans in sclerosis, mixed and fibrolamellar hepatocellular carcinoma. 2 cases were the type of dense hepatocellular carcinoma. The surrounding part in the 2 cases were slightly enhanced, while the most part of the center were not enhanced similar to necrosis. Conclusion: The CT findings of rate histological variant of hepatocellular carcinoma are characteristic. Analyzing the CT plain and enhancement finding is helpful to the diagnosis of these types of hepatocellular carcinoma. (authors)

  7. Molecular pathways in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Berlanga A

    2014-07-01

    Full Text Available Alba Berlanga,1,* Esther Guiu-Jurado,1,* José Antonio Porras,1,2 Teresa Auguet1,21Group GEMMAIR (AGAUR and Applied Medicine Research Group, Department of Medicine and Surgery, Universitat Rovira i Virgili (URV, IISPV, Hospital Universitari Joan XXIII, Tarragona, Spain; 2Department of Internal Medicine, Hospital Universitari Joan XXIII Tarragona, Tarragona, Spain *These authors contributed equally to this workAbstract: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD is a clinicopathological change characterized by the accumulation of triglycerides in hepatocytes and has frequently been associated with obesity, type 2 diabetes mellitus, hyperlipidemia, and insulin resistance. It is an increasingly recognized condition that has become the most common liver disorder in developed countries, affecting over one-third of the population and is associated with increased cardiovascular- and liver-related mortality. NAFLD is a spectrum of disorders, beginning as simple steatosis. In about 15% of all NAFLD cases, simple steatosis can evolve into non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, a medley of inflammation, hepatocellular injury, and fibrosis, often resulting in cirrhosis and even hepatocellular cancer. However, the molecular mechanism underlying NAFLD progression is not completely understood. Its pathogenesis has often been interpreted by the "double-hit" hypothesis. The primary insult or the "first hit" includes lipid accumulation in the liver, followed by a "second hit" in which proinflammatory mediators induce inflammation, hepatocellular injury, and fibrosis. Nowadays, a more complex model suggests that fatty acids (FAs and their metabolites may be the true lipotoxic agents that contribute to NAFLD progression; a multiple parallel hits hypothesis has also been suggested. In NAFLD patients, insulin resistance leads to hepatic steatosis via multiple mechanisms. Despite the excess hepatic accumulation of FAs in NAFLD, it has been described that not only de novo FA

  8. Automated extraction of metastatic liver cancer regions from abdominal contrast CT images

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yamakawa, Junki; Matsubara, Hiroaki; Kimura, Shouta; Hasegawa, Junichi; Shinozaki, Kenji; Nawano, Shigeru

    2010-01-01

    In this paper, automated extraction of metastatic liver cancer regions from abdominal contrast X-ray CT images is investigated. Because even in Japan, cases of metastatic liver cancers are increased due to recent Europeanization and/or Americanization of Japanese eating habits, development of a system for computer aided diagnosis of them is strongly expected. Our automated extraction procedure consists of following four steps; liver region extraction, density transformation for enhancement of cancer regions, segmentation for obtaining candidate cancer regions, and reduction of false positives by shape feature. Parameter values used in each step of the procedure are decided based on density and shape features of typical metastatic liver cancers. In experiments using practical 20 cases of metastatic liver tumors, it is shown that 56% of true cancers can be detected successfully from CT images by the proposed procedure. (author)

  9. radio embolization of yttrium 90 glass microspheres in treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    El Fouly, A.H.A.

    2010-01-01

    Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a common cancer that typically occurs in the setting of cirrhosis and chronic hepatitis virus infections. HCC is considered currently as global problem; its incidence is expected to increase dramatically by the next few decades. More than 90 % of the accidentally diagnosed patients have non resectable tumor. Portal vein thrombosis, diffuse multifocal liver infiltration and large tumor burden are considered to be a great obstacle in front of the modern lines of treatment, even with Child A liver cirrhosis. Transarterial intrahepatic application of Yttrium-90 glass microspheres may allow effective local ablative treatment of patients with intrahepatic advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with or without portal vein thrombosis. The aim of this open-label phase II study was to validate evidence on the safety and efficacy of this treatment in an European cohort of patients with locally advanced HCC such as (large tumor burden, multifocal distribution, portal vein thrombosis). And to assess the response rate according to different approved response assessment guidelines (WHO, RECIST and EASL). Patients and Methods Starting from November 2006 till March 2009, one hundred and eight advanced unresectable HCC patients with and without portal vein thrombosis were included in this prospective study. Yttrium-90 microspheres radiotherapy was performed in a lobar fashion through the right or left hepatic artery. In bilobar disease, right and left liver lobe were treated with 4-6 weeks intervals in between. Response rate was assessed according to different international response assessment criteria (WHO, RECIST and EASL) with sequential computed tomography scans till the last clinical visit or death. The safety of this technique was assessed according to the Common Toxicity Criteria version 3

  10. Von Hippel-Lindau status influences phenotype of liver cancers arising from PTEN loss

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    Sendor AB

    2015-02-01

    Full Text Available Adam B Sendor,1 Kathryn E Hacker,1 Shufen Chen,1 Armando L Corona,1 Oishee Sen,1 Derek Y Chiang,1 Anna Snavely,1 Arlin B Rogers,2 Stephanie A Montgomery,1 W Kimryn Rathmell,1 Autumn J McRee11Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA; 2Section of Pathology, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, Tufts University, Boston, MA, USABackground: PTEN loss contributes to the development of liver diseases including hepatic steatosis and both hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC and cholangiocarcinoma (CC. The factors that influence the penetrance of these conditions are unclear. We explored the influence of sustained hypoxia signaling through co-deletion of Pten and Vhl in a murine model.Methods: We used a CreER-linked Keratin 18 mouse model to conditionally delete Pten, Vhl or both in somatic cells of adult mice, evaluating the resultant tumors by histology and gene expression microarray. Existing sets of gene expression data for human HCC and CC were examined for pathways related to those observed in the murine tumors, and a cohort of human CC samples was evaluated for relationships between HIF-1α expression and clinical outcomes.Results: Both Pten deletion genotypes developed liver tumors, but with differing phenotypes. Pten deletion alone led to large hepatic tumors with widespread hepatosteatosis. Co-deletion of Pten and Vhl with the Keratin 18 promoter resulted in reduced steatosis and a reduced tumor burden that was characterized by a trabecular architecture similar to CC. Genes associated with hepatic steatosis were coordinately expressed in the human HCC dataset, while genes involved in hypoxia response were upregulated in tumors from the human CC dataset. HIF-1α expression and overall survival were examined in an independent cohort of human CC tumors with no statistical differences uncovered.Conclusion: Pten deletion in Keratin 18 expressing cells leads to

