Brief Reports
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2005. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Gastroenterol. Jul 21, 2005; 11(27): 4272-4276
Published online Jul 21, 2005. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v11.i27.4272
Expression of albumin, IGF-1, IGFBP-3 in tumor tissues and adjacent non-tumor tissues of hepatocellular carcinoma patients with cirrhosis
Shi-Min Luo, Wei-Min Tan, Wei-Xiong Deng, Si-Min Zhuang, Jian-Wei Luo
Shi-Min Luo, Wei-Min Tan, Wei-Xiong Deng, Si-Min Zhuang, Jian-Wei Luo, Department of Cadre Surgery, The First Municipal People’s Hospital of Guangzhou, Guangzhou 510180, Guangdong Province, China
Author contributions: All authors contributed equally to the work.
Correspondence to: Wei-Min Tan, Department of Cadre Surgery, The First Municipal People’s Hospital of Guangzhou, 1 Panfu Lu, Guangzhou 510180, Guangdong Province, China. lsmin@gzsums.edu.cn
Telephone: +86-20-81048285 Fax: +86-20-81048285
Received: November 12, 2004
Revised: January 1, 2005
Accepted: January 5, 2005
Published online: July 21, 2005
Abstract

AIM: To explore the expression of albumin (ALB), insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-1, and insulin-like growth factor binding protein (IGFBP)-3 in tumor tissues and adjacent non-tumor tissues of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients with cirrhosis.

METHODS: Twenty-four HCC patients with cirrhosis who underwent hepatectomy were studied. ALB mRNA, IGF-1 mRNA, and IGFBP-3 mRNA in liver tissues (including tumor tissues and adjacent non-tumor tissues) were detected by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Liver Ki67 immunohistochemistry staining was studied. At the same time, 12 patients with cholelithiasis or liver angioma who underwent operation were segregated as normal control.

RESULTS: In HCC patients with cirrhosis, hepatic ALB mRNA, IGF-1 mRNA, and IGFBP-3 mRNA of tumor tissues or adjacent non-tumor tissues were lower than the normal liver tissues, while in tumor tissues, hepatic ALB mRNA and IGFBP-3 mRNA were lower, hepatic IGF-1 mRNA was higher than in adjacent non-tumor tissues. Liver Ki67 labeling index (Ki67 LI) in tumor tissues or adjacent non-tumor tissues were higher than that in the normal liver tissues, while in tumor tissues it was higher than that in adjacent non-tumor tissues.

CONCLUSION: Imbalance of IGF-1 and IGFBP-3 may play a role in hepatocarcinogenesis and tumor development of liver cirrhosis patients.

Keywords: Hepatocellular carcinoma; Insulin growth factor-1; Insulin-like growth factor binding protein-3