Delayed gastrointestinal transit in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.
OBJECTIVE
Disturbed gastrointestinal (GI) motility exists in cirrhotic patients; however, less is known about the character of GI transit in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients. It is interesting to study the GI transit in HCC patients and to explore the patient factors modulating GI transit.


METHODS
A non-invasive hydrogen breath test, which measured the orocecal transit time (OCTT), was used to study GI transit in 40 HCC patients, 20 cirrhotics and 40 age- and sex-matched healthy volunteers with normal bowel habits. Meanwhile, their clinical manifestations and various blood parameters, such as platelet count, prothrombin time, erythrocyte sedimentation rate etc. were collected. The plasma endothelin-1 and nitrate/nitrite levels were also measured.


RESULTS
The OCTT were delayed in HCC and cirrhotic patients compared with controls (116.3 +/- 7.8 and 104.5 +/- 10.6 vs 75.3 +/- 5.1 min, P < 0.05). Neither the severity of liver damage, presence of ascites, tumor size, portal hypertension, nor various blood parameters, such as nitrate/nitrite, endothelin-1, platelet count etc., had any influence on GI transit. Only serum alpha-fetoprotein levels exhibited a trend toward positive correlation with the OCTT (r = 0.271, P = 0.091).


CONCLUSIONS
Hepatocellular carcinoma patients have delayed GI transit. The confounding factor responsible for the disturbance of GI transit in HCC patients needs further exploration.
Chen
Chih-Yen
CY
Division of Gastroenterology, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taiwan.
Lu
Ching-Liang
CL
Chang
Full-Young
FY
Lih-Jiun
Kang
K
Luo
Jiing-Chyuan
JC
Lu
Rei-Hwa
RH
Lee
Shou-Dong
SD
D001944:Breath Tests; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000503:physiopathology*; D015986:Confounding Factors, Epidemiologic; D005260:Female; D005772:Gastrointestinal Transit; D006801:Humans; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000503:physiopathology; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged