Effect of vitamin K2 on the recurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma.

UNLABELLED: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is characterized by frequent recurrence, even after curative treatment. Vitamin K2, which has been reported to reduce HCC development, may be effective in preventing HCC recurrence. Patients who underwent curative ablation or resection of HCC were randomly assigned to receive placebo, 45 mg/day, or 90 mg/day vitamin K2 in double-blind fashion. HCC recurrence was surveyed every 12 weeks with dynamic computed tomography/magnetic resonance imaging, with HCC-specific tumor markers monitored every 4 weeks. The primary aim was to confirm the superiority of active drug to placebo concerning disease-free survival (DFS), and the secondary aim was to evaluate dose-response relationship. Disease occurrence and death from any cause were treated as events. Hazard ratios (HRs) for disease occurrence and death were calculated using a Cox proportional hazards model. Enrollment was commenced in March 2004. DFS was assessed in 548 patients, including 181 in the placebo group, 182 in the 45-mg/day group, and 185 in the 90-mg/day group. Disease occurrence or death was diagnosed in 58, 52, and 76 patients in the respective groups. The second interim analysis indicated that vitamin K2 did not prevent disease occurrence or death, with an HR of 1.150 (95% confidence interval: 0.843-1.570, one-sided; P=0.811) between the placebo and combined active-drug groups, and the study was discontinued in March 2007. CONCLUSION: Efficacy of vitamin K2 in suppressing HCC recurrence was not confirmed in this double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study.

Management of hepatocellular carcinoma in Japan: Consensus-Based Clinical Practice Guidelines proposed by the Japan Society of Hepatology (JSH) 2010 updated version.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the leading causes of cancer death not only in Japan but also worldwide. Clinical practice guidelines for HCC were first published in 2001 by the European Society of Study of the Liver (EASL) followed by the American Association for the Study of Liver Disease (AASLD) published in 2005 and updated in 2010. However, these guidelines have proven to be somewhat unsuitable for Japanese patients. In 2005, supported by the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, evidence-based clinical practice guidelines for HCC were compiled in Japan. In 2009, a revised version of evidence-based guidelines was published. Based on both 'evidence-based' guidelines and the consensus of an expert panel on HCC, the Japan Society of Hepatology (JSH) published the Consensus-Based Clinical Practice Manual in 2007 and updated in 2010. In this article, the 2010 updated version of this manual, especially issues on prevention, surveillance, pathology, diagnosis, staging, and treatment algorithm are summarized.

Pathology of early hepatocellular carcinoma: conventional and molecular diagnosis.

Recently, an East-West consensus on the histopathologic criteria for the diagnosis of high-grade dysplastic nodules (HGDN) versus early hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) was reached. Next to classical morphologic criteria such as nucleocytoplasmic ratio, thickness of cell plates, mitotic index, and architectural disturbance like acinar structures, one of the most relevant criteria to diagnose early HCC is stromal invasion. Because a structured basement membrane is lacking along the hepatocytes in the liver, invasion cannot be defined as tumor growth through the basement membrane as in other tissues. However, the number of portal tracts that are present in a nodule gradually decrease because the tumoral hepatocytes start to show a destructive invading growth pattern in the mesenchyma/stroma of these portal tracts. This feature of stromal invasion is however sometimes difficult to recognize in needle biopsies because included portal tracts can be absent. Therefore, other diagnostic criteria are necessary. Based on molecular profiling, several additional markers for early malignant HCC have been found recently. Glypican-3, heat shock protein 70, and glutamine synthetase have been already validated and can be used as a panel of stains to confirm the pathologist's histopathologic diagnosis and to solve difficult cases.

Pathological diagnosis at early stage: reaching international consensus.