  11. Antiangiogenic treatment in hepatocellular carcinoma: the balance of efficacy and safety

    Science.gov (United States)

    Welker, Martin-Walter; Trojan, Joerg

    2013-01-01

    Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a severe complication of advanced liver disease with a worldwide incidence of more than 600,000 patients per year. Liver function, clinical performance status, and tumor size are considered in the Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) system. While curative treatment options are available for early stages, most patients present with intermediate- or advanced-stage HCC, burdened with a poor prognosis, substantially influenced by the degree of liver-function impairment. Hypervascularization is a major characteristic of HCC, and antiangiogenic treatments are the basis of treatment in noncurative stages, including interventional and pharmacological treatments. Currently, the tyrosine-kinase inhibitor sorafenib is still the only approved drug for HCC. Further improvements in survival in patients with intermediate- and advanced-stage HCC may be anticipated by both multimodal approaches, such as combination of interventional and systemic treatments, and new systemic treatment options. Until now, the Phase III development of other tyrosine-kinase inhibitors in patients with advanced HCC has failed due to minor efficacy and/or increased toxicity compared to sorafenib. However, promising Phase II data have been reported with MET inhibitors in this hard-to-treat population. This review gives a critical overview of antiangiogenic drugs and strategies in intermediate- and advanced-stage HCC, with a special focus on safety. PMID:24204170

  12. Serum Autoantibody Measurement for the Detection of Hepatocellular Carcinoma

    Science.gov (United States)

    Middleton, Catrin H.; Irving, William; Robertson, John F. R.; Murray, Andrea; Parsy-Kowalska, Celine B.; Macdonald, Isabel K.; McElveen, Jane; Allen, Jared; Healey, Graham F.; Thomson, Brian J.; Ryder, Stephen J.; Holdenrieder, Stefan; Chapman, Caroline J.

    2014-01-01

    Background Individuals with liver disease, and especially those with Hepatitis B or C, are at an increased risk of developing hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) which is the third most common cause of cancer-related death worldwide. Inadequate screening tests largely account for presentation of advanced tumours and high mortality rates. Early detection of HCC amongst high-risk groups is paramount in improving prognosis. This research aimed to further characterise the previously described humoral immune response raised to tumour-associated antigens (TAAs) in the serum of patients with HCC. Methods Serum from 96 patients with confirmed HCC, 96 healthy controls matched for age and sex, 78 patients with confirmed liver cirrhosis and 91 patients with confirmed chronic liver disease were analysed for the presence of IgG autoantibodies raised to 41 recombinant TAAs/antigen fragments by ELISA. Results Varying autoantibody specificities (97–100%) and sensitivities (0–10%) were observed to individual TAAs. A 21-antigen panel achieved a specificity of 92% and sensitivity of 45% for the detection of HCC. This same panel identified 21% of 169 high-risk controls as having elevated autoantibody levels. A reproducible panel of 10 antigens achieved a specificity of 91% and sensitivity of 41% in HCC. 15% of 152 high-risk controls gave positive results with this panel. Conclusions This minimally invasive blood test has the potential to offer advantages over currently available tools for the identification of HCC amongst pre-disposed patients. Results are comparable to current gold standards in HCC (Ultrasonography) and to similar tests in other cancers (EarlyCDT-Lung). PMID:25093332

  13. Serum autoantibody measurement for the detection of hepatocellular carcinoma.

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    Catrin H Middleton

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Individuals with liver disease, and especially those with Hepatitis B or C, are at an increased risk of developing hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC which is the third most common cause of cancer-related death worldwide. Inadequate screening tests largely account for presentation of advanced tumours and high mortality rates. Early detection of HCC amongst high-risk groups is paramount in improving prognosis. This research aimed to further characterise the previously described humoral immune response raised to tumour-associated antigens (TAAs in the serum of patients with HCC. METHODS: Serum from 96 patients with confirmed HCC, 96 healthy controls matched for age and sex, 78 patients with confirmed liver cirrhosis and 91 patients with confirmed chronic liver disease were analysed for the presence of IgG autoantibodies raised to 41 recombinant TAAs/antigen fragments by ELISA. RESULTS: Varying autoantibody specificities (97-100% and sensitivities (0-10% were observed to individual TAAs. A 21-antigen panel achieved a specificity of 92% and sensitivity of 45% for the detection of HCC. This same panel identified 21% of 169 high-risk controls as having elevated autoantibody levels. A reproducible panel of 10 antigens achieved a specificity of 91% and sensitivity of 41% in HCC. 15% of 152 high-risk controls gave positive results with this panel. CONCLUSIONS: This minimally invasive blood test has the potential to offer advantages over currently available tools for the identification of HCC amongst pre-disposed patients. Results are comparable to current gold standards in HCC (Ultrasonography and to similar tests in other cancers (EarlyCDT-Lung.

  14. Chronic Liver Disease and the Detection of Hepatocellular Carcinoma by [18F]fluorocholine PET/CT

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    Sandi A. Kwee

    2015-05-01

    Full Text Available Positron emission tomography (PET using the radiopharmaceutical tracer fluorine-18 fluorocholine (FCh can elucidate tumors based on differences in choline phospholipid metabolism between tumor and surrounding tissue. The feasibility of detecting hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC using FCh PET has been shown despite constitutively high parenchymal choline metabolism in the liver. Since HCC frequently develops in the setting of chronic liver disease, we comparatively evaluated FCh PET/CT between cirrhotic and non-cirrhotic patients with HCC to investigate the effects of hepatic dysfunction on tumor detection and the tumor-to-background ratio (TBR of FCh uptake. FCh PET/CT was performed prospectively in 22 consecutive patients with HCC (7 newly diagnosed, 15 previously treated. Of these 22 patients, 14 were cirrhotic and 8 non-cirrhotic. Standardized uptake value (SUV measurements were obtained by region of interest analysis of the PET images. Tumor FCh uptake and the TBR were compared between cirrhotic and non-cirrhotic patients. Liver lesions were confirmed to be HCC by biopsy in 10 patients and by Barcelona criteria in 4 patients. There was correspondingly increased liver tumor FCh uptake in 13/14 of those patients, and iso-intense tumor FCh uptake (TBR 0.94 in one non-cirrhotic patient with newly diagnosed HCC. FCh PET/CT also showed metastatic disease without local tumor recurrence in 2 previously treated patients, and was negative in 6 treated patients without tumor recurrence by radiographic and clinical follow-up. Tumor maximum SUV ranged from 6.4 to 15.3 (mean 12.1 and liver TBR ranged from 0.94 to 2.1 (mean 1.6, with no significant differences between cirrhotic and non-cirrhotic patients (SUVmax 11.9 vs. 12.2, p = 0.83; TBR 1.71 vs. 1.51, p = 0.29. Liver parenchyma mean SUV was significantly lower in cirrhotic patients (6.4 vs. 8.7, p < 0.05. This pilot study supports the general feasibility of HCC detection by FCh PET/CT. However, a broad

