Original Articles
Copyright ©The Author(s) 1999. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Gastroenterol. Apr 15, 1999; 5(2): 111-115
Published online Apr 15, 1999. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v5.i2.111
Relationship between expression of α-fetoprotein messenger RNA and some clinical parameters of human hepatocellular carcinoma
Ping He, Zhao-You Tang, Sheng-Long Ye, Bin-Bin Liu
Ping He, Zhao-You Tang, Sheng-Long Ye, Bin-Bin Liu, Liver Cancer Institute & Zhong Shan Hospital, Shanghai Medical University, Shanghai 200032, China
Ping He, female, born on 1964-10-29 in Jiaxing City, Zhejiang Prov ince, Han nationality, graduated from Shanghai Medical University as a Ph.D. in 1998, assistant researcher of molecular biology, majoring molecular biology of l iver cancer, having 7 papers published.Presented at the Third National Meeting of Advances of Diagnosis and Treatment in Hepatocellular Carcinoma, Dalian, 23-25 July, 1997.
Author contributions: All authors contributed equally to the work.
Correspondence to: Dr. Ping He, Liver Cancer Institute, Zhong Shan Hospital, Shanghai Medical University, Shanghai 200032,China
Telephone: +86-21-64041990-2136 Fax: +86-21-64037181
Received: November 14, 1998
Revised: January 11, 1999
Accepted: January 20, 1999
Published online: April 15, 1999
Abstract

AIM To certify the relationship between AFP-mRNA and some pathological parameters of he patocellular carcinoma (HCC).

METHOD We detected the expression of AFP in mRNA level in tissue samples from 52 patients suffering from HCC by RT-PCR method.

RESULTS The positive rate of AFP mRNA was 76.9% in the HCC tumor tissues, and 69.4% in the paratumor tissues from the HCC patients with severe cirrhosis. However, in HCC patients without cirrhosis, the positive rate reached 50% in tumor tissues, but no AFP mRNA expression was found in the related paratumor tissues.

CONCLUSION The AFP protein was specially expressed by HCC cells and mutated hepatocytes. The AFP mRNA was positively related with cirrhosis, but no significant relationship was found between AFP mRNA and tumor size, capsule status and tumor metastasis.

Keywords: liver neoplasms; carcinoma, hepatocellular; AFP mRNA; polymerase chain reaction