Distinguishing small well-differentiated hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) from dysplastic nodules (DN) is frequently difficult, and the precise pathological diagnosis is a key issue in clinical management of the patients. However, the morphologic criteria for confident diagnosis of early HCC are still controversial. To improve the consistency of pathological diagnosis of early HCC, the International Consensus Group for Hepatocellular Neoplasia comprising 34 pathologists and 2 clinicians from 13 countries was convened in 2002, and the group met on several occasions until 2007. The members discussed the diagnosis of resected nodules <2 cm in diameter at the first meeting and additional sets of small nodules at the second meeting. The overwhelming diagnostic challenge was the differentiation of high-grade DN from well-differentiated small HCC (early HCC). It has been recognized that the presence or absence of 'invasion' is of key importance in deciding if a tumor is malignant or benign. In early HCC, varying degrees of tumor cell invasion (i.e. stromal invasion) into the portal tracts within the tumor is the most helpful morphologic clue to distinguish early HCC from high-grade DN. After the first meeting, the kappa value for HCC rose from 0.30 to 0.49. In addition, it has been well understood that most early HCCs are hypovascular lesions and unlikely classical HCC which is a hypervascular lesion.

Overall survival after transarterial lipiodol infusion chemotherapy with or without embolization for unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma: propensity score analysis.

OBJECTIVE: Although iodized oil transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) has been found to have survival benefit in the care of patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma, iodized oil infusion chemotherapy without embolization has not been clearly found inferior to or equal to TACE. The purpose of this study was to determine whether one of these therapies is superior to the other or the two are equal in survival benefit and whether embolization with gelatin sponge particles is indispensable to prolonging survival. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A prospective nonrandomized observational cohort study was conducted over 8 years. Among 11,030 patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma, 8,507 underwent TACE, and 2,523 underwent transarterial infusion therapy with an emulsion of iodized oil and an anticancer agent as initial treatment. Patients with extrahepatic metastasis or any previous treatment were excluded. The primary end point was all-cause mortality. To minimize selection bias, propensity score analysis was used to compare the two groups. RESULTS: During the follow-up period, 5,044 patients (46%) died. In the analysis of all patients, TACE was associated with a significantly higher survival rate than infusion therapy without embolization (hazard ratio, 0.60; 95% CI, 0.56-0.64; p = 0.0001). The propensity score analysis showed that the hazard ratio for death in the TACE group (n = 1,699 patients) compared with the group who underwent infusion therapy without embolization (n = 1,699) was 0.70 (95% CI, 0.63-0.76; p = 0.0001). The median survival time of the TACE group was 2.74 years, and the 1-, 3-, and 5-year survival rates were 81%, 46%, and 25%. The corresponding values for the group who underwent transarterial infusion therapy without embolization were 1.98 years and 71%, 33%, and 16%. CONCLUSION: Propensity score analysis showed that in the treatment of patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma, TACE was associated with significantly better overall survival rates than was transarterial infusion therapy without embolization. TACE can be recommended as initial treatment of these patients.

Report of the 18th follow-up survey of primary liver cancer in Japan.

In the 18th Nationwide Follow-Up Survey of Primary Liver Cancer in Japan, 20 753 people were newly registered as patients with primary liver cancer at 544 medical institutions over a period of 2 years (from 1 January 2004 to 31 December 2005). Of these patients, 94.0% had hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and 4.4% had intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC). In addition, 30 677 follow-up patients were registered in the survey. Epidemiological and clinicopathological factors, diagnosis and treatment were investigated in the newly registered patients. Compared with the 17th follow-up survey, this follow-up survey in HCC indicated an increase in elder patients and women, a decrease in patients positive for hepatitis B surface antigen and hepatitis C virus antibody, and a decrease in tumor size at the clinical diagnosis. In the local ablation therapy, ratio of radio frequency ablation therapy was increasing. The cumulative survival rates of newly-registered patients between 1994 and 2005 were calculated for each histological type (HCC, ICC, and combined HCC and ICC) and stratified by background factors and treatment. The cumulative survival rates of newly-registered patients between 1978 and 2005 divided into three groups (1978-1985, 1986-1995 and 1996-2005) were also calculated. The data obtained in this follow-up survey should contribute to future research and medical practice for primary liver cancer.

Clinicopathological study on cholangiolocellular carcinoma suggesting hepatic progenitor cell origin.