  15. Evaluation of the antitumor activity of platinum nanoparticles in the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma induced in rats.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Medhat, Amina; Mansour, Somaya; El-Sonbaty, Sawsan; Kandil, Eman; Mahmoud, Mustafa

    2017-07-01

    This study aimed to evaluate the antitumor activity of platinum nanoparticles compared with cis-platin both in vitro and in vivo in the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma induced in rats. The treatment efficacy of platinum nanoparticles was evaluated by measuring antioxidant activities against oxidative stress caused by diethylnitrosamine in liver tissue. The measurements included reduced glutathione content and superoxide dismutase activity, as well as malondialdehyde level. Liver function tests were also determined, in addition to the evaluation of serum alpha-fetoprotein, caspase-3, and cytochrome c in liver tissue. Total RNA extraction from liver tissue samples was also done for the relative quantification of B-cell lymphoma 2, matrix metallopeptidase 9, and tumor protein p53 genes. Histopathological examination was also performed for liver tissue. Results showed that platinum nanoparticles are more potent than cis-platin in treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma induced by diethylnitrosamine in rats as it ameliorated the investigated parameters toward normal control animals. These findings were well appreciated with histopathological studies of diethylnitrosamine group treated with platinum nanoparticles, suggesting that platinum nanoparticles can serve as a good therapeutic agent for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma which should attract further studies.

  16. Updates in the Management of Hepatocellular Carcinoma

    Science.gov (United States)

    Frenette, Catherine

    2011-01-01

    Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a leading cause of cancer-related death, and its increasing incidence worldwide is a cause for concern. Fortunately, advances in diagnostic and therapeutic approaches have contributed to earlier detection and treatment. As cancer epidemiology studies continue to elucidate the natural history of liver diseases, greater understanding of HCC has led to improved risk stratification and earlier enrollment of high-risk patients in cancer screening and surveillance programs. Improved survival rates among HCC patients also reflect significant advances in available treatment options. Advances in surgical techniques are pushing the boundaries of resection for localized disease, and progress in the field of transplantation has led to refinements in listing criteria and improved post-transplantation outcomes. The evolving field of locoregional therapies—including percutaneous ablation and transarterial chemoembolization—continues to provide novel therapeutic options that can be used in place of, or in addition to, surgical approaches. Recent advances in systemic multikinase inhibitor therapies have also demonstrated significant benefits for advanced-stage disease, and these therapies also show promise as adjuvant treatments for earlier-stage disease. This article provides an update on the management of HCC, with a focus on revised guidelines for screening and an in-depth discussion of emerging novel therapies. PMID:21346848

  17. Branched Chain Amino Acid Suppresses Hepatocellular Cancer Stem Cells through the Activation of Mammalian Target of Rapamycin

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nishitani, Shinobu; Horie, Mayumi; Ishizaki, Sonoko; Yano, Hirohisa

    2013-01-01

    Differentiation of cancer stem cells (CSCs) into cancer cells causes increased sensitivity to chemotherapeutic agents. Although inhibition of mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) leads to CSC survival, the effect of branched chain amino acids (BCAAs), an mTOR complex 1 (mTORC1) activator remains unknown. In this study, we examined the effects of BCAA on hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells expressing a hepatic CSC marker, EpCAM. We examined the effects of BCAA and/or 5-fluorouracil (FU) on expression of EpCAM and other CSC-related markers, as well as cell proliferation in HCC cells and in a xenograft mouse model. We also characterized CSC-related and mTOR signal-related molecule expression and tumorigenicity in HCC cells with knockdown of Rictor or Raptor, or overexpression of constitutively active rheb (caRheb). mTOR signal-related molecule expression was also examined in BCAA-treated HCC cells. In-vitro BCAA reduced the frequency of EpCAM-positive cells and improved sensitivity to the anti-proliferative effect of 5-FU. Combined 5-FU and BCAA provided better antitumor efficacy than 5-FU alone in the xenograft model. Stimulation with high doses of BCAA activated mTORC1. Knockdown and overexpression experiments revealed that inhibition of mTOR complex 2 (mTORC2) or activation of mTORC1 led to decreased EpCAM expression and little or no tumorigenicity. BCAA may enhance the sensitivity to chemotherapy by reducing the population of cscs via the mTOR pathway. This result suggests the utility of BCAA in liver cancer therapy. PMID:24312415

  18. Branched chain amino acid suppresses hepatocellular cancer stem cells through the activation of mammalian target of rapamycin.

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    Shinobu Nishitani

    Full Text Available Differentiation of cancer stem cells (CSCs into cancer cells causes increased sensitivity to chemotherapeutic agents. Although inhibition of mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR leads to CSC survival, the effect of branched chain amino acids (BCAAs, an mTOR complex 1 (mTORC1 activator remains unknown. In this study, we examined the effects of BCAA on hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC cells expressing a hepatic CSC marker, EpCAM. We examined the effects of BCAA and/or 5-fluorouracil (FU on expression of EpCAM and other CSC-related markers, as well as cell proliferation in HCC cells and in a xenograft mouse model. We also characterized CSC-related and mTOR signal-related molecule expression and tumorigenicity in HCC cells with knockdown of Rictor or Raptor, or overexpression of constitutively active rheb (caRheb. mTOR signal-related molecule expression was also examined in BCAA-treated HCC cells. In-vitro BCAA reduced the frequency of EpCAM-positive cells and improved sensitivity to the anti-proliferative effect of 5-FU. Combined 5-FU and BCAA provided better antitumor efficacy than 5-FU alone in the xenograft model. Stimulation with high doses of BCAA activated mTORC1. Knockdown and overexpression experiments revealed that inhibition of mTOR complex 2 (mTORC2 or activation of mTORC1 led to decreased EpCAM expression and little or no tumorigenicity. BCAA may enhance the sensitivity to chemotherapy by reducing the population of cscs via the mTOR pathway. This result suggests the utility of BCAA in liver cancer therapy.

