New Research reveals the ‘Culprit’ of Liver Cancer

Aug 8, 2011 by Alexander

News from the University of Hong Kong, Li Ka Shing Faculty of the University of Hong Kong recently researchers in the new study found that lead to cancer recurrence and chemotherapy resistance resulting culprit is a cancer stem cell, as long as the stem cells inhibit the protein material to pass the message on enhance the effect of treatment of liver cancer.The new study found that liver tumor formation and to understand the future of cancer treatment has brought a major breakthrough. The findings are published on ”cells stem cell”, which is most authoritative academic journal in the areas of stem cell research.

The study mainly in the Study of Liver Diseases University of Hong Kong State Key Laboratory, School of Medicine by the Department of Pathology, University of Hong Kong Li Ka Shing Wu Professor Lv Ailian, Li Jianhua led by Dr. Antonia CASTILHO. Other researchers include Dr. Ma Guiyi and two graduate student Chih-Hao Chang and Deng Junhao.

Primary liver cancer is one of the world’s five most common cancer worldwide each year more than 500,000 new patients. China accounted for all the world’s new cases of liver cancer for more than half (55%).Surgical resection and liver transplantation is the most important method of treating liver cancer by hepatic artery embolization chemotherapy law as a second-line treatment. However, due to cancer recurrence rate, and strong potency against chemotherapy, the overall treatment effect is not ideal. Therefore, tumor recurrence and chemotherapy resistance to crack the mechanism for improving the chances of survival of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma is undoubtedly of great significance.

In recent years a large number of studies have shown that cancer stem cells within the tumor with part of the characteristics of cancer cells – cancer stem cells (CSCs), is induced tumors continue to grow and maintain the source. These cancer stem cells within the tumor than in other more mature cancer cells more resistant to traditional chemotherapy, led to the current regimen is difficult to completely cure liver cancer.

In this article, researchers at the University of Hong Kong used with chemotherapy resistant cancer stem cell properties, successfully nurtured in a mouse model of cancer stem cells. In this animal model, the researchers first implanted in mice of human hepatocellular carcinoma cells, and then treated with chemotherapy. Initially, the mice tumor shrinkage, but will have chemotherapy-resistant tumor cells were seeded in the other mice after the mice will be tumor recurrence, with the same clinical phenomenon. This shows that these were resistant to chemotherapy, the tumor cells than the untreated cancer cells within the tumor more to promote tumor formation and metastasis ability.

The use of gene chip, the researchers analyzed the untreated and were resistant to chemotherapy between tumor gene expression, which identified the cancer stem cell surface marker CD24 +. Clinical data show that patients with liver cancer if the tumor with high levels of CD24 + cancer stem cells marked at one-year recurrence rate after surgery compared with only a low amount of tumor CD24 + cancer stem cells in patients with 3 times higher. Meanwhile, a tumor with high levels of CD24 + cancer stem cells, cancer patients have a higher chance of tumor metastasis. The researchers also confirmed that the liver tumor with high levels of CD24 + expression in liver cancer survival rate was significantly lower.

In further studies, the researchers also a breakthrough marked the dismantling of the CD24 + cancer stem cells initiate tumor development and self-updating mechanism. They found signs of CD24 + cancer stem cells through activation of STAT3 signaling, to maintain self-renewing cancer stem cells to promote tumor formation. The results show that phosphorylation of STAT3 signaling in CD24 plays a critical role.Researchers believe that by inhibiting STAT3 phosphorylation, can control tumor growth, greatly enhance the opportunity to completely reduce liver cancer.

Led the study, Department of Pathology, University of Hong Kong Li Ka Shing Faculty Professor Jin Lu Youji Study of Liver Diseases and State Key Laboratory Wu Professor Lv Ailian said the study provides a forecast not only for patients with cancer recurrence indicators, will also promote research and development the treatment of liver cancer drugs target to reduce the chance of tumor recurrence or metastasis.