Alternation of AFP-mRNA level detected in blood circulation during liver resection for HCC and its significance.

AIM

To investigate whether the current manipulation of liver resection for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) causes dissemination of liver tumor cells into blood circulation.

METHODS

Fifty patients with HCC, but without evidences of metastases, were enrolled for the study. Samples of peripheral blood before skin incision and after abdominal wall suture, and those of hepatic venous blood and portal venous blood after liver parenchyma dissection,were obtained. AFP-mRNA was extracted from the blood samples and detected with reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction assay. The changes of its expression during the operation were accessed by the ratio of fluorescence of AFP and beta-actin primers-amplified products.

RESULTS

The rate of its expression before and after operation in peripheral blood, and during operation in portal venous and hepatic venous blood was 42.0 %, 34.0 %, 42.0 % and 56.0 % respectively, There was no difference between them. However, the ratio of fluorescence of AFP and beta-actin primers-amplified products from hepatic venous blood during operation is significantly higher than the other three types of samples (P<0.05).

CONCLUSION

the current manipulation of liver resection for HCC can cause the releases of AFP mRNA-expressed cells from the liver, probably including tumor cells, into hepatic vein. These cells may spread into blood circulation and become the source of recurrence after operation.