  19. ALBI versus Child-Pugh grading systems for liver function in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Na, Seong K; Yim, Sun Y; Suh, Sang J; Jung, Young K; Kim, Ji H; Seo, Yeon S; Yim, Hyung J; Yeon, Jong E; Byun, Kwan S; Um, Soon H

    2018-04-01

    The prognostic performance of the albumin-bilirubin (ALBI) grade in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) as an objective method of assessing liver function was investigated. Data from 2099 patients with HCC in Korea were collected and analyzed retrospectively. The discriminative performance of ALBI grade was compared with Child-Pugh (C-P) grade for different stages or treatments. The median follow up duration was 16.2 months (range: 1.0-124.9). The median survival times were 49.7 months for C-P grade A (65.8%), 12.4 months for C-P grade B (25.5%), and 4.2 months for C-P grade C (8.6%) (P < 0.001). The median survival times were 84.2 months for ALBI grade 1 (32.8%), 25.5 months for ALBI grade 2 (53.5%), and 7.7 months for ALBI grade 3 (13.7%) (P < 0.001). In early UICC stages, ALBI grade showed better discriminative performance than C-P grade. In curative treatments, ALBI grade also showed better discriminative performance than C-P grade (Harrell's C: 0.624 (C-P grade) vs 0.667 [ALBI grade]). ALBI grade provided better prognostic performance in survival analysis and better distribution of the grades than C-P grade in HCC, suggesting that ALBI grade could be a good alternative grading system for liver function in patients with HCC. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  20. Changes of the liver volume and the Child-Pugh score after high dose hypofractionated radiotherapy in patients with small hepatocellular carcinoma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, Young Il; Park, Hee Chul; Lim, Do Hoon; Park, Hyo Jung; Park, Su Yeon; Kim, Jin Sung; Han, Young Yih; Kang, Sang Won; Paik, Seung Woon

    2012-01-01

    To investigate the safety of high dose hypofractionated radiotherapy (RT) in patients with small hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in terms of liver volumetric changes and clinical liver function. We retrospectively reviewed 16 patients with small HCC who were treated with high dose hypofractionated RT between 2006 and 2009. The serial changes of the liver volumetric parameter were analyzed from pre-RT and follow-up (FU) computed tomography (CT) scans. We estimated linear time trends of whole liver volume using a linear mixed model. The serial changes of the Child-Pugh (CP) scores were also analyzed in relation to the volumetric changes. Mean pre-RT volume of entire liver was 1,192.2 mL (range, 502.6 to 1,310.2 mL) and mean clinical target volume was 14.7 mL (range, 1.56 to 70.07 mL). Fourteen (87.5%) patients had 4 FU CT sets and 2 (12.5%) patients had 3 FU CT sets. Mean interval between FU CT acquisition was 2.5 months. After considering age, gender and the irradiated liver volume as a fixed effects, the mixed model analysis confirmed that the change in liver volume is not significant throughout the time course of FU periods. Majority of patients had a CP score change less than 2 except in 1 patient who had CP score change more than 3. The high dose hypofractionated RT for small HCC is relatively safe and feasible in terms of liver volumetric changes and clinical liver function.

  1. A review of epidemiological data on epilepsy, phenobarbital, and risk of liver cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    La Vecchia, Carlo; Negri, Eva

    2014-01-01

    Phenobarbital is not genotoxic, but has been related to promotion of liver cancer (as well as inhibition) in rodents. In October 2012, we carried out a systematic literature search in the Medline database and searched reference lists of retrieved publications. We identified 15 relevant papers. Epidemiological data on epileptics/anticonvulsant use and liver cancer were retrieved from eight reports from seven cohort (record linkage) studies of epileptics, and data on phenobarbital use from a pharmacy-based record linkage investigation of patients treated with phenobarbital (three reports), plus a case-control study nested in one of the cohort studies and including information on phenobarbital use. Of the studies of cancer in epileptics, two showed no excess risk of liver cancer. A long-term (1933-1984) Danish cohort study of epileptics found relative risks (RRs) of 4.7 [95% confidence interval (CI) 3.2-6.8] of liver cancer and of 2.2 (95% CI 1.2-3.5) of biliary tract cancers. Such apparent excess risks could, however, be largely or completely attributed to thorotrast, a contrast medium used in the past in epileptic patients for cerebral angiography. A Finnish cohort study of epileptics obtained an RR of 1.7 (95% CI 1.2-2.4). Such an apparent excess risk, however, was not related to phenobarbital or to any specific anticonvulsant drug. The long-term follow-up of two UK cohorts found some excess risk of liver cancer among severe, but not among mild, epileptics. Some excess risk of liver cancer was also found in cohort studies of patients hospitalized for epilepsy in Sweden and Taiwan, in the absence, however, of association with any specific drugs. A UK General Practice database, comparing epileptics treated with valproate with unexposed ones, found a very low incidence of liver cancer. Of the studies of cancer in patients treated with phenobarbital, a large US pharmacy-based cohort investigation showed no excess risk of liver cancer. In a case-control study, nested in

  2. Rottlerin upregulates DDX3 expression in hepatocellular carcinoma.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Zhong; Shen, Gen-Hai; Xie, Jia-Ming; Li, Bin; Gao, Quan-Gen

    2018-01-01

    Rottlerin has been reported to exert its anti-tumor activity in various types of human cancers. However, the underlying molecular mechanism has not been fully elucidated. In the current study, we explored whether rottlerin exhibits its tumor suppressive function in hepatocellular carcinoma cells. Our MTT assay results showed that rottlerin inhibited cell growth in hepatocellular carcinoma cells. Moreover, we found that rottlerin induced cell apoptosis and caused cell cycle arrest at G1 phase. Furthermore, our wound healing assay result demonstrated that rottlerin retarded cell migration in hepatocellular carcinoma cells. Additionally, rottlerin suppressed cell migration and invasion. Notably, we found that rottlerin upregulated DDX3 expression and subsequently downregulated Cyclin D1 expression and increased p21 level. Importantly, down-regulation of DDX3 abrogated the rottlerin-mediated tumor suppressive function, whereas overexpression of DDX3 promoted the anti-tumor activity of rottlerin. Our study suggests that rottlerin exhibits its anti-cancer activity partly due to upregulation of DDX3 in hepatocellular carcinoma cells. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  3. Herbal Medicine and Hepatocellular Carcinoma: Applications and Challenges