UNLABELLED: Cholangiolocellular carcinoma (CLC), a subtype of cholangiocellular carcinoma (CC), is thought to originate from the ductules/canals of Hering, where hepatic progenitor cells (HPCs) are located. We investigated the clinicopathological features of 30 CLCs and their relationship to HPCs. We evaluated the expression of hepatocytic markers (hepatocyte paraffin-1, canalicular polyclonal carcinoembryonic antigen, and CD10), biliary/HPC markers (keratin [K]7, K19, and neural cell adhesion molecule), the adenosine triphosphate binding cassette transporters: multidrug resistance protein 1, multidrug resistance-associated protein (MRP)1, MRP3, and breast cancer resistance protein, using immunohistochemistry and electron microscopy. In addition, gene expression profiling of CLC was performed and compared with the profile of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with or without HPC features (K19 expression). In surrounding nontumoral tissue, K7-positive and K19-positive HPCs/ductular reaction were observed. More than 90% of the tumor was composed of CLC areas that showed small monotonous and/or anastomosing glands, strongly positive for K7 and K19. Especially at the tumor boundary, all cases showed a HCC-like trabecular area characterized by canalicular CD10/polyclonal carcinoembryonic antigen expression, and submembranous K7 expression, similar to intermediate hepatocytes. K7-positive/K19-positive HPCs were also seen. Out of 30 cases, 19 showed papillary and/or clear glandular formation with mucin production, representing CC areas. These three different areas showed transitional zones with each other. We observed an increased expression of MRP1, MRP3, and breast cancer resistance protein in the tumor. Electron microscopy findings in HCC-like trabecular areas confirmed the presence of HPCs and intermediate hepatocytes. HPC markers, K7, K19, prominin-1, receptor for stem cell factor c-kit, octamer-4 transcription factor, and leukemia inhibitory factor were upregulated (P < 0.05), while albumin was downregulated in CLC (P = 0.007) toward K19-negative HCCs. Comparison of CLC with K19-positive HCCs indicated a high homology. CONCLUSION: All these findings highly suggest a progenitor cell origin of CLC.

Value of liver parenchymal phase contrast-enhanced sonography to diagnose premalignant and borderline lesions and overt hepatocellular carcinoma.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of our study was to investigate whether liver parenchymal phase contrast-enhanced sonography can provide additional information for assessing histologic grades of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Contrast-enhanced sonography using Levovist of 50 hepatic nodules was performed. The vascular and liver parenchymal perfusion patterns were evaluated. The sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of the histologic diagnosis of the tumors using vascular phase imaging only and systematically combined vascular phase imaging with liver parenchymal phase imaging were calculated. We also performed histologic examination and immunostaining for the detection of Kupffer cells and calculated the Kupffer cell count in the tumorous tissue relative to that in the nontumorous tissue (Kupffer cell ratio) and quantitatively evaluated the relationship between the Kupffer cell ratio and the perfusion patterns seen on liver parenchymal phase imaging. RESULTS: The specificity and accuracy of contrast-enhanced sonography in the diagnosis of dysplastic nodules and of moderately and poorly differentiated HCCs were improved by adding liver parenchymal phase imaging (dysplastic nodules, 74% and 78% vs 83% and 86%, respectively; moderately and poorly differentiated HCCs, 74% and 86% vs 85% and 92%). The diagnostic accuracy of contrast-enhanced sonography for dysplastic nodules showed a trend of improvement with the addition of liver parenchymal phase imaging (p = 0.07). Kupffer cell ratios for tumors that showed hypoperfusion during the liver parenchymal phase were significantly lower than those for tumors showing isoperfusion (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Adding liver parenchymal phase imaging to contrast-enhanced sonography protocols may yield additional information that can be used to assess histologic grades of tumor and that leads to an improvement in the differential diagnosis of nodular lesions associated with the cirrhotic liver. Further case studies are required in larger numbers of patients for a longer follow-up period.

Microvascular invasion in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma and its predictable clinicopathological factors.

