Detection of hepatitis C virus RNA sequences in cholangiocarcinomas in Chinese and American patients.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the role of hepatitis C virus (HCV) in the malignant transformation of bile duct cells. Tissues from 6 Chinese patients and 6 American patients with cholangiocarcinoma were studied. METHODS: RNA was extracted from the selected tumor areas of formalin-fixed, paraffin embedded sections, followed by reverse transcription double polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and Southern blotting. RESULTS: Positive and negative strand HCV RNA sequences were detected in seven out of twelve patients with cholangiocarcinoma. A high positive rate was found in Chinese patients (83%) as compared to US patients (33%). CONCLUSION: Our finding suggests HCV may play a role in the malignant transformation of bile duct cells.