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    Yan Li

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available Use of herbal medicine in the treatment of liver cancer has a long tradition. The compounds derived from the herb and herbal composites are of considerable interest among oncologists. In the past, certain herbal compounds and herbal composite formulas have been studied through in vitro and in vivo as an anti-hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC agent, enhancing our knowledge about their biologic functions and targets. However there is a significant distinction between the herbal medicine and the herbal production even though both are the plant-based remedies used in the practice. In this article, for the sake of clarity, the effective herbal compounds and herbal composite formulas against HCC are discussed, with emphasizing the basic conceptions of herbal medicine in order to have a better understanding of the prevention and treatment of HCC by herbal active compounds and herbal composite formulas.

  4. Functional image-guided stereotactic body radiation therapy planning for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tsegmed, Uranchimeg [Department of Radiation Oncology, Graduate School of Biomedical and Health Sciences, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima (Japan); Kimura, Tomoki, E-mail: tkkimura@hiroshima-u.ac.jp [Department of Radiation Oncology, Graduate School of Biomedical and Health Sciences, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima (Japan); Nakashima, Takeo [Division of Radiation Therapy, Hiroshima University Hospital, Hiroshima (Japan); Nakamura, Yuko; Higaki, Toru [Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Graduate School of Biomedical and Health Sciences, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima (Japan); Imano, Nobuki; Doi, Yoshiko; Kenjo, Masahiro; Ozawa, Shuichi; Murakami, Yuji [Department of Radiation Oncology, Graduate School of Biomedical and Health Sciences, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima (Japan); Awai, Kazuo [Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Graduate School of Biomedical and Health Sciences, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima (Japan); Nagata, Yasushi [Department of Radiation Oncology, Graduate School of Biomedical and Health Sciences, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima (Japan)

    2017-07-01

    The aim of the current planning study is to evaluate the ability of gadoxetate disodium-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (EOB-MRI)–guided stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) planning by using intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) techniques in sparing the functional liver tissues during SBRT for hepatocellular carcinoma. In this study, 20 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma were enrolled. Functional liver tissues were defined according to quantitative liver-spleen contrast ratios ≥ 1.5 on a hepatobiliary phase scan. Functional images were fused with the planning computed tomography (CT) images; the following 2 SBRT plans were designed using a “step-and-shoot” static IMRT technique for each patient: (1) an anatomical SBRT plan optimization based on the total liver; and (2) a functional SBRT plan based on the functional liver. The total prescribed dose was 48 gray (Gy) in 4 fractions. Dosimetric parameters, including dose to 95% of the planning target volume (PTV D{sub 95%}), percentages of total and functional liver volumes, which received doses from 5 to 30 Gy (V5 to V30 and fV5 to fV30), and mean doses to total and functional liver (MLD and fMLD, respectively) of the 2 plans were compared. Compared with anatomical plans, functional image-guided SBRT plans reduced MLD (mean: plan A, 5.5 Gy; and plan F, 5.1 Gy; p < 0.0001) and fMLD (mean: plan A, 5.4 Gy; and plan F, 4.9 Gy; p < 0.0001), as well as V5 to V30 and fV5 to fV30. No differences were noted in PTV coverage and nonhepatic organs at risk (OARs) doses. In conclusion, EOB-MRI–guided SBRT planning using the IMRT technique may preserve functional liver tissues in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

  5. Reappraisal of radionuclide liver scans for preoperative gastric cancer patients

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    Kondo, Makoto; Yonahara, Yoshio; Yamashita, Shoji; Ando, Yutaka; Mohri, Makoto [National Second Hospital of Tokyo (Japan)

    1983-04-01

    Radionuclide liver scans were obtained in 89 preoperative patients with gastric cancer. Eight showed definite defects on liver scans. At laparotomy, 14 patients were found to have liver involvement secondary to gastric cancer. The sensitivity of liver scans to predict liver involvement is 57% (8/14), and the specificity is 100% (75/75). The patients with definite defects on liver scans had a lower rate of palliative resection of the primary tumors (2/8) than the patients with liver involvement and no scan abnormality (4/6). The patients with advanced lesions but without liver involvement had the highest probability of resecting the primary tumors (57/63 : 47 radical, and 10 palliative). Normal serum levels of liver chemistries did not preclude the presence of defects on liver scans. Additional three patients were found to have cirrhosis of the liver solely based on liver scans, which was confirmed at laparotomy. Radionuclide liver scans can predict liver involvement with very few false positives, and may discriminate patients unsuitable for laparotomy even with palliative intent.

  6. Functional and genetic deconstruction of the cellular origin in liver cancer

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Marquardt, Jens U; Andersen, Jesper B; Thorgeirsson, Snorri S

    2015-01-01

    During the past decade, research on primary liver cancers has particularly highlighted the uncommon plasticity of differentiated parenchymal liver cells (that is, hepatocytes and cholangiocytes (also known as biliary epithelial cells)), the role of liver progenitor cells in malignant transformation......, the importance of the tumour microenvironment and the molecular complexity of liver tumours. Whereas other reviews have focused on the landscape of genetic alterations that promote development and progression of primary liver cancers and the role of the tumour microenvironment, the crucial importance...... of the cellular origin of liver cancer has been much less explored. Therefore, in this Review, we emphasize the importance and complexity of the cellular origin in tumour initiation and progression, and attempt to integrate this aspect with recent discoveries in tumour genomics and the contribution...

