title: Alternation of AFP-mRNA level detected in blood circulation during liver resection for HCC and its significance.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  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).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  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.
authors.affiliation: Hepatic Surgery Center, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, Hubei Province, China. chenxp_53@sina.com
authors.forename: Xiao-Ping
authors.initials: XP
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Hong
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Xi-Ping
authors.initials: XP
authors.lastname: Zhao
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000097:blood / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D006498:Hepatectomy; D006801:Humans; D008099:Liver / Q000601:surgery; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000097:blood / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000601:surgery*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000209:etiology; D009360:Neoplastic Cells, Circulating; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000209:etiology; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000032:analysis; D000509:alpha-Fetoproteins / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D012333:RNA, Messenger; D000509:alpha-Fetoproteins