Aristolochic acids exposure was not the main cause of liver tumorigenesis in adulthood

Aristolochic acids (AAs) have long been considered as a potent carcinogen due to its nephrotoxicity. Aristolochic acid I (AAI) reacts with DNA to form covalent aristolactam (AL)-DNA adducts, leading to subsequent A to T transversion mutation, commonly referred as AA mutational signature. Previous research inferred that AAs were widely implicated in liver cancer throughout Asia. In this study, we explored whether AAs exposure was the main cause of liver cancer in the context of HBV infection in mainland China. Totally 1256 liver cancer samples were randomly retrieved from 3 medical centers and a refined bioanalytical method was used to detect AAI-DNA adducts. 5.10% of these samples could be identified as AAI positive exposure. Whole genome sequencing suggested 8.41% of 107 liver cancer patients exhibited the dominant AA mutational signature, indicating a relatively low overall AAI exposure rate. In animal models, long-term administration of AAI barely increased liver tumorigenesis in adult mice, opposite from its tumor-inducing role when subjected to infant mice. Furthermore, AAI induced dose-dependent accumulation of AA-DNA adduct in target organs in adult mice, with the most detected in kidney instead of liver. Taken together, our data indicate that AA exposure was not the major threat of liver cancer in adulthood.

Gold nanorods-mediated efficient synergistic immunotherapy for detection and inhibition of postoperative tumor recurrence

Tumor recurrence after surgery is the main cause of treatment failure. However, the initial stage of recurrence is not easy to detect, and it is difficult to cure in the late stage. In order to improve the life quality of postoperative patients, an efficient synergistic immunotherapy was developed to achieve early diagnosis and treatment of post-surgical tumor recurrence, simultaneously. In this paper, two kinds of theranostic agents based on gold nanorods (AuNRs) platform were prepared. AuNRs and quantum dots (QDs) in one agent was used for the detection of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), using fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) technology to indicate the occurrence of

Hepatoid Adenocarcinoma of the Stomach Misconceived as a Primary Liver Tumor

Hepatoid adenocarcinomas of the stomach are gastric carcinomas with both adenocarcinomatous and hepatocellular differentiations. The tumor was characterized by high serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) levels. A 73-year-old male patient was admitted to the hospital with abdominal pain. Gastrofiberscopy revealed a gastric tumor occupying the antrum and pylorus. Radical subtotal gastrectomy was done and the result of biopsy was poorly differentiated adenocarcima of stomach and stage 3B. At postoperation 8 month, AFP was elevated and liver mass was detected on CT. Right extended hepatectomy was done under the impression of primary liver tumor. But, the biopsy revealed metastatic hepatoid adenocarcinoma of the stomach. Re-examination of the resected stomach was done and the result was hepatoid adenocarcinoma of the stomach. Two months later, after the hepatic resection, multiple metastases developed. This type of tumor has frequent early liver metastasis and poor prognosis. Therefore, early diagnosis and more careful investigation for liver metastasis are recommended.

Prevention of liver cancer: basic and clinical aspects

Cancer prevention is a challenging project both in the basic and clinical medicine. In particular, prevention of liver cancer is the most urgent task in countries where the incidence of hepatitis virus-related liver cancer is rising. As reviewed in this article, liver cancer is going to be the first cancer that will be actually prevented by primary and secondary interventions. Even the improvement of absolute survival of the patients can be expected by successful prevention, as already demonstrated in a few clinical trials. Thus, prevention of liver cancer is promising to provide not only cost-effectiveness by morbidity reduction but also cost-benefit by mortality improvement.