  7. FOXO/TXNIP pathway is involved in the suppression of hepatocellular carcinoma growth by glutamate antagonist MK-801

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-01-01

    Background Accumulating evidence has suggested the importance of glutamate signaling in cancer growth, yet the signaling pathway has not been fully elucidated. N-methyl-D-aspartic acid (NMDA) receptor activates intracellular signaling pathways such as the extracellular-signal-regulated kinase (ERK) and forkhead box, class O (FOXO). Suppression of lung carcinoma growth by NMDA receptor antagonists via the ERK pathway has been reported. However, series of evidences suggested the importance of FOXO pathways for the regulation of normal and cancer cell growth. In the liver, FOXO1 play important roles for the cell proliferation such as hepatic stellate cells as well as liver metabolism. Our aim was to investigate the involvement of the FOXO pathway and the target genes in the growth inhibitory effects of NMDA receptor antagonist MK-801 in human hepatocellular carcinoma. Methods Expression of NMDAR1 in cancer cell lines from different tissues was examined by Western blot. NMDA receptor subunits in HepG2, HuH-7, and HLF were examined by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), and growth inhibition by MK-801 and NBQX was determined using the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. The effects of MK-801 on the cell cycle were examined by flow cytometry and Western blot analysis. Expression of thioredoxin-interacting protein (TXNIP) and p27 was determined by real-time PCR and Western blotting. Activation of the FOXO pathway and TXNIP induction were examined by Western blotting, fluorescence microscopy, Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assay, and reporter gene assay. The effects of TXNIP on growth inhibition were examined using the gene silencing technique. Results NMDA receptor subunits were expressed in all cell lines examined, and MK-801, but not NBQX, inhibited cell growth of hepatocellular carcinomas. Cell cycle analysis showed that MK-801 induced G1 cell cycle arrest by down-regulating cyclin D1 and up-regulating p

  8. Hepatic Encephalopathy

    Medline Plus

    Full Text Available ... of the Liver Lysosomal Acid Lipase Deficiency Liver Cancer Liver Cysts Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease Primary ... particles in gallbladder and bile duct (gallstones) Liver cancer (hepatocellular carcinoma) Chronic liver failure indicates that the ...

  9. Disparity in liver cancer incidence and chronic liver disease mortality by nativity in Hispanics: The Multiethnic Cohort.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Setiawan, Veronica Wendy; Wei, Pengxiao C; Hernandez, Brenda Y; Lu, Shelly C; Monroe, Kristine R; Le Marchand, Loic; Yuan, Jian Min

    2016-05-01

    Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and chronic liver disease (CLD) are major causes of morbidity and mortality among Hispanics. Disparities in the incidence of HCC and in CLD deaths by nativity in Hispanics have been reported. Whether individual-level risk factors could explain these disparities was assessed in a prospective study of 36,864 Hispanics (18,485 US-born and 18,379 foreign-born) in the Multiethnic Cohort. Risk factors were assessed with a baseline questionnaire and Medicare claim files. During a 19.6-year follow-up, 189 incident cases of HCC and 298 CLD deaths were identified. The HCC incidence rate was almost twice as high for US-born Hispanic men versus foreign-born Hispanic men (44.7 vs 23.1), but the rates were comparable for women (14.5 vs 13.4). The CLD mortality rate was about twice as high for US-born Hispanics versus foreign-born Hispanics (66.3 vs 35.1 for men and 42.2 vs 19.7 for women). Heavy alcohol consumption was associated with HCC and CLD in foreign-born individuals, whereas the current smoking status, hepatitis B/C viral infection, and diabetes were associated with both HCC and CLD. After adjustments for these risk factors, the hazard rate ratios for HCC and CLD death were 1.58 (95% confidence interval, 1.00-2.51) and 1.85 (95% confidence interval, 1.25-2.73), respectively, for US-born Hispanics versus foreign-born Hispanics. US-born Hispanics, particularly males, are at greater risk for HCC and death from CLD than foreign-born Hispanics. Overall known differences in risk factors do not account for these disparities. Future studies are warranted to identify factors that contribute to the elevated risk of HCC development and CLD death in US-born Hispanics. Cancer 2016;122:1444-1452. © 2016 American Cancer Society. © 2016 American Cancer Society.

  10. Tumor and liver determinants of prognosis in unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma: a case cohort study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carr, Brian I; Buch, Shama C; Kondragunta, Venkateswarlu; Pancoska, Petr; Branch, Robert A

    2008-08-01

    A total of 967 patients with unresectable and untransplantable, biopsy-proven hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) were prospectively evaluated at baseline and followed up till death. Survival was the end-point for all analyses. We found in our overall analysis, that male gender, ascites, cirrhosis, portal vein thrombosis (PVT), elevated alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) or bilirubin or alkaline phosphatases were each statistically significant adverse prognostic factors. Patients with normal AFP survived longer than those with elevated AFP, in the presence of PVT, large or bilobar tumors or cirrhosis. We used a bivariate analysis to separate patient subgroups based on poor liver function and aggressive tumor characteristics. In subgroup analysis based on these subsets, there was clear discrimination in survival between subsets; in addition both cirrhosis and presence of PVT were significant, independent but modest risk factors. The results of this large dataset show that amongst nonsurgical HCC patients, there are clear subsets with longer survival than other subsets. This data also supports the concept of heterogeneity of HCC.

  11. Feasibility of Using Real-time Cine-MRI for Treating Moving & Deforming Tumors

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-12-05

    Pancreatic Cancer; Liver Cancer; Lung Cancer; Lung Cancer Non-Small Cell Cancer (NSCLC); Lung Cancer Small Cell Lung Cancer (SCLC); Hepatobiliary Cancers; Hepatobiliary Cancers Liver; Hepatobiliary Cancers Hepatocellular Carcinoma (Hepatoma); Hepatobiliary Cancers Gallbladder; Hepatobiliary Cancers Bile Duct

  12. The effect of patient position on dose in radiation therapy of liver cancer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jung, Won Seok; Shin, Ryung Mi; Oh, Jeong Hun; Jeong, Geon A; Jo, Jun Young; Kim, Gi Chul; Choi, Tae Kyu; Kim, Ju Ho; Kim, Young Jae

    2014-01-01

    To analyze tumors movement and volume change from changing position in order to minimize movement caused by breathing. We conducted survey of 14 patients with HCC(Hepatocellular carcinoma). Patient immobilization device was made in two ways(Supine position, prone position) and from image acquisition, tumors movement, volume and dose are analyzed. The mean movement of target(LR, Left-right) in supine position and prone position was 2.76±1.25 mm, 2.21±0.93 mm. AP(Anterior-posterior) and SI(Superior-inferior) was 4.02±1.63 mm, 11.56±3.08 mm, and 3.36±1.17 mm, 7.45±1.96 mm. Treatment volume was decreased and normal liver volume was increased in prone position. We could reduce the margin of the treatment volume by minimizing the movement of liver caused by breathing. Especially in prone position, it is considered to be able to decrease the movement of the liver and increase normal liver volume