BACKGROUND: Macroscopic vascular invasion is known to be a poor prognostic factor in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The aim of this study was to determine the outcomes and predictive factors after hepatic resection for HCC with microvascular invasion (MVI). METHODS: One hundred ten patients who underwent curative resection for HCC without macroscopic vascular invasion were included in this retrospective study. The risk factors of these patients for recurrence-free and disease-specific survival were investigated, and the clinicopathological factors predicting the presence of MVI were also determined. RESULTS: Of the 110 resected specimens, 49 (45%) had evidence of MVI. By univariate analysis, MVI was found to be statistically significantly associated with greater tumor size, gross classification, histological grade, and intrahepatic micrometastasis. Gross classification proved to be the only independent predictive factor for MVI by multiple logistic regression analysis. By multivariate analysis, cirrhosis and MVI were identified as independent risk factors for recurrence-free survival. The 5-year recurrence-free survival rates for patients with and without MVI were 20.8% and 52.6%, respectively. By multivariate analysis, the number of tumors, presence of MVI, and intrahepatic micrometastasis were identified as independent predictors of disease-specific survival. The 5-year disease-specific survival rates for patients with and without MVI were 59.3% and 92.0%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The presence of MVI was the most important risk factor affecting recurrence and survival in HCC patients after curative resection. Furthermore, this study showed that gross classification of HCC can be very helpful in predicting the presence of MVI.

Early hepatocellular carcinoma: pathology, imaging, and therapy.

BACKGROUND: In 1987, Japanese researchers proposed to define the pathological concept of early hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, there are some conceptual differences between the East and the West in the diagnosis and treatment of early HCC. METHODS: To provide up-to-date data for making a worldwide consensus, this article has collected six papers focused on the management of early HCC, which were presented in the Fifth International Meeting of "Hepatocellular Carcinoma: Eastern and Western Experiences" in Houston in January 2007. RESULTS: In the pathological perspective, the common criteria to discriminate early HCC from dysplastic nodule included hepatocytic invasion of portal triads and septa (stromal invasion). The current imaging modalities such as contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS), computed tomography (CT), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with the use of intravenous contrast material with multiphasic imaging could enhance their ability to accurately characterize early HCC. From the treatment perspective, a single early HCC had a high chance for cure by resection, ablation, or transplantation, which proved to be the earliest clinical entity (Stage 0 HCC). CONCLUSIONS: Early HCC is characterized by its incipient malignant nature and by an extremely favorable clinical outcome, thereby justifying its definition.

Growth inhibitory effects of pegylated IFN-alpha2b and 5-fluorouracil in combination on renal cell carcinoma cell lines in vitro and in vivo.

We investigated the effects of pegylated IFN-alpha2b (PEG-IFN-alpha2b) alone and PEG-IFN-alpha2b plus 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) in vitro on the proliferation of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) cell lines. After the transplantation of RCC cells into nude mice, we administered IFN (PEG-IFN-alpha2b or IFN-alpha2b) alone, 5-FU alone, or IFN (PEG-IFN-alpha2b or IFN-alpha2b) plus 5-FU; and investigated tumor volume, tumor weight, the numbers of apoptotic cells and artery-like blood vessels, relative mRNA expression levels of enzymes which relate to 5-FU metabolism, angiogenesis factor, and type I interferon receptor. RCC cells in vitro were generally and relatively resistant to the anti-proliferative effects of PEG-IFN-alpha2b, but the addition of 5-FU augmented IFN-induced anti-proliferative effects with the induction of apoptosis. PEG-IFN-alpha2b in vivo presented stronger anti-tumor effects than IFN-alpha2b, and its combination with 5-FU augmented the effects. The significant anti-tumor effect of the combination treatment was the increase in apoptotic cell number, but there were no significant differences in the suppression of angiogenesis, expression of IFN receptor, and the actions of metabolic enzymes of 5-FU. In conclusion, PEG-IFN-alpha2b presents stronger anti-tumor effects than non-pegylated IFN, and the effects are augmented in the combination with 5-FU. Our findings suggest the clinical usefulness of PEG-IFN-alpha2b in the treatment of RCC.

Primary liver carcinoma exhibiting dual hepatocellular-biliary epithelial differentiations associated with citrin deficiency: a case report.

We report a 50-year-old male patient with primary liver carcinoma exhibiting dual hepatocellular and biliary epithelial differentiations associated with citrin deficiency (asymptomatic adult-onset type II citrullinemia, CTLN2). Although so far 14 CTLN2 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma have been reported, this report describes a unique case of liver carcinoma showing the features of both hepatocellular and cholangiocellular carcinoma. In addition to the clinical data of the 14 patients reported previously, the findings in our patient suggest that the citrin deficiency might be one of the key disorders causing hepatocellular carcinoma especially at younger ages and can also play an important role in hepatocarcinogenesis of the hepatic progenitor cells, which have the bipotential to differentiate into both hepatocytes and cholangiocytes.

