Liver Cancer Survival Rates Predicted by Genes

In a study supported by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, the National Cancer Institute, the Samuel Waxman Cancer Research Foundation, among others, it was found that in hepatocellular carcinoma, genetic analysis of the non-cancerous part of the liver can predict survival after surgery.

Gene-expression profiling of such tissue yielded gene signatures that were highly associated with both survival and late recurrence of the cancer, according to Todd Golub, M.D., of the Broad Institute, and colleagues.

On the other hand, the same approach applied to tumor tissue found no significant associations with survival, the researchers reported online in the New England Journal of Medicine.

The findings support the notion that late recurrence of liver cancer is not caused by proliferation of cancer cells left behind after surgery, but to a "field effect" in a liver damaged by environmental factors, Dr. Golub and colleagues said.

The research needs further validation before it's ready for the clinic, they said, but it may allow doctors to identify patients at the highest risk for recurrence and intervene earlier.

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