  13. The effect of patient position on dose in radiation therapy of liver cancer

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jung, Won Seok; Shin, Ryung Mi; Oh, Jeong Hun; Jeong, Geon A; Jo, Jun Young; Kim, Gi Chul; Choi, Tae Kyu [Dept. of Radiation Oncology, Kyunghee College Hospital, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Ju Ho [Dept. of Radiation Oncology, Yonsei Cancer Center, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Young Jae [Dept. of Radiation Technology, Daegu Health College, Daegu (Korea, Republic of)

    2014-06-15

    To analyze tumors movement and volume change from changing position in order to minimize movement caused by breathing. We conducted survey of 14 patients with HCC(Hepatocellular carcinoma). Patient immobilization device was made in two ways(Supine position, prone position) and from image acquisition, tumors movement, volume and dose are analyzed. The mean movement of target(LR, Left-right) in supine position and prone position was 2.76±1.25 mm, 2.21±0.93 mm. AP(Anterior-posterior) and SI(Superior-inferior) was 4.02±1.63 mm, 11.56±3.08 mm, and 3.36±1.17 mm, 7.45±1.96 mm. Treatment volume was decreased and normal liver volume was increased in prone position. We could reduce the margin of the treatment volume by minimizing the movement of liver caused by breathing. Especially in prone position, it is considered to be able to decrease the movement of the liver and increase normal liver volume.

  14. Potentiality of immunotherapy against hepatocellular carcinoma

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tsuchiya, Nobuhiro; Sawada, Yu; Endo, Itaru; Uemura, Yasushi; Nakatsura, Tetsuya

    2015-01-01

    Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the predominant form of primary liver cancer, is the fifth most common cancer worldwide and the second leading cause of cancer-related death. Despite the high incidence, treatment options remain limited for advanced HCC, and as a result prognosis continues to be poor. Current therapeutic options, surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy, have only modest efficacy. New treatment modalities to prolong survival and to minimize the risk of adverse response are desperately needed for patients with advanced HCC. Tumor immunotherapy is a promising, novel treatment strategy that may lead to improvements in both treatment-associated toxicity and outcome. The strategies have developed in part through genomic studies that have yielded candidate target molecules and in part through basic biology studies that have defined the pathways and cell types regulating immune response. Here, we summarize the various types of HCC immunotherapy and argue that the newfound field of HCC immunotherapy might provide critical advantages in the effort to improve prognosis of patients with advanced HCC. Already several immunotherapies, such as tumor-associated antigen therapy, immune checkpoint inhibitors and cell transfer immunotherapy, have demonstrated safety and feasibility in HCC patients. Unfortunately, immunotherapy currently has low efficacy in advanced stage HCC patients; overcoming this challenge will place immunotherapy at the forefront of HCC treatment, possibly in the near future. PMID:26420958

  15. Review of hepatocellular carcinoma: Epidemiology, etiology, and carcinogenesis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yezaz Ahmed Ghouri

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Since the 1970s, the epidemic of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC has spread beyond the Eastern Asian predominance and has been increasing in Northern hemisphere, especially in the United States (US and Western Europe. It occurs more commonly in males in the fourth and fifth decades of life. Among all cancers, HCC is one of the fastest growing causes of death in the US and poses a significant economic burden on healthcare. Chronic liver disease due to hepatitis B virus or hepatitis C virus and alcohol accounts for the majority of HCC cases. Incidence of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease has been on the risem and it has also been associated with the development of HCC. Its pathogenesis varies based on the underlying etiological factor although majority of cases develop in the setting of background cirrhosis. Carcinogenesis of HCC includes angiogenesis, chronic inflammation, and tumor macroenvironment and microenvironment. There is a significant role of both intrinsic genetic risk factors and extrinsic influences such as alcohol or viral infections that lead to the development of HCC. Understanding its etiopathogenesis helps select appropriate diagnostic tests and treatments.

  16. Hepatocellular carcinoma in patients with chronic hepatitis C and cirrhosis in Denmark

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hallager, Sofie; Ladelund, Steen; Kjaer, Mette S

    2018-01-01

    Cirrhosis in patients with chronic hepatitis C increases the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and surveillance with ultrasound (US) and alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) is recommended. This study aimed to estimate changes in the HCC incidence rate (IR) over time, HCC stage and prognosis, and AFP...... and US performed in patients with hepatitis C and cirrhosis. Eligible patients were identified in the Danish Database for Hepatitis B and C and data from national health registries and patient charts were obtained. Tumor stage was based on Barcelona-Clinic Liver Cancer stage, TNM classification and size...... and number of lesions combined into stage 0 - 3. We included 1,075 patients with hepatitis C and cirrhosis, free of HCC and liver transplant at baseline. During 4,988 person years (PY) 115 HCC cases were diagnosed. The HCC incidence rate increased from 0.8/100 PY [CI95% 0.4 - 1.5] in 2002-2003 to 2.9/100 PY...

  17. Early dynamic 18F-FDG PET to detect hyperperfusion in hepatocellular carcinoma liver lesions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schierz, Jan-Henning; Opfermann, Thomas; Steenbeck, Jörg; Lopatta, Eric; Settmacher, Utz; Stallmach, Andreas; Marlowe, Robert J; Freesmeyer, Martin