Diagnostic accuracy of imaging for liver cirrhosis compared to histologically proven liver cirrhosis. A multicenter collaborative study.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of liver cirrhosis by imaging modalities, including CT, MRI and US, compared to results obtained from histopathological diagnoses of resected specimens. MATERIALS AND METHODS: CT, MRI and US examinations of 142 patients with chronic liver disease who underwent surgery for complicated hepatocellular carcinoma (<3 cm in diameter) in 10 institutions were blindly reviewed in a multicenter study by three radiologists experienced in CT, MRI and US. The images were evaluated for five imaging parameters (irregular or nodular liver surface, blunt liver edge, liver parenchymal abnormalities, liver morphological changes and manifestations of portal hypertension) using a severity scale. The diagnostic imaging impression score was also calculated. Patients were histologically classified into chronic hepatitis (CH; n = 54), liver cirrhosis (LC; n = 71) and pre-cirrhosis (P-LC; n = 17) by three pathologists, independently, who reviewed the resected liver specimens. The results of the three imaging methods were compared to those from histological diagnoses, and a multivariate analysis (stepwise forward logistic regression analysis) was performed to identify independent predictive signs of cirrhosis. The diagnostic efficacies for LC and early cirrhosis were also compared among CT, MRI and US using a receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. RESULTS: The differences in the five imaging parameters evaluated by CT, MRI and US between LC and CH were statistically significant (p < 0.001) except for the manifestations of portal hypertension on US. Irregular or nodular surface, blunt edge or morphological changes in the liver were selected as the best predictive signs for cirrhosis on US whereas liver parenchymal abnormalities, manifestations of portal hypertension and morphological changes in the liver were the best predictive signs on MRI and CT by multivariate analysis. The predictive diagnostic accuracy, sensitivity and specificity in discriminating LC from CH based on the best predictive signs were 71.9, 77.1 and 67.6% by CT; 67.9, 67.5 and 68.3% by MRI, and 66.0, 38.4 (lower than CT and MRI, p =0.001) and 88.8% (higher than CT and MRI, p =0.001)by US. According to the imaging impression scoring system, diagnostic accuracy, sensitivity and specificity were 67.0, 84.3 and 52.9% by CT; 70.3, 86.7 and 53.9% by MRI, and 64.0, 52.4 (lower than CT and MRI, p =0.0001) and 73.5% (higher than CT and MRI, p < 0.003) by US. ROC analysis showed that MRI and CT were slightly superior to US in the diagnosis of LC but no statistically significant difference was found between them. For the pathological diagnosis of P-LC, cirrhosis was diagnosed in 59.5, 46.7 and 41.7% of the P-LC cases by US, CT and MRI, respectively, with no significant difference among these methods. CONCLUSION: US, CT and MRI had different independent predictive signs for the diagnosis of LC. MRI and CT were slightly superior to US in predicting cirrhosis, especially regarding sensitivity. Noninvasive imaging techniques play an important role in the diagnosis of cirrhosis, especially in the evaluation of P-LC.

Case report of a focal nodular hyperplasia-like nodule present in cirrhotic liver.

An 81-year-old female was referred to Sapporo Medical University Hospital because of a nodular lesion 20 mm in diameter found in the liver S8 during follow-up for type C liver cirrhosis. Abdominal ultrasonography showed a capsule-like structure, and contrast computed tomography revealed hypervascularity at the early phase and inner pooling of the contrast medium with ring enhancement at the late phase. Magnetic resonance T2-weighted imaging (T2WI) demonstrated a hyperintensity nodule with further hyperintensity signals in some parts of the nodule, and the signal pattern differed from that of typical fibrosis. SPIO-magnetic resonance imaging showed partial hypointensity signals by T2WI, which indicated the presence of Kupffer cells. Angiography did not show a spoke-wheel pattern. The results by imaging modalities indicated that the nodule was atypical for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and focal nodular hyperplasia (FNH), and liver nodule biopsy was performed for histological diagnosis. Compared with the background liver, the nodule revealed high cellular density, cellular dysplasia at the periphery, a pseudo-crypt structure and irregular hepatic cord arrangement in some parts of the nodule. Among them, there was immature fibrous tissue containing arterioles with muscular hypertrophy. There has been no report of well-differentiated HCC with a central scar, and this case was presumed to be an FNH-like nodule with dysplasia physically associated with cirrhotic tissue.

