Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is an increasingly common disease with dismal long-term survival. Percutaneous ablation has gained popularity as a minimally invasive, potentially curative therapy for HCC in nonoperativ...
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Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is an increasingly common disease with dismal long-term survival. Percutaneous ablation has gained popularity as a minimally invasive, potentially curative therapy for HCC in nonoperative candidates. The seminal technique of percutaneous ethanol injection has been largely supplanted by newer modalities, including radiofrequency ablation, microwave ablation, cryoablation, and high-intensity focused ultrasound ablation. A review of these modalities, including technical success, survival rates, and complications, will be presented, as well as considerations for treatment planning and follow-up.
Background. Sorafenib is a newly established cancer drug found to be an effective systemic treatment for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, little is known about any potential effectors that modify tumo...
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Background. Sorafenib is a newly established cancer drug found to be an effective systemic treatment for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, little is known about any potential effectors that modify tumor cell sensitivity towards sorafenib. Here, we present the first evidence that glucose-regulated protein 78 (GRP78) is intimately associated with acquisition of resistance towards sorafenib. Methods. The role of GRP78 in acquisition of resistance towards sorafenib was determined using HepJ5 (a GRP78-overexpressing subline) and HepG2 as its pair-matched control. RNA interference in cancer cells was applied to determine the influence of GRP78 expression on sensitivity to sorafenib treatment. Results. We found that HepG2 cells exhibited higher sensitivity toward sorafenib, with 50% inhibition concentration (IC50) >20 mu M for HepJ5 and 4.8 mu M for HepG2. Specifically, when HepG2 cells received 20 mu M sorafenib treatment for 24 h, over 80% of cells underwent apoptosis compared with only 32% of HepJ5 cells under similar experimental conditions. Similarly, GRP78 knockdown in HepJ5 cells by small interfering RNA (siRNA) technique enhanced the efficacy of sorafenib-mediated cell death. This was reflected by a shift of IC50 values from >20 mu M to 4.8 mu M. Conclusions. GRP78 is a positive modifier for sorafenib resistance acquisition in HCC and represents a prime target for overcoming sorafenib resistance.
Chronic infections by hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) appear to be the most significant causes of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Aberrant promoter methylation is known to be deeply involved in can...
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Chronic infections by hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) appear to be the most significant causes of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Aberrant promoter methylation is known to be deeply involved in cancer, including in HCC. In this study, we analyzed aberrant promoter methylation by methylated DNA immunoprecipitation-on-chip analysis on a genome-wide scale in six HCCs including three HBV-related and three HCV-related HCCs, six matched noncancerous liver tissues, and three normal liver tissues. Candidate genes with promoter methylation were detected more frequently in HCV-related HCC. Candidate genes methylated preferentially to HBV-related or HCV-related HCCs were detected and selected, and methylation levels of the selected genes were validated by quantitative methylation analysis using MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry using 125 liver tissue samples, including 61 HCCs (28 HBV-related HCCs and 33 HCV-related HCCs) and 59 matched noncancerous livers, and five normal livers. Among analyzed genes, preferential methylation in HBV-related HCC was validated in one gene only. However, 15 genes were found to be methylated preferentially in HCV-related HCC, which was independent from age. Hierarchical clustering of HCC using these genes stratified HCV-related HCC as a cluster of frequently methylated samples. The 15 genes included genes inhibitory to cancer-related signaling such as RAS/RAF/ERK and Wnt/beta-catenin pathways. Methylation of dual specificity phosphatase 4 (DUSP4), cytochrome P450, family 24, subfamily A, polypeptide 1 (CYP24A1), and natriuretic peptide receptor A (NPR1) significantly correlated with recurrence-free survival. It was indicated that genes methylated preferentially in HCV-related HCC exist, and that DNA methylation might play an important role in HCV-related HCC by silencing cancer-related pathway inhibitors, and might perhaps be useful as a prognostic marker. (Cancer Sci 2010).
The age-adjusted incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has tripled in the United States over the past 2 decades, fueled by the dramatic increase of hepatitis C during that same time period. Currently, there are ...