    2013-06-01

    In addition to angiographic data on vascularity and vascular access, demonstration of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) liver nodule hypervascularization is a prerequisite for certain intrahepatic antitumor therapies. Early dynamic (ED) (18)F-FDG PET/CT could serve this purpose when the current standard method, contrast-enhanced (CE) CT, or other CE morphologic imaging modalities are unsuitable. A recent study showed ED (18)F-FDG PET/CT efficacy in this setting but applied a larger-than-standard (18)F-FDG activity and an elaborate protocol likely to hinder routine use. We developed a simplified protocol using standard activities and easily generated visual and descriptive or quantitative endpoints. This pilot study assessed the ability of these endpoints to detect HCC hyperperfusion and, thereby, evaluated the suitability in of the protocol everyday practice. Twenty-seven patients with 34 HCCs (diameter ≥ 1.5 cm) with hypervascularization on 3-phase CE CT underwent liver ED (18)F-FDG PET for 240 s, starting with (18)F-FDG (250-MBq bolus injection). Four frames at 15-s intervals, followed by 3 frames at 60-s intervals were reconstructed. Endpoints included focal tracer accumulation in the first 4 frames (60 s), subsequent focal washout, and visual and quantitative differences between tumor and liver regions of interest in maximum and mean ED standardized uptake value (ED SUVmax and ED SUVmean, respectively) 240-s time-activity curves. All 34 lesions were identified by early focal (18)F-FDG accumulation and faster time-to-peak ED SUVmax or ED SUVmean than in nontumor tissue. Tumor peak ED SUVmax and ED SUVmean exceeded liver levels in 85% and 53%, respectively, of lesions. Nadir tumor signal showed no consistent pattern relative to nontumor signal. HCC had a significantly shorter time to peak and significantly faster rate to peak for both ED SUVmax and ED SUVmean curves and a significantly higher peak ED SUVmax but not peak ED SUVmean than the liver. This pilot study

  18. Design and rationale of the HCC BRIDGE study in China: a longitudinal, multicenter cohort trial in hepatocellular carcinoma

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Qiao You-Lin

    2011-05-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background More than 50% of the worldwide cases of hepatocellular carcinoma occur in China, and this malignancy currently represents the country's second leading cause of cancer death in cities and the leading cause in rural areas. Despite recent advances in the control and management of hepatocellular carcinoma within China, this disease remains a major health care issue. The global HCC BRIDGE study, designed to assess patterns of hepatocellular carcinoma therapy use and associated outcomes across real-world clinical practice, has recently been expanded as a national study in China, allowing a detailed analysis of hepatocellular carcinoma in this important country. Methods/Design The global HCC BRIDGE study is a multiregional longitudinal cohort trial including patients newly diagnosed with hepatocellular carcinoma between January 1, 2005, and June 30, 2011, who are receiving treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma via sites in the Asia-Pacific, European, and North American regions. The HCC BRIDGE China national study comprises the portion of the global HCC BRIDGE study conducted within mainland China. Patients will be followed from time of diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (post-January 1, 2005 to time of death or December 31, 2011, whichever comes first. Data will be collected on demographic/clinical characteristics, relevant laboratory values, hepatocellular carcinoma/underlying liver disease treatment, tumor response, adverse events, hospitalizations, and overall survival. The primary study end point is overall survival; secondary end points are disease progression, treatment-limiting adverse events, and treatment failure. Results At the time of writing, 15 sites have selected for participation across all 7 traditional regions of China (North, North-East, East, South, South-West, North-West, and Central. The anticipated study population from the China national study is approximately 9000 patients. Discussion Findings from the

  19. In vivo and in vitro suppression of hepatocellular carcinoma by EF24, a curcumin analog.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Haitao Liu

    Full Text Available The synthetic compound 3,5-bis(2-flurobenzylidenepiperidin-4-one (EF24 is a potent analog of curcumin that exhibits enhanced biological activity and bioavailability without increasing toxicity. EF24 exerts antitumor activity by arresting the cell cycle and inducing apoptosis, suppressing many types of cancer cells in vitro. The antiproliferative and antiangiogenic properties of EF24 provide theoretical support for its development and application to liver cancers. We investigated the in vitro and in vivo activities of EF24 on liver cancer to better understand its therapeutic effects and mechanisms. EF24 induced significant apoptosis and G2/M-phase cell cycle arrest in mouse liver cancer cell lines, Hepa1-6 and H22. The expression levels of G2/M cell cycle regulating factors, cyclin B1 and Cdc2, were significantly decreased, pp53, p53, and p21 were significantly increased in EF24-treated cells. In addition, EF24 treatment significantly reduced Bcl-2 concomitant with an increase in Bax, enhanced the release of cytochrome c from the mitochondria into the cytosol, resulting in an upregulation of cleaved-caspase-3, which promoted poly (ADP-ribose polymerase cleavage. EF24-treated cells also displayed decreases in phosphorylated Akt, phosphorylated extracellular signal-regulated kinase and vascular endothelial growth factor. Our in vitro protein expression data were confirmed in vivo using a subcutaneous hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC tumor model. This mouse HCC model confirmed that total body weight was unchanged following EF24 treatment, although tumor weight was significantly decreased. Using an orthotopic HCC model, EF24 significantly reduced the liver/body weight ratio and relative tumor areas compared to the control group. In situ detection of apoptotic cells and quantification of Ki-67, a biomarker of cell proliferation, all indicated significant tumor suppression with EF24 treatment. These results suggest that EF24 exhibits anti-tumor activity

  20. Liver cancer cells: targeting and prolonged-release drug carriers consisting of mesoporous silica nanoparticles and alginate microspheres.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liao, Yu-Te; Liu, Chia-Hung; Yu, Jiashing; Wu, Kevin C-W

    2014-01-01

    A new microsphere consisting of inorganic mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) and organic alginate (denoted as MSN@Alg) was successfully synthesized by air-dynamic atomization and applied to the intracellular drug delivery systems (DDS) of liver cancer cells with sustained release and specific targeting properties. MSN@Alg microspheres have the advantages of MSN and alginate, where MSN provides a large surface area for high drug loading and alginate provides excellent biocompatibility and COOH functionality for specific targeting. Rhodamine 6G was used as a model drug, and the sustained release behavior of the rhodamine 6G-loaded MSN@Alg microspheres can be prolonged up to 20 days. For targeting therapy, the anticancer drug doxorubicin was loaded into MSN@Alg microspheres, and the (lysine)4-tyrosine-arginine-glycine-aspartic acid (K4YRGD) peptide was functionalized onto the surface of MSN@Alg for targeting liver cancer cells, hepatocellular carcinoma (HepG2). The results of the 3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5 diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay and confocal laser scanning microscopy indicate that the MSN@Alg microspheres were successfully uptaken by HepG2 without apparent cytotoxicity. In addition, the intracellular drug delivery efficiency was greatly enhanced (ie, 3.5-fold) for the arginine-glycine-aspartic acid (RGD)-labeled, doxorubicin-loaded MSN@Alg drug delivery system compared with the non-RGD case. The synthesized MSN@Alg microspheres show great potential as drug vehicles with high biocompatibility, sustained release, and targeting features for future intracellular DDS.