Luteolin promotes degradation in signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 in human hepatoma cells: an implication for the antitumor potential of flavonoids.

In this study, we have investigated the underlying molecular mechanism for the potent proapoptotic effect of luteolin on human hepatoma cells both in vitro and in vivo, focusing on the signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3)/Fas signaling. A clear apoptosis was found in the luteolin-treated HLF hepatoma cells in a time- and dosage-dependent manner. In concert with the caspase-8 activation by luteolin, an enhanced expression in functional Fas/CD95 was identified. Consistent with the increased Fas/CD95 expression, a drastic decrease in the Tyr(705) phosphorylation of STAT3, a known negative regulator of Fas/CD95 transcription, was found within 20 minutes in the luteolin-treated cells, leading to down-regulation in the target gene products of STAT3, such as cyclin D1, survivin, Bcl-xL, and vascular endothelial growth factor. Of interest, the rapid down-regulation in STAT3 was consistent with an accelerated ubiquitin-dependent degradation in the Tyr(705)-phosphorylated STAT3, but not the Ser(727)-phosphorylated one, another regulator of STAT3 activity. The expression level of Ser(727)-phosphorylated STAT3 was gradually decreased by the luteolin treatment, followed by a fast and clear down-regulation in the active forms of CDK5, which can phosphorylate STAT3 at Ser(727). An overexpression in STAT3 led to resistance to luteolin, suggesting that STAT3 was a critical target of luteolin. In nude mice with xenografted tumors using HAK-1B hepatoma cells, luteolin significantly inhibited the growth of the tumors in a dosage-dependent manner. These data suggested that luteolin targeted STAT3 through dual pathways-the ubiquitin-dependent degradation in Tyr(705)-phosphorylated STAT3 and the gradual down-regulation in Ser(727)-phosphorylated STAT3 through inactivation of CDK5, thereby triggering apoptosis via up-regulation in Fas/CD95.

[A case of hepatic eosinophilic granuloma, which needs distinction with metastatic liver cancer].

A 68-year-old man was referred to our hospital because of eosinophilia in peripheral blood and pancreatic tumor on abdominal US. He was accustomed to eating the raw flesh of wild boar and keeping wild boar, and under medical treatment for Diabetes. Pancreatic tumor was diagnosed to the pancreatic ductal cancer by the imaging examination and endoscopic transpapillary brushing cytology for pancreatic duct. The diagnosis of hepatic eosinophilic granuloma was done by aspiration biopsy for hepatic multiple small nodules. Because of the strong positive finding for nematose in the assay of multi dot-ELISA for parasite, hepatic eosinophilic granuloma caused by visceral larva migrans was accidentally complicated by pancreatic cancer, and operation for the pancreatic cancer was done. To bear this disease in mind and to research his life history, is important to diagnose hepatic multiple nodules with eosinophilia.

[Epithelioid hemangioendothelioma of the liver diagnosed by laparoscopy guided biopsy].

A 35-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital for right upper quadrant pain and multiple liver tumor were detected by diagnostic imaging. Tumors located near the surface of the liver which accompanied capsular retraction. Diagnostic laparoscopy showed multiple white tone tumors with retraction of the adjacent liver capsule. Tumor targeted biopsy was performed. The pathologic diagnosis of epithelioid hemangioendothelioma (EHE) was made by the positive staining of factor VIII-related antigen. EHE tend to locate in peripheral and extend to the liver capsule. Therefore, we face difficulties in getting biopsy sample safely. Here we report a useful case of laparoscopic examination and biopsy in the diagnosis of EHE.

Alteration of dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase expression by IFN-alpha affects the antiproliferative effects of 5-fluorouracil in human hepatocellular carcinoma cells.

Dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase (DPD) is the rate-limiting enzyme in the catabolism of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and its activity is closely associated with cellular sensitivity to 5-FU. This study examines the role of DPD in the antiproliferative effects of 5-FU combined with IFN-alpha on hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells in culture and asks whether IFN-alpha could affect DPD expression. The combined action of IFN-alpha and 5-FU on three HCC lines was quantified by a combination index method. Coadministration of IFN-alpha and 5-FU showed synergistic effects against HAK-1A and KYN-2 but antagonistic effects against KYN-3. The cellular expression levels of DPD mRNA and protein were markedly up-regulated in KYN-3 cells by IFN-alpha but were down-regulated in HAK-1A and KYN-2. The expression of thymidylate synthase mRNA and protein was down-regulated by IFN-alpha in all three cell lines. Coadministration of a selective DPD inhibitor, 5-chloro-2,4-dihydroxypyridine (CDHP), enhanced the antiproliferative effect of 5-FU and IFN-alpha on KYN-3 approximately 4-fold. However, the synergistic effects of 5-FU and IFN-alpha on HAK-1A and KYN-2 were not affected by CDHP. The antiproliferative effect of 5-FU could thus be modulated by IFN-alpha, possibly through DPD expression, in HCC cells. Inhibition of DPD activity by CDHP may enhance the efficacy of IFN-alpha and 5-FU combination therapy in patients with HCC showing resistance to this therapy.

Effects of IFN-alpha on alpha-fetoprotein expressions in hepatocellular carcinoma cells.

We investigated the effects of pegylated (PEG)-IFN-alpha2b on alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) expression as demonstrated by protein and mRNA levels in six human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cell lines. The number of KIM-1 cells in culture with PEG-IFN-alpha2b decreased between 24 amd 240 h, whereas the levels of intracellular and secreted AFP per cellular protein increased (except at 192 h), with levels 1.9-fold and 2.9-fold higher at maximum, respectively, than cells without PEG-IFN-alpha2b (control). The mRNA level increased between 72 and 192 h, when the level was 3-fold higher than that of the control. In the 72-h culture with 40-5000 IU/mL PEG-IFN-alpha2b, there were dose-dependent increases in AFP protein and mRNA expression and dose-dependent decrease in cell number resulting from apoptosis and blockage of the cell cycle at the S-phase. The rate of fucosylated AFP in the cell lysate decreased in a dose-dependent and time-dependent manner. In the PEG-IFN-alpha2b culture of the other five HCC cell lines, cell proliferation was suppressed, but the expressions of AFP protein and mRNA increased in only two cell lines, and suppression of cell proliferation was not related to the increase in AFP expressions. Our findings demonstrated that PEG-IFN-alpha2b induces an increase in AFP expression at both the protein and mRNA levels.

Growth inhibitory effects of IFN-beta on human liver cancer cells in vitro and in vivo.

We investigated the effects of interferon-beta (IFN-beta) on the growth of human liver cancer cells. The effects of IFN-beta with or without 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) on the proliferation of 13 liver cancer cell lines were investigated in vitro. Chronologic change in IFN-alpha receptor 2 (IFNAR-2) expression was monitored in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells (HAK-1B) cultured with IFN-beta. After HAK-1B cells were transplanted into nude mice, various doses of IFN-beta were administered, and the tumor volume, weight, histology, tumor blood vessel, and angiogenesis factor expression were examined. IFN-beta inhibited the growth of 11 cell lines with apoptosis in a dose-dependent and time-dependent manner. With IFN-beta, IFNAR-2 expression in HAK-1B cells was significantly downregulated from 6 to 12 h. IFN-beta induced a dose-dependent decrease in tumor volume and weight and a significant increase of apoptosis in the tumor. Both basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) and blood vessel number in the tumor decreased only in mice receiving the lowest dose (1000 IU) of IFN-beta. IFN-beta with 10 muM of 5-FU frequently induced synergistic antiproliferative effects. IFN-beta with or without 5-FU induces strong antitumor effects in HCC cells, and we conclude that IFN-beta is useful for the prevention and treatment of HCC.