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The age-adjusted incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has tripled in the United States over the past 2 decades, fueled by the dramatic increase of hepatitis C during that same time period. Currently, there are an estimated 3 million people with chronic hepatitis C and 1.2 million with chronic hepatitis B in the United States. These patients are estimated to develop HCC at a rate of 0.5% to 5% per year.1 The incidence of HCC in the United States still lags behind many parts of the world where hepatitis B is endemic, such as China, Southeast Asia, and southern Africa. Worldwide, HCC is the third most common cause of cancer death and there are an estimated 1 million cases worldwide. The median survival in unresectable cases is less than 4 months and under a year for untreated patients with less advanced ***, the long-term survival rates from HCC in the United States have doubled over the past 2 decades, and a part of this increase is likely due to advances in surgical therapy for HCC, particularly as cancers are being detected earlier and therefore are still localized.8 Both surgical resection and transplantation are highly effective in the treatment of patients with localized HCC. Typically these surgical modalities complement each other, as patients with preserved liver function are candidates for resection and those with poor underlying liver function would be directed toward transplantation. However, their relative roles in the treatment of HCC have generated quite a bit of debate. Ultimately, as the multitude of treatment modalities proliferate, HCC must be treated in a multidisci-plinary fashion, involving hepatologists, oncologists, surgeons, radiologists, and pathologists, to come up with the best treatment plan for any individual patient.
Hepatocarcinoma (HCC) has a very high mortality rate and the high recurrence and metastasis rates contribute to the poor prognosis of HCC patients. To understand HCC formation and metastasis, we assessed the metabonom...
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Hepatocarcinoma (HCC) has a very high mortality rate and the high recurrence and metastasis rates contribute to the poor prognosis of HCC patients. To understand HCC formation and metastasis, we assessed the metabonomics of rat HCC and HCC with lung metastasis (HLM). The HLM rat model was established by exposure to diethylnitrosamine (DEN). Levels of serum and urine metabolites were quantified with gas chromatography/time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC/TOFMS), and data were analyzed with partial least-squares discrimination analysis (PLS-DA). Serum and urine levels of some metabolites differed significantly between the control, HCC, and HLM groups. The products and intermediates from glycolysis and glutamate metabolism were elevated, while the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle was inhibited, in both HCC and HLM. HLM samples revealed enhanced metabolism of nucleic acids, amino acids and glucuronic acid. PLS-DA indicated that principal component weighting was greatest for serum serine, phenylalanine, lactic acid, tyrosine and glucuronic acid, and urine glycine, serine, 5-oxyproline, malate, hippuric acid and uric acid. These data provide novel information that will improve understanding of the pathophysiological processes involved in HCC and HLM, and revealed potential metabolic markers for HCC invasion and metastasis. Copyright (c) 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
RNA interference mediated by small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) has emerged as a potential therapeutic approach to treat various diseases including cancer Recent studies with several animal models of post traumatic revas...
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RNA interference mediated by small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) has emerged as a potential therapeutic approach to treat various diseases including cancer Recent studies with several animal models of post traumatic revascularization demonstrated that synthetic siRNAs may produce therapeutic effects m a target independent manner through the stimulation of the toll hike receptor 3 (TLR3)/interferon pathway and suppression of angiogenesis To analyze the impact of siRNAs on tumor angiogenesis we injected transgenic mice developing hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with either control siRNAs or siRNA targeting neuropilin 1 We found that treatment with these siRNAs led to a comparable reduction in tumor liver volume and to inhibition of tumor vasculature remodeling We further determined that TLR3 which recognizes double stranded siRNA was up regulated m mouse HCC Treatment of HCC mice with polyinosinic polycytidylic acid [poly(I C)], a TLR3 agonist led to both a reduction of tumor liver enlargement and a decrease in hepatic arterial blood flow indicating that TLR3 is functional and may mediate both anti angiogenic and anti tumor responses We also demonstrated that siRNAs increased interferon gamma levels in the liver In vitro interferon gamma inhibited proliferation of endothelial cells In addition we found that siRNAs inhibited endothelial cell proliferation and morphogenesis in an interferon gamma-independent manner Our results suggest that synthetic siRNAs inhibit target independently HCC growth and angiogenesis through the activation of the innate interferon response and by directly inhibiting endothelial cell function (Am J Pathol 2010 177 3192-3201 DOI 10 2353/ajpath 2010 100157)
Background. Biomarkers for accurate diagnosis of early hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) are limited in number and clinical validation. We applied SELDI-TOF-MS Protein-Chip technology to identify serum profile for distin...
