[Status of H. pylori infection in the hepatic tissue of patients with hepatocarcinoma].

OBJECTIVE

To survey the status of Helicobacter pylori (Hp) infection in the liver of patients with liver cancer and explore the correlation between Hp infection and liver cancer.

METHODS

Liver specimens were obtained 30 patients with chronic liver disease (CLD), 30 with liver cancer, and 30 healthy control subjects. The specimens were cultured in Colombian agar medium in microaerophilic condition for isolation of Hp. The presence of Hp was also identified by biochemical test, urease test, immunohistochemistry, and PCR and sequence analysis.

RESULTS

Hp was found in none of the liver specimens by culture tests. One out of the 30 patients with liver cancer (3%) was positive for Hp by urease tests. Immunohistochemical staining identified Hp positivity in 9 liver cancer tissue (30.0%), but in none of control or CLD cases (P<0.05). PCR detected Hp 16S rRNA in 18 out of the 30 patients with liver cirrhosis (60.0%) and in none of the control or chronic hepatitis cases. Sequencing analysis of Hp 16S rRNA in liver tissue showed a 98.8% homology with the Hp16S rRNA gene.

CONCLUSION

A greater incidence of Hp infection in the liver is identified in patients with liver cancer than in healthy subjects and CLD patients, suggesting a potential correlation between Hp infection to liver cancer.