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Background. Biomarkers for accurate diagnosis of early hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) are limited in number and clinical validation. We applied SELDI-TOF-MS Protein-Chip technology to identify serum profile for distinguishing HCC and liver cirrhosis (LC) and to compare the accuracy of SELDI-TOF-MS profile and alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) level in HCC diagnosis. Patients and Methods. Serum samples were obtained from 120 HCC and 120 LC patients for biomarker discovery and validation studies. Protein Chip technology was employed for generating SELDI-TOF proteomic features and analyzing serum proteins/peptides. Results. A diagnostic model was established by CART algorithm, which is based on 5 proteomic peaks with m/z values at 3324, 3994, 4665, 4795, and 5152. In the training set, the CART algorithm could differentiate HCC from LC subjects with a sensitivity and specificity of 98% and 95%, respectively. The results were assessed in blind validation using separate cohorts of 60 HCC and 60 LC patients, with an accuracy of 83% for HCC and 92% for LC patients. The diagnostic odd ratio (DOR) indicated that SELDI-TOF proteomic signature could achieve better diagnostic performance than serum AFP level at a cutoff of 20 ng/mL (AFP(20)) (92.72 vs 9.11), particularly superior for early-stage HCC (87% vs 54%). Importantly, a combined use of both tests could enhance the detection of HCC (sensitivity, 95%;specificity, 98%;DOR, 931). Conclusion. Serum SELDI-TOF proteomic signature, alone or in combination with AFP marker, promises to be a good tool for early diagnosis and/screening of HCC in at-risk population with liver cirrhosis.
P>Background The surveillance of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has become prevalent, and the modalities for its treatment have improved. Aim To understand the changes that occur in the characteristics and prognost...
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P>Background The surveillance of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has become prevalent, and the modalities for its treatment have improved. Aim To understand the changes that occur in the characteristics and prognostic factors of HCC with time. Methods Newly diagnosed HCC patients were divided into two groups;patients treated before 31 December 2000 (n = 504), and after 1 January 2001 (n = 746), and their clinical backgrounds and prognostic factors were analysed. Results The number of patients negative for both Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and Hepatitis C virus antibody (HCVAb) increased with time (NBNC-HCC). The size of HCC decreased in patients who were positive for HBsAg (B-HCC) or HCVAb (C-HCC), whereas no difference was observed in NBNC-HCC. The patient survival of C-HCC improved;however, no difference was detected for NBNC-HCC. In multivariate analysis, low albumin, high aspartate aminotransferase (AST), ascites, large tumour size, multiple tumour number and high alpha-fetoprotein were risk factors for survival before 2000, whereas the presence of HBsAg was additionally selected as a good prognostic factor and AST was excluded after 2001. Conclusions The prognostic factors as well as clinical background of HCC changed with time, and the presence of HBsAg was found to be an additional good prognostic factor after 2001.
Arsenic trioxide (ATO) is of limited therapeutic benefit for the treatment of solid tumors. Genistein exhibits anticancer and prooxidant activities, making it a potential candidate to enhance the efficacy of ATO whose...
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Arsenic trioxide (ATO) is of limited therapeutic benefit for the treatment of solid tumors. Genistein exhibits anticancer and prooxidant activities, making it a potential candidate to enhance the efficacy of ATO whose cytotoxicity is oxidation-sensitive. This study sought to determine whether genistein synergizes with ATO to combat hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Three human HCC cell lines, namely HepG2, Hep3B, and SK-Hep-1, were incubated with ATO, genistein, or ATO + genistein. The cells were also pretreated with antioxidant agents N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC) or butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA). Cell viability, apoptosis, intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS), mitochondrial membrane potential (Delta Psi m), expression of Bcl-2, Bax, caspase-9, and -3, and release of cytochrome c into the cytosol were examined. The synergistic effect of ATO and genistein was also assessed using HepG2 xenografts subcutaneously established in BALB/c nude mice. The results show that genistein synergized with ATO to reduce viability, induce apoptosis, and diminish the Delta Psi m of cells. The combination therapy down-regulated Bcl-2 expression, up-regulated Bax expression, enhanced the activation of caspase-9 and-3, and increased the release of cytochrome c. The synergistic effect of ATO and genistein was diminished by pretreatment with NAC or BHA. Genistein increased the production of intracellular ROS, while ATO had little effect. Genistein synergized with a low dose of ATO (2.5 mg/kg) to significantly inhibit the growth of HepG2 tumors, and suppress cell proliferation and induce apoptosis in situ. There were no obvious side effects, as seen with a high dose of ATO (5 mg/kg). Combining genistein with ATO warrants investigation as a therapeutic strategy to combat HCC. (Cancer Sci 2010;101: 975-983)
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